Canine Babesiosis in China Caused by Babesia gibsoni: A Molecular Approach

• Main Authors: Da-Wei Yao, Jing-Ya Jiang, Ze-Zhong Yu, Dong-Qin Yao, De-Ji Yang, Yan-Bing ZhAO
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2014-06-01
• Series: Iranian Journal of Parasitology
• Subjects: Babesia gibsoni; Canine babesiosis; Epidemiology; Hematology; PCR-RFLP
• Online Access: https://ijpa.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijpa/article/view/417
• ISSN: 1735-7020; 2008-238X

Background: To provide a point of reference to study the epidemiology and clin-ical expression of canine babesiosis in China. Methods: A total of 30 dogs infected with canine babesiosis were evaluated by mean of clinical history, physical examination, hematological, restriction fragment length polymorphism of PCR products (PCR-RFLP) and sequencing analysis. Result: The most prevalent clinical abnormalities were lethargy (100%), anorexia (100%), pale or icteric mucous membranes (80%), fever (70%) and dark urine (70%). Hematology parameters revealed that anemia and thrombocytopenia were the major abnormalities in blood of dogs infected with canine babesia. The results of PCR-RFLP and sequencing analysis indicated that B. gibsoni was the main species responsible for canine babesiosis cases at the time of the study in Nanjing, China. Conclusions: The results provide valuable information for better understanding of the epidemiology of canine babesiosis in China.