Hepatitis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Hepatitis, including details on hepatitis a, b, c, causes, symptoms.

Hepatic (64)Cu excretion in Dobermanns with subclinical hepatitis.

Mandigers PJ, Bode P, van Wees AM, van den Brom WE, van den Ingh TS, Rothuizen J

Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Utrecht, Yalelaan 108, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands. p.j.j.mandigers@planet.nl

To investigate whether Dobermanns have impaired copper excretion an intravenous radioactive copper isotope ((64)Cu) was used as a tracer. Five patients and eight normal dogs (5 normal Dobermanns and 3 Beagles) were studied. The five female Dobermann patients had a subclinical hepatitis and an increased hepatic copper concentration (median 822mg/kg, range 690-1380mg/kg dry matter). The normal dogs, five Dobermanns and three Beagles, had no abnormal liver histopathology and hepatic copper concentrations were considered normal (Dobermanns; median 118mg/kg, range 50-242mg/kg dry matter; Beagles; median 82mg/kg, range 50-88mg/kg dry matter). Cholestasis was excluded in all dogs by means of a (99m)Tc-Bis-IDA hepatobiliary scintigraphy. Plasma clearance of (64)Cu was comparable in all dogs with no statistically significant differences. The excretion of (64)Cu into the bile, although not statistically significant, was less for the Dobermanns with subclinical hepatitis compared to the normal dogs. The findings suggest that impaired copper excretion may play a role in the aetiology of chronic hepatitis in the Dobermann.

Published 2 July 2007 in Res Vet Sci, 83(2): 204-9.
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