No abstract

A very high prevalence of microfilaremia of 42.68 per cent out of 164 canine blood samples examined was observed in Cherthala (of Alappuzha district of Kerala state), a known human Brugia malayi endemic area of south India. The species of canine microfilariae were identified as Dirofilaria repens, Brugia malayi, and Acanthocheilonema reconditum. D. repens was the most commonly detected species followed by B. pahangi. D. immitis was not detected in any of the samples examined. Based on molecular techniques, microfilariae with histochemical staining pattern of “local staining at anal pore and diffuse staining at central body” was identified as D. repens in addition to those showing acid phosphatase activity only at the anal pore. Even though B. malayi like acid phosphatase activity was observed in few dogs examined, they were identified as genetically closer to B. pahangi. Hence, the possibility of dogs acting as reservoirs of human B. malayi in this area was ruled out.

tick borne haemoparasites and haemorickettsiales pose a major health risk to animals worldwide. the present study reports the development and validation of multiplex PCr to simultaneously detect the most prevalent tick borne pathogens infecting dogs in kerala, South India. the assay targeting the small subunit ribosomal rNa genes of the organisms could amplify well demarcated amplicons of B. canis vogeli, B. gibsoni and E. canis. In the study population, which included both healthy dogs as well as those with clinical symptoms suggestive of the three infections under study, 46.6% animals were infected with one of the three pathogens, amongst which the occurrence of B. gibsoni was significantly the highest. Natural co-infections were also detected in nine dogs, which suggests the suitability of the assay to assist in the selection of pathogen specific treatment protocols.

Aim:Canine babesiosis is an important vector-borne hemoparasitic disease caused by Babesia canis vogeli and Babesia gibsoni, in India. The communication places on record the salient findings of the study directed to detect and characterize the pathogenic B. gibsoni isolates of Kerala state.Materials and Methods::A total of 150 dogs were examined for the presence of hemoparasites by light microscopy as well as by PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene of B. gibsoni. Hematological parameters were also analysed. Phylogenetic tree was constructed based on Tamura kei model adopting ML method.Results::A sensitive and specific polymerase chain reaction assay was developed with newly designed primer pair BAGI-F/BAGI-R for the amplification of 488 bp fragment of 18S rRNA gene of B. gibsoni. Out of the 150 dogs examined, molecular evidence of B. gibsoni was recorded in 47.3% animals, while light microscopy detected the infection in 26.67% cases. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that B. gibsoni, Kerala, isolate was closest and occurred together with Bareilly isolate. Anemia and thrombocytopenia were the significant hematological alterations in chronic B. gibsoni infection.Conclusion::A high prevalence of natural infection of B. gibsoni was detected among the study population. The affected animals showed anaemia and thrombocytopenia. Phylogenetic analysis of this pathogenic isolate from south India revealed the closest similarity with Bareilly isolates.

The rising prevalence of tick borne parasites and their economic impact on livestock production have often demanded better diagnostic tools and timely treatment options. The paper reports the molecular evidence of natural infections of Theileria ovis, T. lestoquardi and T. luwenshuni among goats in Kerala, south India, using PCR and RFLP. Concurrent infection of T. ovis and T. luwenshuni was also identified. Out of 150 samples studied, the PCR protocol was also found to detect a higher prevalence (59.3%) of theileriosis when compared to the detection of piroplasms (30%) in stained blood smears. In this study, the majority of goats were infected with T. ovis (75.28%), followed by those with T. luwenshuni (32.58%) and T. lestoquardi (7.86%). A high proportion of infected goats did not show any clinical signs indicating carrier status of infection. The carrier status of animals also signals the possible risk of disease transmission to healthy stock. However, a high incidence of caprine theileriosis, with significant haematological alterations including macrocytic hypochromic anaemia and thrombocytopenia, poses a potential threat to the goat population in the event of stress. Routine monitoring should be employed in farms for early detection and treatment of carrier animals.