Letter regarding “Utility of the combined use of 3 serologic markers in the diagnosis and monitoring of chronic enteropathies in dogs”

Dogs with chronic giardiasis, histoplasmosis, or histiocytic ulcerative colitis, among other primary gastrointestinal diseases, may have similar results to the dogs labeled as “CE/IBD” and may have even been part of that group of dogs. [...]cohorts have been studied in detail, the authors' suggestion that a combination of ACA, ACNA, and AGA could aid in IBD diagnosis is unfounded or potentially even detrimental to the dogs diagnosed based on these biomarkers. While the work-up mentioned did include a minimum database and fecal examination for endoparasites, a standardized diagnostic work-up, including the outcome of broad-spectrum anthelminthic therapy or dietary trials, or tissue diagnosis, all essential for a diagnosis of IBD, are missing. [...]all we can conclude from the current study is that the panel of the three markers described has a 90% sensitivity and a 96% specificity in differentiating dogs with a variety of signs of chronic gastrointestinal disease from dogs that have signs of chronic gastrointestinal disease due to hypoadrenocorticism, EPI, possible pancreatitis, possible lymphoma, or healthy control dogs. [...]the authors state that the markers described in their study have been used as clinical tools for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal conditions in humans for decades.