Marin Torti

Canine babesiosis in Europe : how many diseases?

Babesiosis, recognized since ancient times as an important disease of livestock and more recently as an emerging disease in dogs worldwide, is caused by intraerythrocytic protozoa of the genus Babesia and is transmitted by ticks. The pathophysiology of canine babesiosis has been extensively studied but many questions remain unanswered, especially regarding the diversity of disease manifestations in different European countries. Continued investigation of the similarities and differences in host-parasite interplay in canine babesiosis in different European countries should lead to a better understanding of the disease process, potentially leading to better prediction of disease outcome and the development of new treatment modalities. From the European point of view it is important to conduct these studies on Babesia canis.

Septic shock in canine babesiosis.

The records of all canine patients (86) that had been diagnosed with babesiosis and that were admitted to the Clinic for Internal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagreb from January 2007 to December 2007 were reviewed retrospectively. All dogs that had been diagnosed with canine babesiosis and that had systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) followed by multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), and refractory hypotension, were included in this study. Of 86 patients diagnosed with canine babesiosis that were admitted during the study period, 10 had evidence of septic shock and were included in this study. Seven of the 10 dogs had a level of parasitaemia above 1%, with the highest level being 20.2%, seven of the 10 dogs were anaemic and three of the 10 dogs were leucopoenic. Thrombocytopenia was present in nine dogs. Hypoglycaemia was noted in two dogs, and bilirubinaemia in nine dogs. Four patients had involvement of two organs, five had involvement of three organs, and one had involvement of four organs. The organ that was most frequently involved was the kidney (nine cases). Central nervous system dysfunction was the rarest complication noted (one case). The mortality rate in non-septic shock canine babesiosis was 2.6%. All dogs that developed septic shock died between the first and the fourth day after admission. The 100% mortality rate that is reported here reflects the fact that in cases in which progression of the inflammatory response leads to the development of septic shock, an unfavourable outcome should be expected.

MOLECULAR EVIDENCE OF NATURAL INFECTION WITH BABESIA CANIS CANIS IN CROATIA

The aim of the present study was to detect and characterise the species and subspecies of Babesia spp. that cause canine babesiosis in Croatia. Twenty-eight dogs with typical signs of babesiosis (lethargy, anorexia, fever, dark urine and thrombocytopenia) were included in this study. Their blood smears showed the presence of Babesia canis . The results showed the detection of one subspecies, namely Babesia canis canis using PCR, and subsequent sequence analysis demonstrated portions of the nss rRNA gene in 27 out of 28 samples. Sequence analysis of the isolates showed 100% identity in 11 samples, 99.7% identity (one nucleotide difference) in 11 samples and 99.4% identity (two nucleotides difference) in 5 samples with B. canis canis . The results of this study confirm the presence of B. canis canis in infected dogs in Croatia and demonstrate a slightly new genetic variant of Babesia subspecies.

Systemic lupus erythematosus - diagnostic and treatment challenges

A 5.5-year-old Bischon Frise with a history of shifting-leg lameness, fever, weight loss, lethargy and anorexia was referred for a second opinion. The diagnostics led to a suspicion of SLE. A thorough physical examination, haematology, biochemistry, vector-borne diseases testing, urinalysis, x-ray of thorax, abdomen, carpal and tarsal joints, ultrasound of abdomen, synovial fluid and CSF fluid examination was performed to exclude differentials. A positive ANA test with four major and two minor clinical signs confirmed the diagnosis. The prednisone monotherapy administered proved to be sufficient.