Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Test to detect three dog infections Babesia, Ehrlichia, and Hepatozoon
By Kaur, Navpreet et al.·Published in Acta tropica·2020·Department of Veterinary Parasitology, India·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Development and application of multiplex PCR assay for the simultaneous detection of Babesia vogeli, Ehrlichia canis and Hepatozoon canis in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that a new blood test can quickly detect three serious infections in dogs: Babesia vogeli, Ehrlichia canis, and Hepatozoon canis. These infections can cause symptoms like fever, lethargy, and joint pain. The new test was more effective than traditional methods, identifying infections that were missed by standard blood tests. This could help veterinarians diagnose and treat these diseases earlier, improving the health of dogs in areas where these infections are common.
People also search for: dog blood test for Babesia · Ehrlichia canis symptoms in dogs · Hepatozoon canis treatment options
Abstract
A multiplex PCR assay was standardized and evaluated to simultaneously detect the DNA of Babesia vogeli, Ehrlichia canis and Hepatozoon canis in dogs of selected districts of Punjab state, India. Amplicons of 602 bp, 380 bp and 306 bp corresponding to B. vogeli (18S rRNA gene), E. canis (VirB9 gene), and H. canis (18S rRNA gene) were obtained, without any non-specific amplification. The results of multiplex PCR assay were further compared with the corresponding singleplex PCR assay. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of multiplex PCR assay with respect to singleplex PCR assay in the detection of B. vogeli, E. canis and H. canis varied from 50% to 100% and 92.08% to 98.79%, respectively revealing "moderate" to "very good" agreement by kappa value statistics. Blood samples from 322 dogs collected from selected districts of Punjab state, India, when screened by microscopy revealed the prevalence of B. vogeli, E. canis and H. canis as 0.31%, 0.93% and 1.86%, respectively whereas with multiplex PCR assay the values were 0.93%, 10.24% and 4.65%, respectively, with concurrent infection of E. canis & H. canis (1.86%) and B. vogeli & E. canis (0.31%). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of multiplex PCR assay with respect to microscopy in the detection of B. vogeli, E. canis and H. canis varied from 69.15% to 100% and 85.11% to 92.33%, respectively revealing "fair" agreement by kappa value statistics and the data was statistically significant. The analytical sensitivity of multiplex PCR assay in the detection of B. vogeli, E. canis and H. canis was 100 pg, 10 pg and 0.1 pg, respectively, whereas the values for the singleplex counterpart were 0.1 pg, 0.01 pg and 0.01 pg. Furthermore, various risk factors viz. age, breed, sex, season and districts were non-significantly associated with the prevalence of these haemoparasites except for E. canis that revealed a significant association with districts by multiplex PCR assay. Therefore the multiplex PCR assay developed may be useful in identification of the aetiological agents of these diseases during their early phase, which may in turn be useful in development of better health care and appropriate treatment of suspected dogs, particularly in endemic regions.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32949487/