Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Babesia rossi infection in dogs - symptoms and risks
By Leisewitz, Andrew L et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2019·Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A clinical and pathological description of 320 cases of naturally acquired Babesia rossi infection in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 320 dogs infected with Babesia rossi, a parasite that causes severe illness, were treated at a veterinary hospital over a decade. Symptoms included weakness, collapse, and signs affecting the brain, along with various blood abnormalities. The study found that certain lab results, like high bilirubin and low thyroid hormone levels, could help predict the severity of the disease and the risk of death. Unfortunately, the researchers could not pinpoint a single cause for the severe outcomes. This information can help veterinarians better assess and manage dogs with this serious infection.
People also search for: dog Babesia rossi symptoms · dog collapse treatment · high bilirubin in dogs · dog parasite infection signs
Abstract
Babesia rossi causes the most severe clinical disease in dogs of all the babesia parasites. We included 320 naturally-infected dogs that presented for care at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital between 2006 and 2016. All dogs had mono-infections confirmed by multiplex PCR. The data allowed more accurate clinical classification of the disease and identified parameters that were associated with disease severity and death. Odds ratios for dying were significant (P < 0.05) for increased band neutrophil count, collapse at presentation; presence of cerebral signs; hypoglycaemia; hyperlactatemia; high urea, high creatinine; hyperbilirubinaemia; hypercortisolaemia; and hypothyroxinaemia. Joint component analysis confirmed that the variables with significant odds ratios grouped together with death. Yet, multivariate logistic regression was unable to identify a group of significant independent predictors of death. Receiver Operator Characteristic curves indicated that low total thyroid hormone, high bilirubin, high serum urea and high cortisol concentrations were the variables with the highest sensitivity and specificity for death. These data provide both the clinician and researcher with a set of easily-measured laboratory and clinical assessments to classify cases into those that are uncomplicated and those that are complicated. The disease is complex and multisystemic and probably involves mechanisms more proximal in the pathogenesis than those that have been evaluated.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31303199/