Abstract
A retrospective and prospective analysis of clinical records of dogs diagnosed with Babesia infections was carried out for the years 2000 to 2013 from practices in Lusaka, Zambia. Records of 363 dogs with confirmed Babesia infections were analysed using demographic factors including sex, breed, age, and clinical signs in relation to haematological findings and Babesia species. The clinical and laboratory findings observed are described as well as Babesia species identification. The study included 18 breeds and the highest proportion were mongrels (32.2%), males representing 64.5% of the population. The most common presenting problems were anorexia (65.3%) and lethargy/weakness (65.3%). The most common clinical signs were fever (87.3%), pallor (52.3%), lymphadenopathy (47.4%), and presence of ticks (44.9%). Anaemia (96.4%) and nucleated erythrocytes (42.2%) were the most common laboratory findings. A mixed infection of Babesia rossi and Babesia gibsoni was present in 59.7% of dogs, whilst 8% and 32.2% had B. rossi and B. gibsoni as a single infection, respectively. Case management mainly involved therapy with tetracyclines and imidocarb and was usually accompanied by clinical improvement. This study highlights, for the first time, the presence of B. gibsoni in natural dog populations in Zambia, where previously only B. rossi was reported.
Highlights
Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease, caused by protozoa of the genus Babesia, with a worldwide distribution [1, 2]
The present study describes the clinical signs and case management of naturally occurring babesiosis in Zambia
The study represents the first systematic investigation of the clinicopathological presentation of canine babesiosis in this region as well as reporting for the first time the species of Babesia found in domestic dogs in Zambia in correlation to clinicopathological data
Summary
Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease, caused by protozoa of the genus Babesia, with a worldwide distribution [1, 2]. Canine babesiosis is an important disease of domestic and wild Canidae [3]. Vector-borne organisms with numerous canine Babesia species reported in the world, namely, Babesia canis, Babesia rossi, Babesia vogeli, Babesia gibsoni, and the microbabesiae Babesia microti, Babesia vulpes sp. In Africa, Babesia canis, B. rossi, B. vogeli, and B. gibsoni are reported, with no report of the microbabesiae [4, 7]. Babesia rossi is only reported in Africa [7]. There exists one yet unnamed Babesia species that was reported in North America [4, 7]
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