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

Abstract

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.

Keywords

• Babesia gibsoni
• Canine babesiosis
• Epidemiology
• Hematology
• PCR-RFLP