Cerebral babesiosis and acute respiratory distress syndrome in a dog

Abstract

To describe a case of cerebral babesiosis and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in a dog. A 5-year-old male neutered Scottish Terrier was referred to the emergency department of the Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse for evaluation of progressive dyspnea and clinical signs suggestive of central neurological disease. Thoracic radiographs showed a diffuse and heavy interstitial/alveolar lung pattern. Babesiosis was diagnosed based on blood smear evaluation. The dog died of cardiopulmonary arrest 6 hours after presentation. Cerebral babesiosis and ARDS were confirmed at necropsy. Major pathological findings included erythrocyte aggregation in the lungs, liver, and brain. This case report describes an unusual clinical presentation of Babesia canis canis infection, the most common species associated with babesiosis in Europe. In addition, this is to our knowledge the first case of Babesia-associated ARDS confirmed by histopathology in a dog.