Immune-mediated anemias are caused by a spectrum of disorders that can selectively target erythroid cells in different stages of development, from mature RBCs to erythroid progenitors, resulting in different and distinct constellations of findings that help us diagnose these entities. Treatment and prognosis can be different for different entities, warranting an accurate initial diagnosis. The pathogenesis and laboratory findings for IMHA, PIMA, and PRCA will be discussed, together with a brief discussion of some differential diagnoses.
This seminar will review the immunomodulatory drugs we commonly use for immunomodulation in small animal practice. A review of the literature will provide the evidence for support of efficacy and use practices. A special emphasis on mycophenolate mofetil and upcoming studies will be included.
T cells undergo a complex program of development in order to become effective mediators of immunity. Cells at each stage of T cell development have the potential to become neoplastic while retaining many of the characteristics of their non-neoplastic counterparts. Identifying the normal counterpart of different T cell lymphomas can help explain the clinical signs associated with these diseases and give us insight into pathogenesis. Gene expression profiling has revealed the cell of origin of many human T cell lymphomas. Lymphoma arising from Th1, Th2 and follicular helper T cells, as well as granular leukocytes and a variety of other stages of T cell development have been identified. T cell lymphoma is more prevalent in dogs than in people, and we are beginning to identify the cell of origin of these different types as well, using gene expression and functional studies. Characterization of these tumor types in dogs and comparison with their normal counterparts have given us insight into T cell function. Comparison of canine T cell lymphomas with human disease can help position the dog as a model for novel therapies.
This presentation will consider pathomechanisms, diagnostic approaches, and treatment options for immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in dogs and cats, following guidelines for best practice published in our two Consensus Statements on this topic as well as more recent data emerging in the field. It will be suitable for general practitioners, residents, and all clinicians with an interest in clinical immunology. The presentation will adopt a practical, evidence-based approach.
Several diagnostic tests are available for diagnosis of immune mediated hematologic and other diseases in dogs and cats. This presentation will discuss commonly available immunodiagnostic tests and evaluate their utility in diagnosis of immune mediated diseases. Diagnostic tools including the direct antiglobulin test, antinuclear antibody, and flow cytometry will be evaluated in a case-based approach.
This presentation will provide an overview of the immune system, including contemporary views on innate and adaptive immunity and their crosstalk; pathogen recognition and clearance; regulation of the immune response; and autoimmunity. It is intended to provide an update for clinicians and specialists-in-training.
This seminar will give an overview of our current understanding of the involvement of the GI immune system in diseases including CIE in dogs and cats as well as small cell lymphoma in cats. In addition, opportunities to investigate the innate immune system in the GI tract with the use of organoids will be discussed.
This presentation will describe the clinical signs associated with a potential underlying immunodeficiency indications for immunologic testing, interpretation of results for the young and adult horses, and limitations in diagnostics and diagnosis of immunodeficiencies.
Co-Chairs of the Consensus Statement panel on Diagnosis and Treatment of Immune Thrombocytopenia in Dogs and Cats will present an overview of key diagnostic P(E)CO format questions (Patient population, Exposure/Evaluation, Comparator, Outcomes) focused on the workup of dogs and cats with ITP. In this session we will provide guidelines for useful tests for diagnosis of ITP and prediction of ITP disease severity. We will also summarize quantitative and qualitative evidence for comorbidities as a cause for ITP and the subsequent screening guidelines we have developed for routine ITP workup in small animal patients. All recommendations were generated by a systematic review of available primary veterinary literature and revised with an extensive Delphi process.
The erythrocyte is uniquely susceptible to oxidative injury for a number of reasons, but namely due to its proximity to oxygen as its main function. Due to this, the RBC has intricate mechanisms to neutralize or reduce this oxidative stress, but in disease states these efforts can be blunted or depleted. This lecture will review the pro- and anti-oxidant balance of the red blood cell, and will discuss the small animal disease states most likely to impact this balance and lead to cellular injury.
This presentation will describe certain diseases of B cells in dogs, including small cell B cell neoplasms and polyclonal B cell lymphocytosis of English bulldogs, and the utility of flow cytometry and clonality testing in diagnosing lymphoid malignancies.
Dr. Goggs, a member of the ACVIM ITP Consensus Committee will present an overview of the therapeutic recommendations for management of immune thrombocytopenia that were generated by a systematic review of available primary veterinary literature and revised with an extensive Delphi process. This session will provide real-world illustrations of the application of the new guidelines in a case-based format.
VCCIS presents its first scientific presentation at the 2021 ACVIM Forum hosted by guest speaker Dr. James B Bussel, MD, who presented "Immune thrombocytopenia across species – a 2021 update on pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of human ITP.”
Some infections and immune mediated diseases can share similar clinical signs and laboratory abnormalities. This seminar will explore the use immunosuppressive therapies in dogs and cats when the underlying disease process has not been established as either infectious or immune-mediated. In addition, immunosuppressive medications can lead to adverse effects including secondary infections. The seminar will discuss management of a patient that has received immunosuppressive and developed a secondary infection.
Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is increasingly described as a treatment for select immune mediated conditions in human and veterinary medicine given its ability to remove pathologic immune components such as antibody. In TPE patient plasma is separated from the other blood components, discarded, and replaced with a replacement solution. In human medicine, immunologic disorders in which TPE is accepted as first- or second-line therapy, in combination with immunosuppression, include myasthenia gravis, and severe auto-immune hemolytic anemia, respectively. This lecture will provide a background to the process of TPE, briefly review the American Society for Apheresis guidelines, summarise the veterinary literature on the use of TPE for immunologic disorders, and include case examples.
In this talk we will discuss novel approaches to treatment of FIP, including in vitro drug screening, pharmacokinetic studies, and preliminary results of clinical trials in cats with naturally occurring FIP.
This seminar will provide a historical perspective of passive immunization of foals to prevent R. equi pneumonia, discuss some recent studies, and finish with discussing the concept of using mRNA-encoded monoclonal antibodies for passive immunization.