Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Trypanosoma cruzi infection found in Virginia English Cocker Spaniel
By Patel, Jay M et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2012·Department of Biomedical Science and Pathology, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Isolation, mouse pathogenicity, and genotyping of Trypanosoma cruzi from an English Cocker Spaniel from Virginia, USA.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old female English Cocker Spaniel from Virginia tested positive for a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi, which can cause a disease known as Chagas disease. The dog showed no symptoms, but tests revealed the presence of the parasite in her blood and heart tissue. Further testing indicated that the specific strain of the parasite was commonly found in raccoons, suggesting they might be a source of infection for dogs. Fortunately, the parasite did not cause any illness in mice that were experimentally infected with it.
People also search for: dog Trypanosoma cruzi infection · English Cocker Spaniel parasite symptoms · Chagas disease in dogs
Abstract
Trypanosoma cruzi was demonstrated in blood smears and heart tissue from a 5-year old, female, English Cocker Spaniel that had never been outside of the state of Virginia, USA. Plasma from the dog was positive in a commercially available immunochromatographic dipstick assay for T. cruzi and negative in an immunochromatographic dipstick assay for visceral Leishmania spp. The plasma from the dog had an indirect immunofluorescent antibody titer of 1:800 against epimastigotes of T. cruzi while the titer was 1:50 against promastigotes of L. infantum. The parasite was isolated from the blood in vitro from the dog (TcVT-1 isolate) and used to experimentally infect female C3H and ICR mice. The parasite was nonpathogenic for experimentally inoculated mice. DNA was isolated from parasites grown in vitro and used to determine that the genotype of T. cruzi present in the dog was genotype TcIV. This genotype is common in raccoons, Procyon lotor, in North America and suggests that raccoons may serve as reservoirs for canine infection.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22341614/