Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Hepatozoon canis infection in dogs from Colombia detected by PCR
By Vargas-Hernandez, Giovanni et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2012·Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y de Zootecnia. Departamento de Salud Animal·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Molecular characterization of Hepatozoon canis in dogs from Colombia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in Colombia was tested for a tick-borne disease called Hepatozoonosis, which can cause serious health issues. Out of 91 dogs examined, 29 were found to be infected with Hepatozoon canis, a specific type of this parasite. The testing involved blood samples and showed that the infection was present in various forms, with some dogs testing positive through blood smears and others through a more sensitive DNA test. This study is significant as it marks the first time Hepatozoon canis has been identified in dogs from Colombia, highlighting the importance of monitoring and preventing tick-borne diseases in pets.
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Abstract
Hepatozoonosis is a tick-borne disease whose transmission to dogs occurs by ingestion of oocysts infected ticks or feeding on preys infested by infected ticks. Until now, there is no previous report of molecular characterization of Hepatozoon sp. in dogs from Colombia. EDTA blood samples were collected from 91 dogs from central-western region of Colombia (Bogotá, Bucaramanga, and Villavicencio cities) and submitted to 18S rRNA Hepatozoon sp. PCR and blood smears confection. Phylogenetic analysis was used to access the identity of Hepatozoon species found in sampled dogs. From 91 sampled dogs, 29 (31.8%) were positive to Hepatozoon sp. (25 dogs were only positive in PCR, 1 was positive only in blood smears, and 3 were positive in both blood smears and PCR). After sequencing, the found Hepatozoon sp. DNA showed 100% of identity with Hepatozoon canis DNA isolates. The phylogenetic tree supported the identity of the found Hepatozoon sp. DNA, showing that the isolates from Colombia were placed in the same clade than other H. canis isolates from Venezuela, Spain, and Taiwan. This is the first molecular detection of H. canis in dogs from Colombia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22068216/