Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Hepatozoon infection in dogs and cats causing lameness and organ
By Baneth, Gad·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2011·School of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Perspectives on canine and feline hepatozoonosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog infected with Hepatozoon americanum, which causes severe lameness and muscle inflammation, can be treated with a combination of medications including trimethoprim-sulfadiazine, pyrimethamine, and clindamycin. This infection is primarily spread through Gulf Coast ticks and can lead to serious health issues if not addressed. Unfortunately, current treatments do not completely eliminate the parasite, so ongoing management is necessary. Preventing this disease involves keeping dogs away from infected ticks and prey.
People also search for: dog lameness treatment · Hepatozoon americanum symptoms · Gulf Coast tick prevention · dog muscle inflammation treatment
Abstract
Two species of Hepatozoon are currently known to infect dogs and cause distinct diseases. Hepatozoon canis prevalent in Africa, Asia, southern Europe, South America and recently shown to be present also in the USA causes infection mainly of hemolymphoid organs, whereas Hepatozoon americanum prevalent in the southeastern USA causes myositis and severe lameness. H. americanum is transmitted by ingestion of the Gulf Coast tick Amblyomma maculatum and also by predation on infected prey. H. canis is transmitted by Rhipicephalus sanguineus, in South America also by Amblyomma ovale, and has also been shown to be transmitted transplacentally. Hepatozoonosis of domestic cats has been described mostly from the same areas where canine infection is present and the exact identity of the species which infect cats, their pathogenicity and vectors have not been elucidated. The diagnosis of hepatozoonosis is made by observation of gamonts in blood smears, histopathology, PCR or serology. The main treatment for H. canis is with imidocarb dipropionate whereas H. americanum infection is treated with an initial combination of trimethoprim-sulfadiazine, pyrimethamine and clindamycin followed by maintenance with decoquinate. Treatment for both diseases has not been reported to facilitate complete parasite elimination and new effective drugs are needed for the management of these infections. Prevention of hepatozoonosis should be based on avoidance of oral ingestion of infected tick vectors and infected prey.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21620568/