Comparative preventive efficacy of oral systemic vs. topical repellent ectoparasiticides against early Babesia canis transmission in dogs within 8 h of infestation by pre-fed male Dermacentor reticulatus

Canine babesiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by infection with protozoa of the genus Babesia. During over 20 years of studies on canine babesiosis at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, the researchers have identified the species of the parasite and its vector in Poland, determined the cause of azotemia and observed other pathological changes, such as endocrine disorders, changes in the de Ritis quotient, as well as biochemical and hematological changes. It was shown that the tick Dermacentor reticulatus is the only vector of canine babesiosis in Poland and the disease is caused by Babesia canis (formerly known as Babesia canis canis). The first studies of pathological changes confirmed the results of previous research in other countries, in which the most prevalent changes in canine babesiosis were thrombocytopenia, anemia leucopenia, increased activity of liver enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP), azotemia, hypoalbuminemia, hypoglycemia, hyponatremia and hypokalemia. Research on azotemia in dogs infected with B. canis showed the contribution of TNF-α overproduction to hypotension and its influence on renal ischemia, hypoxia and the development of azotemia. Moreover, in research on endocrine disorders in canine babesiosis, it was shown that IL-6 overproduction leads to the suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis resulting in euthyroid sick syndrome, and that secondary hyperaldosteronism results from decreased renal blood flow and leads to hypokalemia. The results of the research were published in 27 original papers, 6 case reports and many review articles in veterinary journals. These studies provided veterinary surgeons in Poland with improved procedures for diagnosing canine babesiosis, as well as allowed them to better understand some pathogenic mechanisms of the disease and to develop more efficacious therapies..

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Epizootiological Study of the Occurrence of Canine Babesiosisin Southwestern Slovakia

Folia Veterinaria ◽

10.1515/fv-2016-0027 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 60 (3) ◽

pp. 39-42

Author(s):

K. Řeháčková ◽

M. Haláková ◽

B. Víchová ◽

A. Kočišová

Keyword(s):

Ixodes Ricinus ◽

Clinical Signs ◽

Dermacentor Reticulatus ◽

Babesia Canis ◽

Molecular Method ◽

Canine Babesiosis ◽

Blood Smears ◽

Loss Of Appetite ◽

Representative Samples

Abstract This epizootiological study was carried out to investigate the occurrence of canine babesiosis in southwestern Slovakia. The study focused on the proportion of the species of ticks serving as babesia vectors of babesiosis in the ticks collected from selected locations close to Komárno, in southwestern Slovakia. Additionally, observations were made on the health and overall clinical signs in dogs suspected of having babesiosis. In 2014 we collected ticks from vegetation by the drag cloth (flagging) method and also directly from dogs. A totally of 622 ticks were collected: 491 Dermacentor reticulatus and 131 Ix-odes ricinus. Representative samples of ticks (n = 103) were examined by the molecular method and the presence of Babesia spp. DNA was identified in 12.5 % of the Ixodes ricinus ticks collected by flagging and in 9.5 % of the Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from the dogs. Babesia canis (KU681325) with 90 bp sequence, 100 % identical with Babesia canis isolates from dogs for example from: Turkey (KF499115), Rumania (HQ662634), Croatia (FJ209025), Poland (EU622792) and Russia (AY962186), was confirmed after sequencing in one Ixodes ricinus female obtained from a dog. This was the first confirmation of the occurrence of B. canis in Ixodes ricinus ticks in Slovakia. In 2.2 % of the Dermacentor reticulatus ticks obtained from vegetation by flagging, we were able to diagnose the DNA of Babesia canis. In 4.8 % of the Dermacentor reticulatus ticks collected from dogs, the presence of Babesia spp. was confirmed. Thirty three dogs with suspicion of babesiosis were observed in an ambulance by their health and clinical signs. The loss of appetite was observed in 22 patients (66.7 %), apathy in 19 cases (57.6 %), and fever in 19 cases. Closer specification indicating babesiosis was finding engorged ticks on the dog bodies which occurred in 21 cases (63.6 %), haematuria in 8 cases (24.2 %), anaemia in 4 cases (12.1 %), and tremor in 6 cases (18.2 %). Other non-specific signs, such as diarrhoea, vomitus, slowed-down movement, ataxia and lacrimation were also observed in less than 18 % of the examined dogs. On the basis of the specific clinical signs, blood was withdrawn from 33 dogs for preparation of blood smears and in 19 of them (57.6 %) babesia in erythrocytes were confirmed microscopically.

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