Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dogs with visceral leishmaniasis also infected with Hepatozoon canis
By Morgado, Fernanda Nazaré et al.·Published in Revista brasileira de parasitologia veterinaria = Brazilian journal of veterinary parasitology : Orgao Oficial do Colegio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria·2016·Laborató, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hepatozoon canis and Leishmania spp. coinfection in dogs diagnosed with visceral leishmaniasis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Four dogs diagnosed with visceral leishmaniasis (a serious disease caused by parasites) were found to be co-infected with another parasite called Hepatozoon canis. While one dog showed no symptoms, the others had signs of illness, and tests confirmed the presence of both parasites in their liver and spleen. The study suggested that this co-infection might worsen the disease and increase the amount of parasites in the dogs' bodies. Unfortunately, all four dogs were euthanized, indicating the severity of their conditions.
People also search for: dog leishmaniasis symptoms · Hepatozoon canis treatment · dog parasite co-infection signs
Abstract
This study describes the occurrence of dogs naturally co-infected with Hepatozoon canis and two Leishmania species: L. infantum or L. braziliensis. Four dogs serologically diagnosed with Visceral Leishmaniasis were euthanized. Liver and spleen samples were collected for histopathological analysis and DNA isolation. H. canis meronts were observed in tissues from all four dogs. H. canis infection was confirmed by PCR followed by sequencing of a fragment of 18S rRNA gene. Leishmania detection and typing was confirmed by ITS1' PCR-RFLP and parasite burden was calculated using ssrRNA quantitative qPCR. A DPP - Dual Path platform test was performed. One out (Dog #2) of four animals was asymptomatic. Dogs #1 and #4 were infected by L. infantum and were DPP test positive. Dogs #2 and #3 were infected by L. braziliensis and were DPP test negative. Furthermore, visceral dissemination was observed in Dogs #2 and #3, since L. braziliensis was detected in liver and spleen samples. The visceral dissemination of L. braziliensis associated with systemic signs suggested that this co-infection could influence the parasite burden and disease progression.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27925060/