Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Inflammation and blood changes in dogs infected with Babesia canis
By Schetters, Th P M et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2009·Department of Parasitology, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Systemic inflammatory responses in dogs experimentally infected with Babesia canis; a haematological study.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs infected with the parasite Babesia canis showed symptoms like fever and low blood platelet levels shortly after infection. The dogs experienced a severe drop in blood pressure and needed treatment, especially those with higher levels of the parasite in their blood. The study found that the dogs' bodies reacted quickly to the infection, showing signs of inflammation even before the parasites were detected. Treatment with medication was necessary for the most severely affected dogs, helping to manage their symptoms and stabilize their condition.
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Abstract
A detailed haematological study of dogs that were infected with low, moderate or high numbers of Babesia canis-infected red blood cells was performed in an attempt to elucidate the pathogenesis early after B. canis infection. Results showed that upon infection the C-reactive protein (CRP) level in plasma increased prior to the detection of parasites in the blood indicative of an acute phase reaction. The response was further characterised by fever, fibrinogenaemia, thrombocytopenia and leucopoenia. Thrombocytopenia was associated with increased coagulation time. Infected dogs also developed life threatening hypotension, and dogs that were infected with the highest dose of B. canis-infected red blood cells had to be treated chemotherapeutically. Hypotension was associated with a reduced packed cell volume (PCV). This reduction of PCV correlated with reduced plasma creatinin concentration, suggesting that the plasma volume was increased, affecting both the erythrocyte and creatinin concentration in the plasma. Importantly, the onset of the response but not the dynamics of the response was dependent on the infectious dose i.e. curves obtained with different doses of infected erythrocytes appeared to be shifted in time but had a similar shape. This indicates that infection triggered a preset inflammatory response.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19269099/