Study links neutrophil ratios to fungal skin infections in dogs

Dogs treated with ciclosporin for immune-mediated disease may face a higher risk of cutaneous opportunistic invasive fungal infections when their neutrophil count and inflammatory cell ratios are elevated, according to a new case-control study in Veterinary Dermatology. The retrospective study matched eight affected dogs with 20 controls receiving ciclosporin, with or without systemic glucocorticoids, and found that higher neutrophil count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and neutrophil-to-monocyte ratio were the only variables significantly associated with infection. The authors did not find significant links with host factors or treatment regimen alone, including whether dogs also received glucocorticoids. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams managing dogs on ciclosporin for immune-mediated disease, the findings suggest routine CBC trends may offer an early signal of risk before cutaneous fungal disease becomes obvious. That’s notable because opportunistic skin infections tied to ciclosporin have been documented before, including invasive fungal infections in dogs receiving immunosuppressive protocols for immune-mediated disease and cutaneous nocardiosis in dogs on ciclosporin, sometimes with prolonged treatment and the need to reduce immunosuppression. This new study adds a practical point: inflammatory leukogram patterns, rather than drug regimen alone, may help identify which patients warrant closer skin monitoring, earlier cytology or biopsy, and a lower threshold for fungal workup. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

What to watch: The next question is whether larger prospective studies can validate neutrophil-based ratios such as NLR and NMR as monitoring tools in dogs receiving ciclosporin and other immunosuppressive combinations. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)