Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tick-borne infections causing anemia and low platelets in dogs
By Parodi, Pablo et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology, regional studies and reports·2024·Instituto Nacional de Investigació·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Molecular survey of Piroplasmida, Hepatozoon spp. and Anaplasmataceae in anemic and thrombocytopenic dogs from Uruguay.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in Uruguay with anemia (low red blood cells) and thrombocytopenia (low platelets) were tested for tick-borne diseases. Out of 803 dogs, about 10% tested positive for infections caused by parasites like Rangelia vitalii, Babesia vogeli, and Hepatozoon canis, as well as the bacteria Anaplasma platys. This study is significant as it reports the presence of Babesia vogeli for the first time in Uruguay. The findings suggest that veterinarians should consider these tick-borne diseases when diagnosing dogs with anemia and low platelet counts.
People also search for: dog anemia treatment · tick-borne diseases in dogs · symptoms of low platelets in dogs
Abstract
Canine tick-borne diseases, such as babesiosis, rangeliosis, hepatozoonosis, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis, are of veterinarian relevance, causing mild or severe clinical cases that can lead to the death of the dog. The aim of this study was detecting tick-borne protozoan and rickettsial infections in dogs with anemia and/or thrombocytopenia in Uruguay. A total of 803 domestic dogs were evaluated, and 10% were found positive (detected by PCR) at least for one hemoparasite. Sequence analysis confirmed the presence of four hemoprotozoan species: Rangelia vitalii, Babesia vogeli, Hepatozoon canis and Hepatozoon americanum, and the rickettsial Anaplasma platys. The most detected hemoparasite was R. vitalii, followed by H. canis and A. platys. This is the first report of B. vogeli in Uruguay and the second report of H. americanum in dogs from South America. The results highlight the importance for veterinarians to include hemoparasitic diseases in their differential diagnosis of agents causing anemia and thrombocytopenia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38772643/