The elevated serum urea:creatinine ratio in canine babesiosis in South Africa is not of renal origin.
Pigmented serum, usually due to free haemoglobin and/or bilirubin, is a common finding in dogs with babesiosis, resulting in interference with all biochemical tests that rely on photochemistry. This is particularly true of urea and creatinine determinations, complicating the diagnosis of acute renal failure, which is a serious complication of babesiosis. A disproportionately raised serum urea concentration of unknown origin occurs in severely anaemic canine babesiosis patients and gives rise to an increased serum urea:creatinine ratio. The assay for cystatin-C, an excellent measure of glomerular filtration rate, is unaffected by free serum haemoglobin, and due to its different intrinsic origins, is free of influence by the metabolic derangements and organ pathology, other than renal disease, encountered in canine babesiosis. Serum cystatin-C was used to compare the concentrations of serum urea and serum creatinine in dogs with the severely anaemic form of canine babesiosis as well as a canine babesiosis-free reference group. Mean serum urea and mean serum urea:creatinine ratio were significantly elevated in the babesia-infected group relative to the reference population in this study. Mean serum creatinine and mean serum cystatin-C were within the reference ranges. Therefore an elevated urea:creatinine ratio in canine babesiosis in the presence of a normal serum creatinine concentration is considered to be caused by an elevated serum urea concentration and is most likely of non-renal origin. Serum creatinine was therefore as specific a measure of renal function as serum cystatin-C in canine babesiosis in this study. The sensitivity of serum creatinine as a measure of renal function was not established by this study. Serum urea, however, proved to be of little use compared to serum cystatin-C and serum creatinine. Serum urea should therefore not be used to diagnose renal failure in canine babesiosis.