Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Babesia gibsoni vaccine from weakened parasite protects dogs
By Sunaga, Fujiko et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2013·School of Veterinary Medicine, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Virulence attenuation of Babesia gibsoni by serial passages in vitro and assessment of the protection provided by the immunization against the passaged isolate in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Two dogs were given a weakened version of the Babesia gibsoni parasite, which can cause serious illness, to see if it would protect them from a stronger strain. After receiving the weakened version, these dogs developed a strong immune response and showed much lower levels of the parasite when later exposed to the virulent strain. In contrast, two other dogs that did not receive the weakened version became very sick with severe anemia and high fever. This study suggests that the weakened parasite could be used as a vaccine to help protect dogs from Babesia gibsoni infections.
People also search for: dog Babesia gibsoni vaccine · symptoms of Babesia in dogs · how to treat dog anemia
Abstract
The virulence of the Babesia gibsoni Oita isolate was attenuated by serial passages in vitro by using the microaerophilus stationary phase (MASP) technique. After 400 serial passages, the virulence of the isolate was found to be attenuated. This was evidenced by the response of two dogs inoculated intravenously with 10(9)B. gibsoni passaged isolate. Specific antibodies were produced at a titer of 1:20,480, as detected by the fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). These results suggested that the serial passages of B. gibsoni reduced its virulence while retaining its antigenicity. The dogs that were inoculated with the attenuated isolate (1 and 2) and two naïve dogs (3 and 4) were challenged by intravenous inoculation of 2×10(8) infected erythrocytes of the virulent Oita isolate. Protection afforded by exposure to the attenuated isolate was evidenced by a lower parasitemia in dogs 1 and 2 with a rapid decrease to nondetectable levels, accompanied by a slight decrease in the PCV that returned to normal values. Dogs 3 and 4 developed typical acute clinical signs, including severe anemia and hyperthermia. These results suggested that the attenuated isolate was a candidate for live vaccine.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23773722/