Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Risk factors for recurring Babesia gibsoni infection in dogs
By Neelawala, Dulanjalee et al.·Published in Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases·2021·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Analysis of risk factors associated with recurrence of canine babesiosis caused by Babesia gibsoni.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 145 dogs diagnosed with babesiosis, a serious blood infection caused by the parasite Babesia gibsoni, was studied to understand why some dogs experience a recurrence of the disease after treatment. The research found that about 11.8% of these dogs had a relapse, with Rottweilers, dogs with low red blood cell counts, and those suffering from secondary immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (a condition where the immune system attacks red blood cells) being at higher risk. Persistent anemia lasting more than 20 days after treatment also increased the likelihood of relapse. The findings suggest that veterinarians should closely monitor these risk factors to help prevent future infections in affected dogs.
People also search for: Rottweiler babesiosis treatment · dog anemia after babesiosis · recurrent babesiosis in dogs · immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in dogs · Babesia gibsoni symptoms in dogs
Abstract
Canine babesiosis due to Babesia gibsoni (B. gibsoni) displays severe clinical manifestations. Recurrence of babesiosis after anti-babesial treatment is observable in over 10 % of the patients. The present study ascertains the risk factors and cumulative incidence of recurrence of canine babesiosis. For a sample of 145 dogs diagnosed with acute babesiosis, the following parameters were assessed over a period of 16 weeks: haematological parameters, status of anaemia, platelet count, total WBC count, haemoglobin concentration and RBC count, concurrent haemoparasitism, and secondary immune mediated haemolytic anaemia (IMHA). Patient demographics such as age, breed, sex were also recorded. The potential risk factors were statistically evaluated by the cumulative incidence function and the Kaplan-Meier method. The recurrent infections were observed in 11.8 % of the study sample. The following factors were found to associate with increased risk of recurrence: Rottweiler breed (CIR 21.8 % ± 6.9 %; p < 0.05), secondary IMHA (CIR 28.7 % ± 11.3 %; p < 0.05), RBC counts < 2 × 10/μl on the day of diagnosis (CIR 16 % ± 4.6 %; p < 0.05), and persistent anaemia over 20 days post treatment (CIR 29.14 ± 7.9 %; p < 0.001). Dogs with concurrent haemoparasitic infections were predicted to have a fatal outcome in the survival analysis (disease related mortalities 25 % ± 13 %; p < 0.001). According to the findings, veterinarians need to pay attention to Rottweiler breed, dogs with secondary IMHA, concurrent haemoparasitism, low RBC counts on diagnosis and those with persistent anaemia to reduce the risk of relapse.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33341594/