TABLE II. Frequency of clinical signs in dogs with canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL), ehrlichiosis, and without CVL.
| Clinical signs n(%) | 1 | 2 | 3 | p value 1 vs. 2 | p value 1 vs. 3 | p value 2 vs. 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VL positive | VL negative | E. canis | ||||
| n = 56 | n = 129 | n = 22 | ||||
| Apathy* | 3 (5.36) | 4 (3.10) | 1 (4.54) | 0.4341 | 1.000 | 0.5502 |
| Nutritional status** | ||||||
| Thin | 26 (46.43) | 35 (27.13) | 1 (4.54) | 0.0023 | < 0.0001 | 0.0274 |
| Cachectic | 3 (5.36) | 0 (0.00) | 0 (0.00) | |||
| Enlarged lymph nodes* | 47 (83.93) | 88 (68.22) | 5 (22.73) | 0.0308 | < 0.0001 | < 0.0001 |
| Pale* | 27 (48.21) | 46 (35.66) | 4 (18.18) | 0.1404 | 0.0202 | 0.1425 |
| Bleeding* | 7 (12.50) | 4 (3.10) | 0 (0.00) | 0.0194 | 0.1815 | 1.000 |
| Bristles** | ||||||
| Regular | 23 (41.07) | 43 (33.33) | 1 (4.54) | 0.1100 | 0.0001 | 0.0035 |
| Bad/opaque | 9 (16.07) | 11 (8.53) | 0 (0.00) | |||
| Muzzle/ear lesion* | 31 (55.36) | 36 (27.91) | 0 (0.00) | 0.0005 | <0.0001 | 0.0022 |
| Onychogryphosis* | 33 (58.93) | 37 (28.68) | 2 (9.09) | 0.0001 | <0.0001 | 0.0650 |
| Skin lesion*** | ||||||
| Presence | 16 (28.57) | 19 (14.73) | 3 (13.64) | 0.0162 | 0.0695 | 0.5727 |
| Ulcer | 6 (10.71) | 6 (4.65) | 0 (0.00) | |||
| Muzzle depigmentation* | 23 (41.07) | 17 (13.18) | 0 (0.00) | < 0.0001 | 0.0002 | 0.1352 |
| Alopecia* | 22 (39.29) | 29 (22.48) | 2 (9.09) | 0.0308 | 0.0129 | 0.2511 |
| Blepharitis* | 12 (21.43) | 8 (6.20) | 0 (0.00) | 0.0039 | 0.0159 | 0.6039 |
| Keratoconjunctivitis** | ||||||
| Serous | 21 (37.50) | 12 (9.30) | 1 (4.54) | <0.0001 | 0.0009 | 0.4693 |
| Mucopurulent | 3 (5.36) | 4 (3.10) | 0 (0.00) | |||
*: Fisher’s exact test was used; **: positive signals were combined and analysed using Fisher’s exact test; ***: Chi-square test was used.