EXPLORING POTENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN BETWEEN TOXIC TRACE ELEMENT CONCENTRATIONS AND CANINE AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS FROM THE GREATER ALBUQUERQUE AREA, NEW MEXICO, USA

The rise in the prevalence of Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA), Thrombocytopenia (TCP), Hypothyroidism and Cushing’s in dogs is of great concern from several standpoints. The disease progression is rapid and mortality rates are high. Little is known about the induction of these autoimmune cascades in canines. Veterinary personnel, dog owners, the general public and academicians have a vested interest in finding associations with the uptick in these conditions, to stem the rise and decrease mortality rates, as well as to translate the findings into further avenues of research that will benefit many species, including humans.

There has been evidence to suggest that autoimmune disease induction and the rapid rise in rates are due to environmental contaminants. Toxic trace elements, such as zinc, mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic or antimony, have known immunologic consequences in many species, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Thyroiditis, Lupus Erythematosus, Autoimmune Diabetes, hemostatic abnormalities, bone marrow failure, and hemolysis.

Water and soils samples from Greater Albuquerque area, New Mexico, were collected in March 2019 where there is a heightened number of dogs contracting IMHA. The sampling locations are enclosed by the Sandia Mountains and the Rio Grande. Clean protocols were applied to prevent any contamination. Trace element analyses were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) using external calibration. Using our preliminary dataset, we aim to test potential relationships in between trace element concentrations in water and soil and the locations of the dogs affected by IMHA, helping to identify the cause and contribute to combat deadly autoimmune diseases in dogs