Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Canine hepatozoonosis infection rates in rural Bahia dogs
By Harvey, T V et al.·Published in Genetics and molecular research : GMR·2016·Programa de Pó·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine hepatozoonosis in southeastern Bahia, Brazil.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
In southeastern Brazil, a study found that 42.9% of dogs tested positive for a tick-borne infection called hepatozoonosis, caused by the protozoan Hepatozoon canis. Most of these dogs showed no symptoms, but some had changes in their blood tests. The researchers collected blood samples from 380 dogs and found that many were infected without showing any obvious signs of illness. This suggests that hepatozoonosis is common in the area, especially among dogs living in rural settings.
People also search for: dog tick disease symptoms · hepatozoonosis in dogs · asymptomatic dog infections · blood test for dog infections
Abstract
In Brazil, canine hepatozoonosis is a tick-borne subclinical hemoparasitosis caused by a protozoa Hepatozoon canis and is highly prevalent in dogs in rural areas. An epizootiological study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of H. canis in the canine population of Ituberá, Bahia, and to analyze any associated risk factors. Blood samples were collected from 380 dogs and determined the presence of the protozoan by performing capillary blood smear and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Epizootiological data were collected by asking dog owners to answer a structured questionnaire. H. canis gamonts were not detected in the blood smears. However, PCR detected H. canis in 163/380 (42.9%) dogs examined. Physical examination and anamnesis indicated 105 (64.4%) positive asymptomatic dogs. Hematological alterations were observed in 115 (70.5%) infected dogs. No clinical, hematological, or epizootiological variable was found to be significantly associated to the infection. In conclusion, the high prevalence of H. canis infection in local dogs may be because of the peri-urban features of this municipality. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, this study the first study to report H. canis infection in the State of Bahia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27706560/