Novel Neutrophilic Parameters of the Sysmex XN-1000V for the Prediction of Inflammation in Dogs

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BACKGROUND: Inflammation is a common reason for dogs to present to veterinary clinics. Early diagnosis of systemic inflammation is important. Acute phase proteins, like C-reactive protein, are useful but not specific to infection. In human medicine, the intensive care infection score (ICIS) offers a faster, cost-effective alternative using advanced hematological parameters. While ICIS is not available for veterinary use, some components (e.g., neutrophil side fluorescent light) can be measured using analyzers like the Sysmex XN-1000V. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to establish a control group of healthy dogs for the novel parameters neutrophil side fluorescent light (NE-SFL), neutrophil side scattered light (NE-SSC), and neutrophil forward scattered light (NE-FSC) and assess their utility in detecting inflammation in diseases such as sepsis, pyometra, steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis (SRMA), and idiopathic epilepsy. METHODS & RESULTS: Value ranges were calculated based on 21 healthy dogs. Compared to controls, NE-SFL levels were significantly elevated in sepsis, pyometra, and SRMA, while NE-SSC was only elevated in sepsis and pyometra and NE-FSC only in sepsis. No increases were observed in idiopathic epilepsy. Manual gating of the white blood cell differential scattergram was necessary in samples showing high neutrophil toxicity and the presence of bands. CONCLUSION: NE-SFL and NE-SSC, obtainable from routine complete blood count, may serve as novel, accessible markers for inflammation in dogs. Further research is needed to validate their broader diagnostic use.