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Federica Cagnasso
- SCIENZE VETERINARIE PER LA SALUTE ANIMALE E LA SICUREZZA ALIMENTARE
- Phd: 37th cycle
- Dottorato in Scienze Veterinarie per la Salute Animale e la Sicurezza Alimentare
- Matriculation number: 755136
Phd thesis
Project title: Clinical and clinicopathological characterization of canine chronic enteropathy: the in-field evaluation of inflammatory, microbiomic and metabolomic profiles.
This PhD thesis investigates the clinical and clinicopathological characterization of canine inflammatory protein-losing enteropathy (iPLE), with a particular focus on inflammatory, microbiomic, and metabolomic profiles. Chronic inflammatory enteropathies (CIEs) in dogs are a group of gastrointestinal diseases that persist for over three weeks and are classified based on response to dietary or medical therapy. Among them, iPLE is marked by significant protein loss into the intestinal lumen and carries a poor prognosis. Despite several studies identifying hypoalbuminemia as a negative prognostic factor, the pathogenesis of iPLE remains incompletely understood, and clinically reliable, non-invasive biomarkers are still lacking.
The research was structured into two main parts. Initially, a retrospective analysis was conducted on dogs diagnosed with iPLE to identify new hematological markers associated with disease severity and prognosis. Findings highlighted that albumin-to-globulin ratio (AGR) and C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CRP/ALB) could serve as more suitable indicators of disease severity and therapeutic response compared to the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR).
In the second, prospective phase, a multi-omic approach was applied to better understand lipid dysmetabolism in iPLE. Fecal microbiota and metabolome were analyzed, focusing particularly on bile acids, sterols, and long-chain fatty acids, alongside serum lipoproteins and fat-soluble vitamins. Although dysbiosis was inconsistently detected, significant alterations in fecal bile acids and sterols profiles, and an increase in fecal long-chain fatty acids, were observed, suggesting impaired lipid absorption. Moreover, serum evaluations revealed reductions in high-density lipoproteins and fat-soluble vitamin concentrations, reinforcing the hypothesis of lipid malabsorption.
The study's findings deepen the understanding of the complex pathophysiology of iPLE, emphasizing the crucial role of lipid metabolism alterations. This work lays the groundwork for the identification of new diagnostic markers and supports the exploration of dietary and therapeutic strategies aimed at improving lipid homeostasis in affected dogs. Ultimately, the results contribute to enhancing clinical management and therapeutic outcomes in canine chronic enteropathies.
Research activities
Publications
- Full articles in ISI journals
- F.Cagnasso, A.Borrelli, E.Bottero, E.Benvenuti, R.Ferriani, V.Marchetti, P.Ruggiero, B.Bruno, C.Maurella and P. Gianella. Comparative Evaluation of Peripheral Blood Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio, Serum Albumin to Globulin Ratio and Serum C-Reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio in Dogs with Inflammatory Protein-Losing Enteropathy and Healthy Dogs. Animals 2023, 13, 484. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13030484
- “Strongyloides Stercoralis infection and long-term follow up in a privately -owned dog from north-west of Italy”. Authors: Cagnasso F., Rambozzi L., Miniscalco B., Molinar Min A.R., Borella F., Borrelli A., Gianella P. Veterinaria Italiana 2023, 59 (3), x‑xx doi: 10.12834/VetIt.2969.19642.2
- Elena Benvenuti; Riccardo Ferriani; Paola Gianella; Pietro Ruggiero; Federica Cagnasso; Antonio Borrelli; Giuseppe Benvenuto; Loris Bertoldi; Enrico Bottero. “The fecal bacterial microbiota is not useful for discriminating between lymphoplasmacytic enteritis and low-grade intestinal T-cell lymphoma in cats nor for predicting therapeutic response”. American Journal of Veterinary Medicine 2024, 85, 4. https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.23.11.0251
- Federica Cagnasso, Jan S. Suchodolski, Antonio Borrelli, Franca Borella, Enrico Bottero, Elena Benvenuti, Riccardo Ferriani, M. Katherine Tolbert, Chih-Chun Chen, Paula R. Giaretta and Paola Gianella. "Dysbiosis index and fecal concentrations of sterols, long-chain fatty acids and unconjugated bile acids in dogs with inflammatory protein-losing enteropathy."
Front. Microbiol. 15:1433175. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1433175 -
Paola Gianella, Federica Cagnasso, Alessia Giordano, Antonio Borrelli, Enrico Bottero, Barbara Bruno, Riccardo Ferriani, Franca Borella, Sara Meazzi, Donatella Scavone and Saverio Paltrinieri. "Comparative Evaluation of Lipid Profile, C-reactive Protein and Paraoxonase-1 Activity in Dogs with Inflammatory Protein-losing Enteropathy and Healthy Dogs". Animals (Basel). 2024 Oct 29;14(21):3119. doi: 10.3390/ani14213119.
- Full articles in non-ISI journals
- “Critical review on the usage of antimicrobials and on the restoration of the intestinal environment in canine acute and chronic diarrhea” Authors: 1 Gianella P., 2 Pietra M., 1 Cagnasso F., 2 Galiazzo G., 3 Marchetti V., 3 Pierini A., 4 Boari A., 4 Crisi P. E., 5 Furlanello T., 6 Marchegiani A., 6 Cerquetella M. Veterinaria Year 35, n. 6, December 2021, pg 313-323.
- Book chapters
- Congress abstract (with active participation)
- ORAL PRESENTATION: “Neutrophil to Lymphocyte ratio, Monocyte to Lymphocyte ratio, Platelet to Lymphocyte ratio, Albumin/Globulin ratio and C-Reactive protein/Albumin ratio in dogs with inflammatory protein losing enteropathy”. 75° Convegno SisVet, 15-18 Luglio 2022, Lodi, Italy.
- POSTER PRESENTATION: “A retrospective evaluation of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte ratio, Monocyte to Lymphocyte ratio and Platelet to Lymphocyte ratio in cats with obstructive uripathy”. 75° Convegno SisVet, 15-18 Luglio 2022, Lodi, Italy.
- ORAL PRESENTATION: “Microbiomic and metabolomic perturbations in canine protein
- losing enteropathy: an observational prospective study” EuroGut Congress, 12-13 May 2023, Edinburgh, Scotland.
- ORAL PRESENTATION: “Relationship between serum lipid profile, clinical and clinicopathological findings in 59 dogs with inflammatory protein-losing enteropathy”. International Scivac Congress, 26-28 May 2023, Rimini, Italy
- ORAL PRESENTATION: “Investigation of fecal microbiome and metabolome perturbations in dogs with protein-losing enteropathy”. 33rd ECVIM-CA annual congress, 21-23 September 2023, Barcelona, Spain
- Congress abstract (as co-author)
- POSTER: “Fecal microbiota analysis in cats with inflammatory bowel disease or small cell lymphoma before and after therapy: a prospective comparison study”. 32nd ECVIM-CA Congress, 1-3 September 2022, Gothenburg, Sweden.