STUDY OF HEMOSTATIC DISORDERS IN EXPERIMENTALLY-INDUCED LEISHMANIASISIN BEAGLE DOGS

Haemostatic alterations in dogs experimentally infected with Leishmani a infantum were studied before and after therapy with meglumine antimo nate. Haemostatic function tests including platelet count, collagen-in duced platelet aggregation, prothrombin time, activated partial thromb oplastin time, thrombin time, plasma fibrinogen determination, and ser um fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products concentration were performed . Ln the course of infection and before treatment, moderate thrombocyt openia (P<0 00001), decreased collagen induced platelet aggregation (P =0 0003), prolonged thrombin time (P=0.0117) and increased fibrinogen/ fibrin degradation products were observed. Statistically significant d ifferences of plasma fibrinogen concentration, prothrombin time, and a ctivated partial thromboplastin time were not encountered. Haemostatic parameters returned to normal values after therapy. The results indic ate that Leishmania infection may impair haemostasis suggesting induct ion of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), and that treating dogs in an early stage of infection may potentially avoid the possibi lity of developing an uncompensated DIC.