Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat in north-western Spain dies from Babesia canis infection
By Remesar, Susana et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2022·Investigació, Spain·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: A case report of fatal feline babesiosis caused by Babesia canis in north western Spain.
Plain-English summary
A 6-month-old female European shorthair cat from northwestern Spain died after being hospitalized for two days due to severe symptoms including lack of appetite, extreme tiredness, jaundice (yellowing of the skin), and fever. Blood tests showed she had anemia (low red blood cells), low platelets, and high white blood cells. Tests 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 signs of anemia and lethargy, especially in areas where the disease is present.
People also search for: cat jaundice symptoms · why is my cat lethargic · Babesia canis treatment in cats
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.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35568873/