Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Babesia gibsoni infection in Japanese dogs detected by new DNA test
By Ikadai, Hiromi et al.·Published in Journal of clinical microbiology·2004·Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Molecular evidence of infections with Babesia gibsoni parasites in Japan and evaluation of the diagnostic potential of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification method.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study in Japan found that 3.9% of dogs in Aomori and 10.9% in Okinawa tested positive for Babesia gibsoni, a parasite that can infect dogs and cause health issues. The infected dogs included male Tosa dogs in Aomori and various breeds in Okinawa. Researchers used two testing methods, PCR and LAMP, to detect the parasite, with both showing reliable results. The LAMP method, in particular, proved to be a useful tool for diagnosing Babesia gibsoni infections in dogs.
People also search for: dog Babesia gibsoni symptoms · Tosa dog parasite infection · Babesia testing methods for dogs
Abstract
Detection and analysis of Babesia gibsoni infection were performed with whole-blood samples collected between July 2002 and July 2003 from 945 and 137 dogs from the Aomori and Okinawa Prefectures of Japan, respectively, by PCR and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). On the basis of the criterion for positivity by PCR, 3.9% (37 of 945) and 10.9% (15 of 137) of the dogs had B. gibsoni DNA. All 37 positive animals from Aomori Prefecture were male Tosa dogs (Japanese mastiff). The 15 dogs from Okinawa Prefecture with positive PCR assay results were of various breeds, ages, and sexes. The 18S ribosomal DNA (18S rDNA) sequences from all samples showed 100% homology to each other and to published B. gibsoni sequences. The limits of detection of B. gibsoni parasitemia by the PCR and LAMP methods with an 18S rDNA-based primer set were 0.0005% each. A comparison of the PCR and LAMP methods with microscopic examination for the detection of B. gibsoni infections in blood samples from 945 field dogs in Aomori Prefecture and 137 field dogs in Okinawa Prefecture showed that 37 and 15 dogs, respectively, were positive by the PCR and LAMP methods and that 16 and 12 dogs, respectively, were positive by light microscopic examination. All samples found to be positive by microscopic examination were also positive by the PCR and LAMP methods. The results of the PCR and LAMP methods agreed for samples with positive results by either method. Moreover, nonspecific reactions were not observed by the LAMP method. These results suggest that the LAMP method provides a useful tool for the detection of B. gibsoni infections in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15184421/