Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Babesia vogeli infection in dogs from Uberlândia Brazil
By Barbosa, Camila Oliveira Silva et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2020·Parasitology Department, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Babesiosis caused by Babesia vogeli in dogs from Uberlândia State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in Brazil were found to be infected with a parasite called Babesia vogeli, which is spread by ticks. Out of 300 dogs tested at a veterinary hospital, about 30% showed signs of infection through blood tests. The presence of the parasite was confirmed by examining blood samples under a microscope. This infection can lead to serious health issues, so it's important for pet owners to be aware of tick prevention and to seek veterinary care if their dog shows symptoms like fever, lethargy, or anemia.
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Abstract
Babesia is tick-transmitted protozoan parasites that infect mammalian hosts and have a major impact on farm and pet health-associated costs worldwide. This study aimed to test the prevalence of Babesia spp. infection in a small cohort of dogs at a veterinary hospital and to perform molecular characterization of the Babesia species causing the infection. For the PCR assay, 5 mL of blood was collected by venipuncture of the cephalic or radial veins in 300 dogs of different ages, sex, and breeds, which were presented to the veterinary hospital of the Federal University of Uberlândia between March 2015 and April 2016. In addition, a drop of blood was collected from the marginal blood vessels of the ear of dogs included in this study. Ninety-two (30.67%) were positive for Babesia spp., as determined by microscopic observation of the blood smear, revealing the presence of intra-erythrocyte merozoites. For molecular characterization by PCR, 17 samples were chosen from dogs who were tested positive for Babesia spp. by blood smears. Among them, B. vogeli was found to infect all 17 dogs, as determined by 99-100% sequence identity (closest GenBank match KT246307) using primers PIRO A/PIRO B. Our results indicate that the species observed in these dogs was B. vogeli.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32140779/