Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with bone infection and low neutrophils from Hepatozoon canis
By Shimokawa Miyama, Takako et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2011·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Neutropenia associated with osteomyelitis due to Hepatozoon canis infection in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old male Shiba Inu was brought to the vet because he was not eating, seemed very tired, had a fever, bleeding gums, and bruising on his belly. Tests showed he had a low white blood cell count (neutropenia) and an infection caused by a parasite called Hepatozoon canis. The vet confirmed this with a bone marrow test. Treatment focused on addressing the infection, and while the abstract does not specify the exact treatment used, identifying the cause was crucial for recovery.
People also search for: dog not eating lethargy bleeding gums · Shiba Inu fever treatment · Hepatozoon canis infection in dogs
Abstract
A 4-year-old, intact male Shiba dog was referred to Yamaguchi University Animal Medical Center, Yamaguchi, Japan, for the following complaints: anorexia, lethargy, intermittent fever, gingival bleeding and abdominal purpura. The dog presented with persistent neutropenia. Histopathological examination of a bone marrow sample revealed round to oval structures that resembled Hepatozoon micromerozoites and formed a "wheel-spoke" pattern. Furthermore, mature neutrophils were observed around these structures. PCR and sequencing using bone marrow aspirate confirmed Hepatozoon canis (H. canis) infection. These findings suggest that the neutropenia observed in this case was associated with osteomyelitis due to H. canis infection. This is the first report of neutropenia associated with H. canis infection. H. canis infection can be included in the differential diagnosis in canine cases of neutropenia in areas where the disease is endemic.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21697643/