Amir Zahirović

First molecular detection of Babesia canis in dogs from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Babesia spp. are tick-transmitted protozoan haemoparasites of great economic, veterinary and medical impact worldwide. Herein we reported the very high prevalence of autochthonous babesiosis in symptomatic dogs from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period from 2014 to 2016. Eighty dogs that did not leave the country were examined using parasitological and molecular analyses and babesiosis was diagnosed in 82.5% and 85.0% of them, respectively (p < 0.001). One species, Babesia canis was identified using molecular methodology (PCR and sequence analysis). Statistical analyses showed that epizootiological characteristics have no influence on the possibility of infection. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) analyses used for comparing the symptoms and clinical signs of infection in dogs pointed out that a high degree of anemia, followed by thrombocytopenia (89%), lethargy (100%), loss of appetite (95%), fever (66%) and icterus (61%) was dominant. In addition, results of the statistical analysis performed showed that more dogs with no data of tick prophylaxis (70%) were found Babesia infected. Those results point to further intensified epizootic surveys in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Hematological Importance of Pseudoeosinophilic Granulocytes in Acclimation of Common Carp (Cyprinus Carpio Linnaeus, 1758)

Abstract Adaptation mechanisms as response to water content, oxygen level and pollutants are very important and they can be interpreted by hematological analysis. The aim of this study was the analysis of hematological and immune adaptations of common carp (Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, 1758) to thermal stress. All specimens were divided into a control and experimental group. The control group of fish was exposed to a constant water temperature of 10°C. We induced thermal stress in experimental fish by gradually heating water to 28°C, held for 30 minutes and then comparing the obtained results with the control fish. Short-term hyperthermia lead to an increase of the number of leukocytes, especially pseudoeosinophilic granulocytes and monocytes, while the number of neutrophils and lymphocytes was reduced. The analysis of the leukocyte number and differential blood count in the control group showed high individual variation of segmented granulocytes, monocytes and pseudoeosinophilic granulocytes. Statistically significant differences (p=0.00) were found for the white blood cells, nonsegmented neutrophils and pseudoeosinophils between the control and experimental group. The experimental group of males had an increased number of white blood cells, monocytes and pseudoeosinophils, where significant differences were found for nonsegmented and total neutrophils and also for pseudoeosinophils (p=0.00), lymphocytes (p=0.01) and monocytes (p=0.03). Females had an increased total number of white blood cells, lymphocytes, monocytes and pseudoeosinophils, while significant differences (p=0.00) were obtained in the number of white blood cells, nonsegmented and total neutrophils and pseudoeosinophils between the control and experimental group. Adaptation mechanisms in carp after water temperature heating are mostly reflected in the increase of pseudoeosinophils and the decrease of neutrophils.