Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Parasites found in cattle, sheep, goats, and dogs in KwaZulu-Natal
By Mofokeng, Lehlohonolo S et al.·Published in Journal of the South African Veterinary Association·2020·North-West University·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Parasites of veterinary importance from domestic animals in uMkhanyakude district of KwaZulu-Natal province.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in South Africa was tested for a tick-borne infection called Ehrlichia canis, and about 42% of them were found to be infected. This parasite can cause symptoms like fever, lethargy, and weight loss in dogs. The study also looked at other animals, finding various protozoan parasites in cattle and sheep, but none in goats. Understanding these infections helps veterinarians better diagnose and treat affected pets. Treatment for Ehrlichia typically includes antibiotics, which can help dogs recover from the infection.
People also search for: dog Ehrlichia infection symptoms · how to treat Ehrlichia in dogs · signs of tick-borne disease in dogs
Abstract
This study investigated the occurrence and phylogenetic relationship of protozoan parasites and Ehrlichia infecting domestic animals from three municipalities in uMkhanyakude district of KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. A total of 208 blood samples collected from clinically healthy cattle, sheep, goats and dogs from uMkhanyakude district were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, using either genus or species-specific primers to determine the occurrence and phylogenetic relationship of various protozoan parasites and Ehrlichia of veterinary importance. A total of 5/109 (4.6%) cattle were PCR-positive for the presence of Toxoplasma gondii, 33/109 (30.3%) for Babesia bovis, 24/109 (22.02%) for Babesia bigemina and 20/109 (18.3%) for Trypanosoma sp., while 3/10 (30%) of sheep were PCR-positive for Theileria ovis and none of the goats were positive for any of the detected pathogens. The co-infection of 4/109 (3.7%) B. bovis and B. bigemina was detected in cattle. Only Ehrlichia canis was detected in dogs with infection rate of 20/48 (41.7%). Sequences of PCR-positive isolates (B. bovis, B. bigemina, E. canis, T. ovis and T. gondii) showed that they were closely related to their relevant species from various countries. These findings have expanded our knowledge about the prevalence and phylogenetic similarity between protozoan parasites and Ehrlichia isolates of South African origin. To date, this is the first study in South Africa to detect T. gondii infections from cattle blood using PCR.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32787418/