Abstract
Piroplasm species were analyzed by molecular tools in total 31 blood samples from positive dogs, previously checked by stained slides, stored until DNA extraction between 2016 to 2018 in the laboratory Clinical Analyzes in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro. The piroplasms were identified by PCR, targeting the 18S rRNA gene and sequencing. From the total number of samples only 24 (77.4%) were positive and show adequate nucleotide sequences for interpretation with identity between 93%-100% with Babesia vogeli in compared to the sequences isolated of infected dogs from other states in Brazil deposited on GenBank. Most of dogs infected with B. vogeli had anemia (62.5%) and thrombocytopenia (95.8%). The findings of this study are compatible with previous reports in the literature and highlight B. vogeli as the most incriminated species in canine piroplasmosis in Brazil, and thrombocytopenia the hematological alteration most frequently identified in this infection. It is important to note that this is the first study involving the molecular characterization of piroplasms in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro, based on PCR followed by sequencing.
Highlights
The order Piroplasmida includes several genera and species that infect domestic and wild canids (Sousa et al, 2017)
The genus Babesia stands out in the group of piroplasms that infect dogs (Bilić et al, 2018). These species were classified according to its morphology in erythrocytes in “large” (2.5-5.0 μm long) and “small” (1.0-2.5 μm long) forms being recognized as B. canis and B. gibsoni, respectively (Laha et al, 2015)
Among the 31 samples analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing, 24 (77.4%) were positive and show adequate nucleotide sequences for interpretation with identity varying from 95.23% to 100% when compared to sequences of Babesia vogeli stored in GenBank from canine blood samples from China (MK881094), 95.5%-99.8% from Sudan (DQ111765), 94.7-99.7% from Spain (DQ439545), 95-99.8% from United States (AY371198), 96.2%-100% from Chile (MN931918), 95.2%-100% from Venezuela (DQ297390) and 93%-100% from Minas Gerais - Brazil (AY371195.1), 96.1%-100% from Mato Grosso - Brazil (JF295087), 95.2%-100% from Mato Grosso do Sul - Brazil (KY450735), 95.2%-100% from Pará - Brazil (KT333456) and 95.6-100% from Paraíba - Brazil (KJ494656)
Summary
The order Piroplasmida includes several genera and species that infect domestic and wild canids (Sousa et al, 2017). These protozoa are transmitted to mammals through the blood meal of infected ticks. The genus Babesia stands out in the group of piroplasms that infect dogs (Bilić et al, 2018). These species were classified according to its morphology in erythrocytes in “large” (2.5-5.0 μm long) and “small” (1.0-2.5 μm long) forms being recognized as B. canis and B. gibsoni, respectively (Laha et al, 2015). In South American including Brazil, there is a predominance of canine infection by B. vogeli and B. gibsoni (Maggi & Kramer, 2019)
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