Serum concentrations of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) and IL6 can predict the onset of sepsis in pyometra bitches.

As onset of sepsis adversely affects the prognosis of canine pyometra, finding biomarkers that would distinguish sepsis status would be useful in the clinical management. Accordingly, we hypothesized that differential expression of endometrial transcripts and circulating concentration of certain inflammatory mediators would discriminate pyometra led sepsis (P-sepsis+) from those of pyometra without sepsis (P-sepsis-). Bitches with pyometra (n=52) were classified into P-sepsis+ (n=28) and P-sepsis- (n=24) based on vital clinical score and total leukocyte count. A group of non-pyometra bitches (n=12) served as control. The relative fold change in the transcripts of IL6, IL8, TNFα, IL10, PTGS2, mPGES1 and PGFS, SLPI, S100A8, S100A12 and eNOS were determined by qPCR. Further, the concentration of IL6, IL8, IL10, SLPI, and prostaglandin F 2α metabolite (PGFM) were assayed in the serum by ELISA. The relative fold changes of S100A12 and SLPI and mean concentrations of IL6 and SLPI were significantly (p<0.05) higher in P-sepsis+ than that of P-sepsis- group. ROC analysis revealed that serum IL6 had a diagnostic sensitivity of 78.6% and a positive likelihood ratio (LR+) of 2.09, at a cut-off value of 15.7 pg/mL to diagnose P-sepsis+ cases. Similarly, serum SLPI had sensitivity of 84.6% and LR+ of 2.23, at a cut-off value of 2.0 pg/mL. It was concluded that SLPI, and IL6 would serve as a putative biomarker for pyometra led sepsis in bitches. Monitoring of these parameters would be a useful adjunct to the established hemato-biochemical parameters in customizing the treatment strategies and arriving at the decision for management of canine pyometra with a critical illness.