Detection of Babesia gibsoni and the canine small Babesia ‘Spanish isolate’ in blood samples obtained from dogs confiscated from dogfighting operations

Yeagley, Todd J.; Reichard, Mason V.; Hempstead, Julie E.; Allen, Kelly E.; Parsons, Lindsey M.; White, Mellanie A.; Little, Susan E.; Meinkoth, James H.

doi:10.2460/javma.235.5.535

Cited by 85 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Similarly, 18/33 (55%) American Pit bull terriers from two kennels in the Southeastern USA were positive for B. gibsoni by PCR, whereas none of the 87 dogs of other breeds from a veterinary hospital, a shelter, or a Foxhound breeding kennel in the same region were infected (Macintire et al, 2002). In another study, the prevalence of B. gibsoni infection in pit bull-type dogs confiscated from dogfighting operations and housed in shelters was 34% (Yeagley et al, 2009), similar to the 39% prevalence in the current study. The dogs with scars on the head and front limbs, which are common in dogs used for organized dogfighting, were 5.5 times more likely to be infected with B. gibsoni than were dogs without scars.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Infectious diseases in dogs rescued during dogfighting investigations

Cannon

Levy

Kirk

et al. 2016

The Veterinary Journal

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Dogs used for dogfighting often receive minimal preventive health care, and the potential for spread of infectious diseases is high. The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of infectious diseases in dogs rescued from fighting operations to guide medical protocols for their immediate and long-term care. A total of 269 pit bull-type dogs were seized in a multi-state investigation. Fleas were present on most dogs, but few ticks were observed. Testing performed at intake included packed cell volume (PCV), serology and PCR for vector-borne pathogens, and fecal analysis. The most common infections were Babesia gibsoni (39%), ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum’ (32%), Mycoplasma haemocanis (30%), Dirofilaria immitis (12%), and Ancylostoma (23%). Anemia was associated with B. gibsoni infection (63% of infected dogs, Odds ratio=2.5, P<0.001), but not with hemotropic mycoplasmas or Ancylostoma. Pit bull heritage and dogfighting are known risk factors for B. gibsoni infection, possibly via blood transmission from bites and vertical transmission. Hemotropic mycoplasmas have a similar risk pattern. Empirical care for dogs from dogfighting cases should include broad-spectrum internal and external parasiticides and monitoring for anemia. Dogfighting case responders should be prepared for mass screening and treatment of B. gibsoni and heartworm infections and should implement protocols to prevent transmission of infectious and zoonotic diseases in the shelter and following adoption. Former fighting dogs and dogs with possible dog bite scars should not be used as blood donors due to the risk of vector-borne pathogens that can escape detection and for which curative treatment is difficult to document.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Infectious diseases in dogs rescued during dogfighting investigations

Cannon

Levy

Kirk

et al. 2016

The Veterinary Journal

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“…Examination of the Tosa showed the presence of many scars on the head and neck, resulting from bite wounds. Despite the fact that the owner of the Tosa dog reported tick exposure a week before, these dog bites may be important from the epidemiological point of view because studies conducted in the United States (Yeagley et al, 2009) and Australia (Jefferies et al, 2007) indicated that direct dog-to-dog transmission is very likely, most notably through bite wounds. The other case was of a young, 11-month-old American Staffordshire terrier with no history of tick exposure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Predominant vectors for the abovementioned species are Dermacentor reticulatus (B. canis), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (B. vogeli), Haemaphysalis longicornis (B. gibsoni) and the main candidate vector of B. microti-like is Ixodes hexagonus (Solano-Gallego and Baneth, 2011). There are some reports suggesting that direct dog to dog transmission, via bite wounds, is highly likely and might possibly be the main mode of transmission of B. gibsoni (Jefferies et al, 2007;Yeagley et al, 2009). Also, it has been demonstrated that B. gibsoni infection can be transmitted transplacentally (Fukumoto et al, 2005).…”

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confidence: 99%

Clinical babesiosis and molecular identification of Babesia canis and Babesia gibsoni infections in dogs from Serbia

Davitkov

Vučićević

Stevanović

et al. 2015

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica

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Canine babesiosis is a frequent and clinically significant tick-borne disease. Sixty symptomatic dogs with clinical findings compatible with babesiosis were included in this study conducted in Serbia. After clinical examination, blood samples were taken for microscopic examination, complete blood count (CBC), Canine SNAP 4Dx Test, DNA analyses and sequencing. The main clinical signs included apathy, anorexia, fever, brown/red discoloration of urine, pale mucous membranes, icterus, splenomegaly, and vomiting. The main clinicopathological findings in Babesia infections were a slight to severe thrombocytopenia and a mild to very severe normocytic normochromic anaemia. Microscopic evaluation revealed 58 positive samples with the presence of large and small intraerythrocytic piroplasms in 57 and 1 sample(s), respectively. No co-infections were found using SNAP test. Two Babesia species, B. canis (58/60) and B. gibsoni (2/60), were differentiated by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Species identification was further confirmed by sequencing PCR products of B. gibsoni samples and six randomly selected B. canis samples. All dogs were treated with imidocarb dipropionate (6.6 mg/kg of body weight), given intramuscularly twice at an interval of 14 days. This report presents the first molecular evidence of the occurrence of B. gibsoni and B. canis, confirmed by DNA sequencing, in sick dogs from Serbia.

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“…However, the diagnosis of babesiosis in chronically infected and carrier dogs remains a significant challenge due to very low, often intermittent parasitemia [9]. Indeed, failure to detect parasites in animals with hemolytic anemia or thrombocytopenia has led to incorrect diagnoses in several documented cases [5,11]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Molecules inBabesia gibsoni and Their Application for Diagnosis, Vaccine Development, and Drug Discovery

Goo

Xuan

2014

Korean J Parasitol

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Babesia gibsoni is an intraerythrocytic apicomplexan parasite that causes piroplasmosis in dogs. B. gibsoni infection is characterized clinically by fever, regenerative anemia, splenomegaly, and sometimes death. Since no vaccine is available, rapid and accurate diagnosis and prompt treatment of infected animals are required to control this disease. Over the past decade, several candidate molecules have been identified using biomolecular techniques in the authors' laboratory for the development of a serodiagnostic method, vaccine, and drug for B. gibsoni. This review article describes newly identified candidate molecules and their applications for diagnosis, vaccine production, and drug development of B. gibsoni.

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Detection of Babesia gibsoni and the canine small Babesia ‘Spanish isolate’ in blood samples obtained from dogs confiscated from dogfighting operations

Abstract: Results indicated that B gibsoni is a common parasite of dogs confiscated from dogfighting operations and suggested that dogs with a history of fighting should be evaluated for infection with B gibsoni.

Cited by 85 publications

References 28 publications

Infectious diseases in dogs rescued during dogfighting investigations

Infectious diseases in dogs rescued during dogfighting investigations

Clinical babesiosis and molecular identification of Babesia canis and Babesia gibsoni infections in dogs from Serbia

New Molecules inBabesia gibsoni and Their Application for Diagnosis, Vaccine Development, and Drug Discovery

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