Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fatal babesiosis in a pregnant cat in north western Spain
By Susana Remesar et al.·Published in BMC Veterinary Research·2022·Investigación en Sanidad Animal: Galicia (Grupo INVESAGA), Facultade de Veterinaria, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Pabellón I. Campus Universitario S/N, GB·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: A case report of fatal feline babesiosis caused by Babesia canis in north western Spain
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 6-month-old female European shorthair cat in north-western Spain died after being hospitalized for two days due to severe symptoms including lack of appetite, extreme tiredness, weakness, yellowing of the skin, fever, and rapid breathing and heart rates. Blood tests showed she had anemia and low platelet counts. Testing confirmed she was infected with Babesia canis, a parasite that can cause serious illness. Unfortunately, despite veterinary care, the cat did not survive. This case highlights the importance of considering Babesia infections in young cats showing similar symptoms, especially in areas where the disease is known to occur.
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Abstract
Abstract Background In Europe, Babesia infections in cats are sporadic and only partial knowledge is currently available since the number of described cases including both the clinical presentation and the molecular identification of the Babesia species involved is limited. In the present case report, the clinical signs, the epidemiological data and the molecular results suggest that this is the first reported fatal case of feline babesiosis caused by Babesia canis. Case presentation A six month old female European shorthair cat from north-western Spain died after being hospitalized for two days. This animal was pregnant and showed anorexia, lethargy, weakness, jaundice and fever with increased respiratory and heart rates. Haematological analysis revealed haemolytic regenerative anaemia, thrombocytopenia and leukocytosis. The presence of piroplasms was assessed using a PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene of Babesia spp. and Theileria spp.; the sample resulted positive and B. canis was identified by DNA sequence analysis. The possible existence of co-infections with other vector-borne pathogens such as Anaplasma spp., Bartonella spp., Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Cytauxzoon spp., Ehrlichia spp., Hepatozoon canis, Mycoplasma spp. or Rickettsia spp. was excluded by qPCR. Conclusions Our results together with previous reports on Babesia infections in cats from Europe suggest that feline babesiosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of animals with anaemia, thrombocytopenia, anorexia and lethargy, especially in young or immunocompromised animals from endemic areas for canine babesiosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-022-03287-4