Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Piroplasm infection in dogs and cats in Hunan, China
By Wang, Jinming et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2020·Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, China·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Molecular evidence of piroplasm infection in companion animals in Hunan Province, China.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of pet dogs and cats in Hunan Province, China, were tested for a tick-borne disease called babesiosis, which is caused by parasites. Out of 115 dogs, five were found to be infected with Babesia species, including four with Babesia canis and one with Babesia vogeli. Additionally, two out of 25 cats were infected with Babesia hongkongensis. This information is crucial for understanding how widespread this disease is and can help in managing and preventing infections in pets.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Feline and canine babesiosis is an important tick-borne disease caused by parasites of the genus Babesia. The disease has a worldwide distribution and causes serious health problems in domestic and wild canidae and felidae. RESULTS: Genomic DNA was isolated from blood samples, which were randomly collected from pet dogs (n = 115) and cats (n = 25) in Changsha city of Hunan Province, China. Results of nested PCR assay targeting 18S rRNA gene and partial gene sequencing revealed that seven animals were infected with Babesia species, five dogs (5/115, 4.3%) and two cats (2/25, 8.0%). Sequence analysis showed that four dogs (3.5%) were positive for Babesia canis, and the other one for Babesia vogeli (0.87%). The two cats were infected by Babesia hongkongensis. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study will expand knowledge of the distribution of Babesia species and provide important epidemiological information for the control of animal babesiosis in China.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32807187/