Comparison of Babesia gibsoni infection in pit bull-type dogs with and without a known history of involvement in organized dogfighting

Abstract

Babesia gibsoni is a protozoal parasitic disease that in the United States is found almost exclusively in pit bull-type dogs and is commonly diagnosed in dogs seized in dogfighting investigations. This study compared the prevalence of B. gibsoni among two groups of pit bull-type dogs: those involved in confirmed cases (by the criminal justice system) of organized dogfighting and those with no known history of involvement in organized fighting. The prevalence of B. gibsoni in the fighting and non-fighting groups was 26% and 2%, respectively. Pit bull-type dogs testing positive for B. gibsoni had 21-fold higher odds of being from a dogfighting case (95% CI 12.00–36.24). These data provide support for an association between B. gibsoni and organized dogfighting activities.

Keywords

• Dogfighting
• Organized animal abuse
• Animal fighting
• Animal cruelty/abuse
• Babesia/Babesia gibsoni
• Pit bull/pit bull-type dog