Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Isospora parasite causes diarrhea in puppies under 4 months
By Buehl, I E et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary medicine. B, Infectious diseases and veterinary public health·2006·Department of Pathobiology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine isosporosis - epidemiology of field and experimental infections.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of young Beagle puppies was intentionally infected with Isospora, a parasite that causes diarrhea, to study its effects. The puppies experienced varying levels of diarrhea, with some showing more severe symptoms than others. When treated with a specific medication, the puppies had a significant reduction in both the severity and duration of their diarrhea compared to those who did not receive treatment. This suggests that the medication is effective in managing coccidiosis, a common parasitic infection in dogs.
People also search for: puppy diarrhea treatment · Isospora infection in dogs · coccidiosis symptoms in puppies
Abstract
Isospora spp. are the causative agents of canine isosporosis. Of the 3590 diagnostic samples from Austrian dogs (< or = 2 years old), 8.7% contained Isospora oocysts, 78% of which from dogs up to 4 months of age. Non-haemorrhagic and haemorrhagic diarrhoea were significantly more prevalent in Isospora-infected animals than in coccidia-negative ones. Twelve of 15 litters from a large commercial dog breeding unit (examined from the third to the 10th week of life) also excreted Isospora (average prevalence: 36.4%) in intensities from 333 to 35,000 oocysts per gram of faeces (opg). In experimental trials 26 3-week-old Beagle puppies were infected with low (600-6000), medium (10,000) or high (20,000) dose of Isospora ohioensis-group or Isospora canis field isolates. Additionally 21 puppies were infected as above and treated with a symmetrical triazintrione. Parasitological and clinical parameters were examined. The two Isospora species differed significantly concerning intensity and duration of excretion. The pre-patent period was 6-7 days for I. ohioensis and 10-12 days for I. canis. The latter species showed significantly longer excretion and higher opg. This was not influenced by simultaneous infections with both species. Individual patterns of faecal consistency were very variable, irrespective of the infection dose. Treatment significantly reduced both the intensity and the duration of oocysts excretion as well as diarrhoea in comparison with the infected, untreated group and thus proved to be effective against coccidiosis in experimental infections.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17123427/