Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Hepatozoon canis infection in rural dogs from Sao Paulo Brazil
By Rubini, Adriano Stefani et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2008·Instituto de Biociê, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Molecular and parasitological survey of Hepatozoon canis (Apicomplexa: Hepatozoidae) in dogs from rural area of Sao Paulo state, Brazil.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in a rural area of Sao Paulo, Brazil, were tested for a parasite called Hepatozoon canis, which is spread by ticks. Out of 150 dogs, 17 were found to have the parasite using a blood smear test, but a more sensitive test called PCR detected the infection in 80 dogs. The study also found that 24% of the dogs had ticks, which can transmit the parasite. This research highlights the importance of using PCR for accurate diagnosis of Hepatozoon canis in dogs.
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Abstract
Hepatozoon canis is a protozoan that infects dogs and is transmitted by the ingestion of the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Two distinct species of Hepatozoon genus can infect dogs, H. canis and H. americanum. Routine tests to detect the disease are based on direct examination of gametocytes on Giemsa-stained blood smears. The objectives of this study were the investigation of infection prevalence in rural area dogs, the comparison of diagnostics by blood smear examination and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the association of infection with tick infestation. Blood smears, collected by puncture of the cephalic vein and ear margin capillary bed from 150 dogs, were examined. This technique detected 17 positive animals (11.3%), with 14 (9.3%) in peripheral blood and seven (4.7%) in cephalic vein blood. PCR tests detected 80 (53.3%) positive animals. R. sanguineus and Amblyomma spp. were found in 36 of the dogs (24%), in equal proportions. The identified species for Amblyomma genus were A. cajennense and A. ovale. Data analysis showed that PCR was much more sensitive when compared to blood smear examination. Hepatozoon species was previously identified as closely related to H. canis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18188597/