Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood test detects Babesia gibsoni infection in dogs using BgTRAP
By Goo, Youn-Kyoung et al.·Published in Experimental parasitology·2008·Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Babesia gibsoni: Serodiagnosis of infection in dogs by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with recombinant BgTRAP.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs suspected of having babesiosis, a disease caused by the parasite Babesia gibsoni, were tested using a new blood test that detects specific antibodies. The test, which uses a protein called rBgTRAP, was able to identify nearly 90% of the infected dogs accurately, showing it works better than older tests. This means that if your dog is showing symptoms of babesiosis, like fever or lethargy, this new test could help your vet diagnose the infection more reliably. Early detection is crucial for effective treatment, so if you suspect your dog might be infected, ask your vet about this testing option.
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Abstract
The thrombospondin-related adhesive protein of Babesia gibsoni (BgTRAP) is known as an immunodominant antigen and is, therefore, considered as a candidate for the development of a diagnostic reagent for canine babesiosis. The recombinant BgTRAP (rBgTRAP) expressed in Escherichia coli was tested in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting antibodies to B. gibsoni in dogs. The ELISA with rBgTRAP clearly differentiated between B. gibsoni-infected dog sera and specific pathogen-free (SPF) dog sera. The sera collected from dogs experimentally infected with closely related parasites, B. canis canis, B. canis vogeli, B. canis rossi, and Neospora caninum, showed no cross-reactivity by the ELISA with rBgTRAP. A total of 107 blood samples collected from dogs that had been diagnosed as having babesiosis at veterinary hospitals in Japan were examined for the diagnosis of B. gibsoni infection by the ELISA and PCR. Ninety-six (89.7%) and 89 (83.2%) of the tested samples were positive by the ELISA and PCR, respectively, while 11 (10.3%) and 4 (3.7%) were ELISA+/PCR- and ELISA-/PCR+, respectively. In addition, the sensitivity of the ELISA with rBgTRAP was much higher than that of previously established ELISAs with rBgP50, rBgSA1, and rBgP32. These results indicate that the rBgTRAP is the most promising diagnostic antigen for the detection of an antibody to B. gibsoni in dogs and that the combined ELISA/PCR approach could provide the most reliable diagnosis for clinical sites.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18155197/