Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Babesia gibsoni infection confirmed by DNA test in Spanish dog
By Criado-Fornelio, A et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2003·Microbiology and Parasitology Department, Spain·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Molecular characterization of a Babesia gibsoni isolate from a Spanish dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog in Spain showing symptoms of Babesia infection, such as fever and lethargy, had blood samples taken for testing. The tests confirmed the presence of Babesia gibsoni, a parasite that can cause serious health issues in dogs. This particular isolate was found to be closely related to other strains from Asia. Understanding the genetic makeup of this parasite can help veterinarians better diagnose and treat affected dogs in Europe.
People also search for: dog Babesia infection symptoms · Babesia gibsoni treatment for dogs · dog fever lethargy causes
Abstract
Babesia gibsoni is a morphologically small Babesia species that infects dogs. Molecular techniques have shown that some small Babesia sp. recently described in canids are not related to the original B. gibsoni and they should be assigned to separate taxons. Although the 18s rRNA gene of true B. gibsoni isolates has been studied in the USA, Asia and Australia, no molecular data on the presence and genetic characteristics of B. gibsoni in Europe are available. Blood collected from a Babesia-symptomatic dog from Spain was used for DNA diagnosis by seminested PCR. DNA amplification was positive and the complete 18s rRNA gene of the dog isolate was sequenced, showing 98% homology with B. gibsoni (isolate Asia 1). Evidence from phylogenetic analysis indicated that: The Spanish isolate unambiguously belongs to the B. gibsoni group. The B. gibsoni complex might be diphyletic. In the absence of genetic data from African isolates of B. gibsoni, Asia seems to be the most likely geographical location of origin.
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/14597285/