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Case Report Volume 8 Issue 3
Diagnosis and treatment of canine babesiosis in dogs
Riyaz Ahmed Bhat,
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Mohd Iqbal Yatoo, Amatul Muhee, Iqra Majid Najar, Farkhanda Rehman , Yasmeena Nisar
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Division of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences & Animal Husbandry, India
Correspondence: Riyaz A Bhat, Division of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences & Animal Husbandry, SKUAST-K, Shuhama, Kashmir, 190006, India, Tel +919596316551
Received: April 19, 2019 | Published: June 5, 2019
Citation: Bhat RA, Yatoo MI, Muhee A, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of canine babesiosis in dogs. J Dairy Vet Anim Res. 2019;8(3):139-140. DOI: 10.15406/jdvar.2019.08.00256
Abstract
Canine babesiosis is a tick borne disease present worldwide. In dogs, it is usually caused by Babesia gibsoni or Babesia canis. A 7 year old dog was presented to the Clinics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences & Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology- Kashmir, with the history of fever, lethargy, tachycardia, tachypnea and haematuria. The haematological parameters involving, haemoglobin, erythrocyte count and PCV were in the normal range. Upon examination of peripheral blood smears, the dog was found to be affected with babesiosis. The dog was treated with diminazine aceturate, ivermectin and doxycycline along with supportive therapy. The dog responded to the treatment and diminazine aceturate was repeated after a week of 2nd visit.
Keywords: babesiosis, dog, treatment, Babesia gibsoni
Introduction
Canine babesiosis and ehrlichiosis are amongst the most prevailing vector borne haemo-parasites/rickettsiae of dogs in India.1 Canine babesiosis is a clinically significant and geographically widespread hemoprotozoan disease of domesticated dogs and wild canids2 caused by various species of the protozoa of genus Babesia. It is diagnostically important to determine the species that causes canine babesiosis, since the virulence, prognosis, and response to anti-babesial drugs may be different for each organism.3 Babesia gibsoni was first recognized in India in 1910.4 There are at least three distinct isolates of B. Gibsoni that are morphologically identical: one from Asia, one from California, and a third from Europe. The Asian isolate is the original organism found in India and is considered Babesia gibsoni sensustricto.5
Case report
A 7 year old dog was presented to the Clinics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences & Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology- Kashmir, with the history of lethargy, tachycardia, respiratory distress and bloody urination.
Clinical observation and treatment: Clinical examination revealed high temperature (40.33 0C), tachycardia (110 beats/min), tachypnea (40 breaths/min). Laboratory parameters estimated were Hb (14.4 gm%), RBC (6.82x106/mm3) and PCV (41%). The treatment was started with paracetamol, ceftriaxone and tranexamic acid. But the animal did not respond and the owner brought the case again to the clinics after two days. The dog was still having fever, lethargy, tachycardia, tachypnea and haematuria. The laboratory parameters estimated were Hb (13.2 gm%), RBC (6.21 x106/mm3) and PCV (38%). Peripheral blood smears stained with Leishman stain revealed small, single, signet ring shaped trophozoites in erythrocytes confirmative of B. gibsoni. The treatment protocol was then given as, diminazeneaceturate @ 3.5mg/kg deep IM repeated after a week, doxycycline @ 5 mg/kg BW orally for 14 days, single dose of tranexamic acid (5ml IM) and ivermectin (200µg/kg BW S/C), paracetamol (10 mg/BW I/M for 2 days).
Discussion
The diagnosis of babesioss in dogs is important for its proper treatment. Blood smear examination is a useful diagnostic tool for clinical babesiosis in dogs. It seems to be the easiest and most accessible diagnostic test for most veterinarians in India. However, the sensitivity of this method is lower than that of molecular diagnosis (PCR).The first treatment that has been shown to be effective against B. Gibsoni is a combination of atovaquone and azithromycin6 but atovaquone is not available in India and is also expensive for importation to India. Also it seems that drug-resistant variants of B. gibsoni in clinical cases treated with atovaquone and azithromycin are also present.7 Dimenazine aceturate and imidocarb dipropionate are two most commonly used babesiacides used worldwide whereas oxytetracycline reduces the severity of infection.8 Moreover many authors have used dimenazine aceturate most frequently in higher doses than accurate dosage of 3.5 mg/kg BW9 which may also be suggestive of drug resistance.
Acknowledgements
None.
Conflict of interest
The author declares there is no conflict of interest.
References
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