Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Vector-borne infections causing anemia in dogs in France
By Bouzouraa, T et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2017·Department of Companion Animal, France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Implication, clinical and biological impact of vector-borne haemopathogens in anaemic dogs in France: a prospective study.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 134 dogs with anemia were evaluated at a veterinary hospital in France to find out if infections from parasites spread by ticks and other vectors were causing their symptoms. It turned out that about 17% of these dogs had anemia linked to infections like Babesia and Mycoplasma. The study found that male dogs were more likely to be affected, and those with these infections often experienced more severe anemia. The findings suggest that these vector-borne infections are a significant cause of anemia in dogs in this area, highlighting the importance of testing for these pathogens in affected pets.
People also search for: dog anemia causes · tick-borne diseases in dogs · Mycoplasma infection in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To prospectively describe the clinical and biological impact of vector-borne haemopathogens in anaemic dogs in France and occurrence of haemolysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective descriptive cohort study includes 134 client-owned dogs that were anaemic on admission at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of VetAgro Sup, Lyon, France. They underwent comprehensive screening with PCR to detect a panel of vector-borne haemopathogens, SNAP Leishmania and SNAP 4Dx Plus (IDEXX). RESULTS: Vector-borne haemopathogen-associated anaemia accounted for 17·2% (23/134) of anaemic cases. PCR for Babesia species, Mycoplasma species, Anaplasma platys or Ehrlichia canis and positive serology for Leishmania species, occurred in 11/23, 10/23, 2/23, 1/23 and 1/23 cases, respectively. Two dogs had positive PCR for both Babesia and Mycoplasma species. All dogs infected with Mycoplasma species alone had neoplastic disease. Vector-borne haemopathogens were the second most common cause of haemolysis (7/23, 30·4%). In the multivariable regression model, males were overrepresented ( OR : 2·82, P=0·03) and haemolysis ( OR : 3·31, P=0·01) was more frequent in dogs with vector-born haemopathogen-associated anaemia. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Vector-borne haemopathogens are a common cause of anaemia in this geographical region.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28543264/