Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Babesia antibody testing in North Carolina pit bulls and stray dogs
By Birkenheuer, Adam J et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2003·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serosurvey of antiBabesia antibodies in stray dogs and American pit bull terriers and American staffordshire terriers from North Carolina.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of stray and kennel dogs in North Carolina were tested for a blood parasite called Babesia, which can cause serious illness. Out of 359 stray dogs, 21 showed signs of exposure, while 22 out of 149 kennel dogs tested positive. Some of the dogs were further tested using advanced methods, revealing that Babesia DNA was found in a few of them, particularly in kennel dogs. Interestingly, the presence of antibodies didn't seem to relate to tick exposure, and there are ongoing concerns about Babesia infections in American pit bull terriers.
People also search for: Babesia in dogs · American pit bull terrier health issues · stray dog parasite infection
Abstract
Stray dogs (n=359) and kennel dogs (n=149) from North Carolina were tested for evidence of antiBabesia antibodies. AntiBabesia antibodies were detected in 21/359 and 22/149 of the stray and kennel dogs, respectively. A total of 57 dogs from both groups were tested for babesiasis by light microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Babesia deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was detected in 3/28 of the stray dogs and 14/29 of the kennel dogs. When Babesia DNA was detected by PCR, the species-specific PCR results differed from the Babesia species antibody titer results in 6/17 of the PCR-positive dogs. There was no association between antiBabesia antibodies and the presence of ticks. There are currently Babesia gibsoni epizootics affecting American pit bull terrier kennels.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14736721/