| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立屏東科技大學 === 獸醫學系 === 92 === The incidences of hepatozoon infection from a total of 1,997 dogs in southern Taiwan were investigated from June 2001 to July 2004 by the blood smear and polymerase chain reaction9（PCR）. The results showed that the positive rate of PCR （0.55 %, 11/1,997） was higher than that of blood smear （0.40%, 8/1,997）, but no significant difference（P>0.05）was observed between two methods. According to the result of PCR, the incidence of quarantine dogs （4.47%, 8/179）was significantly （P<0.05） higher than that of pet dogs（0.14%, 2/1,474）or stray dogs（0.29%, 1/344）. However, there were no significant differences（P>0.05）of incidence among four seasons and five counties in sourthern Taiwan in the quarantine, pet or stray dogs. With regard to the 11 PCR-positive dogs, the highest incidence was under 1 year old（54.55 %, 6/11）, significantly higher than the others of ages（P＜0.05）. On the physical examinations, no clinical signs in the PCR-positive dogs were found with hepatozoon infection. On the hematological examination, one PCR-positive dog showed neutrophilic leukocytosis, two PCR-positive dogs showed normocytic normochromic anemia and hypoproteinemia（one of them also had neutrophilic leukocytosis）, and these changes were inferred to be related to the hepatozoon infection. All of 11 PCR products were sequenced and compared with previously published sequences by DNASTART software. The results showed that eight, two and one of them revaled above 98% sequence similarities with Hepatozoon canis, Hepatozoon americanum and Hepatozoon canis variant, respectively. Sequence analyses confirmed that all of three species of hepatozoon were occurred in dogs in Taiwan.
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