Comparison of dogs with septic peritonitis due to S. lupi aberrant migration and dogs with other gastrointestinal causes of septic peritonitis. A retrospective study.

S. lupi septic peritonitis shows better survival rates than GI-related peritonitis with distinctive diagnostic features.

This retrospective study compared septic peritonitis cases in 49 dogs, contrasting Spirocerca lupi-associated peritonitis (SL; n=21) resulting from aberrant larval migration with gastrointestinal-origin peritonitis (GI; n=28). S. lupi infection caused mesenteric infarction and intestinal necrosis through larval aberrancy. Key findings revealed SL cases clustered seasonally (77.8% during hot months versus 21.4% in GI group). Abdominal fluid analysis showed significantly higher eosinophil prevalence in SL cases (80% versus 5.6%), providing a distinctive diagnostic marker. Ultrasonographic examination demonstrated complete loss of intestinal wall layering in all SL cases versus only 47% of GI cases. Notably, SL-associated peritonitis demonstrated superior clinical outcomes with 86% survival to discharge compared to 54% in GI cases. Hospitalization duration, complication rates, and anthelmintic preventive treatment proportions showed no significant differences between groups. These findings establish SL-associated septic peritonitis as a distinct clinical entity with characteristic seasonal distribution, diagnostic features, and improved prognosis, emphasizing the importance of recognizing this condition in endemic regions.

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