Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Babesia infection in dogs from Brasilia including new opossum-linked
By de Oliveira, Camila Manoel et al.·Published in Ticks and tick-borne diseases·2023·Laborató, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine piroplasmids: Molecular detection and laboratory characterization in dogs from Brasilia, Brazil, with the first molecular evidence of dog exposure to a novel opossum-associated Babesia sp.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in Brasilia, Brazil, were tested for blood infections caused by parasites known as piroplasmids, which include Babesia species. Out of 276 dogs, 11.2% were found to have these infections, with most cases linked to Babesia vogeli, a common parasite in dogs. Interestingly, 1.4% of the dogs showed signs of exposure to a new type of Babesia associated with opossums. Dogs infected with piroplasmids were also more likely to have low platelet counts, which can lead to bleeding issues. The study highlights the importance of monitoring these infections in dogs, especially in areas where they are common.
People also search for: dog blood infection symptoms · Babesia vogeli in dogs · dog low platelet count treatment
Abstract
Canine piroplasmid infections can be caused by Babesia spp., Theileria spp. and Rangelia vitalii. In Brazil, canine babesiosis caused by Babesia vogeli is endemic and reported throughout the country. On the other hand, Rangeliosis caused by R. vitalii has only been described so far in the South and Southeast regions. Despite that, studies analyzing the laboratory and molecular characterization of these hemoprotozoa are still scarce. To investigate the occurrence, the laboratory features, the molecular characterization, and the diversity of piroplasmids from Midwestern Brazil, a survey was performed using blood samples obtained from 276 domestic dogs from Brasília, Federal District, Midwestern Brazil. A broad-range quantitative PCR (qPCR) targeting the mitochondrial large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU4) was used to detect piroplasmid DNA. The overall molecular occurrence of piroplasmids was 11.2% (31/276), with 9.7% (27/276) of the sequences identified as Babesia vogeli (98-100% identity to B. vogeli isolate from the USA). Based on a partial 18S rRNA sequence pairwise alignment (-250 bp), 1.4% (4/276) of the sequences showed only 76.8% identity with B. vogeli but 100% identity with opossum-associated Babesia sp. (MW290046-53). These findings suggest the exposure of dogs from Brazil to a recently described Babesia sp. isolated from white-eared opossum. None of the analyzed dogs was positive for Theileria spp. or R. vitalii. Subsequently, all positive sequences were submitted to three additional PCR assays based on the 18S rRNA, cox-1, and cytb genes, aiming at performing a haplotype network analysis. Haplotype network using cox-1 sequences showed the presence of six different haplotypes of B. vogeli; one of them was shared with isolates from Brazil, the USA, and India. When including animals co-infected with other vector-borne diseases, piroplasmid-positive dogs had 2.3 times higher chance of having thrombocytopenia than the negative ones. The molecular results demonstrated that the compared Babesia vogeli sequences showed a low variability as well as evidence of exposure to a putative novel opossum-associated Babesia sp. in dogs from Midwestern Brazil.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37084584/