Serdar PAŞA, Funda KIRAL, Tülin KARAGENÇ, Abidin ATASOY, Kamil SEYREK

Description of dogs naturally infected with Hepatozoon canis in the Aegean region of Turkey

Clinical and laboratory findings recorded in 10 dogs naturally infected with Hepatozoon canis in the Aegean region of Turkey were reported. The diagnosis was made by finding H. canis gamonts within leucocytes in Giemsa-stained blood smears. H. canis parasitaemia level was calculated manually by counting 500 neutrophils in blood smears. Parasitaemia varied from 1% to 23% of the circulating neutrophils. Anorexia, fever, depression, weight loss, and lymphadenopathy are the main clinical signs in infected dogs. All dogs had microcytic normochromic anaemia; however, 7 of the dogs had neutrophilia, 1 had lymphopenia, 2 had monocytosis, 1 had eosinophilia, and 9 had thrombocytopenia. Abnormal serum biochemical values were hyperproteinaemia (7 of 10 dogs), hypoalbuminaemia (9 of 10 dogs), hyperglobulinaemia (7 of 10 dogs), increased serum alkaline phosphatase activity (2 of 10 dogs), and increased serum creatinine kinase activity (8 of 10 dogs). Concurrent infections such as Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Anaplasma platys were detected with a polymerase chain reaction test and 8 dogs had 2 or 3 of these concurrent infections.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Key words: Hepatozoon canis, clinico-pathological findings, Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Description of dogs naturally infected with Hepatozoon canis in the Aegean region of Turkey

Keywords:

Key words: Hepatozoon canis, clinico-pathological findings, Rhipicephalus sanguineus,

PDF

___

Bentley, C.A.: Preliminary note upon a Leukocytozoon of the dog. Br. Med. J., 1905; 1: 988.
McCully, R.M., Basson, P.A., Bigalke, R.D., De Vos, V., Young, E.: Observations on naturally acquired hepatozoonosis of wild carnivores and dogs in the Republic of South Africa. Onderstepoort J. Vet. Res., 1975; 42: 117-133.
Novilla, M.N., Kwapein, R.P., Peneyra, R.S.: Occurrence of canine hepatozoonosis in the Philippines. Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Washington, 1977; 44: 98-101.
Rajamanickam, C., Weisenhutter, E., Zin, F.M., Hamid, J.: The incidence of canine haematozoa in peninsular Malaysia. Vet. Parasitol., 1985; 17: 151-157.
Murata, T., Shiramizu, K., Hara, Y., Inoue, M., Shimoda, K., Nakama, S.: First case of Hepatozoon canis infection of a dog in Japan. J. Vet. Med. Sci., 1991; 53: 1097-1099.
Baneth, G., Weigler, B.: Retrospective case-control study of hepatozoonosis in dogs in Israel. J. Vet. Intern. Med., 1997; 11: 370.
Ezeokoli, C.D., Ogunkoya, A.B., Abdullahi, R., Tekdek, L.B., Sannusi, A., Ilemobade, A.A.: Clinical and epidemiological studies on canine hepatozoonosis in Zaria, Nigeria. J. Small Anim. Pract., 1983; 24: 455-460.
Baneth, G., Shkap, V., Presentey, B.Z., Pipano, E.: Hepatozoon canis: the prevalence of antibodies and gametocytes in dogs in Israel. Vet. Res. Commun., 1996; 20: 41-46.
Inokuma, H., Ohno, K., Yamamoto, S.: Serosurvey of Ehrlichia canis and Hepatozoon canis infection in dogs in Yamaguchi prefecture Japan. J. Vet. Med. Sci., 1999; 61; 1153-1155.
Karagenc, T.I., Pasa, S., Kirli, G., Hosgor, M., Bilgic, H.B., Ozon, Y.H., Atasoy, A., Eren, H.: A parasitological, molecular and serological survey of Hepatozoon canis infection in dogs around the Aegean coast of Turkey. Vet. Parasitol., 2006; 135: 113-119.
Tuzdil, A.N.: Bizde ilk defa görülen bir Hepatozoon canis vak’ası. Türk Baytarlar Cemiyeti Mecmuası., 1933; 13: 35.
Voyvoda, H., Pasa, S., Uner A.: Clinical Hepatozoon canis infection in a dog in Turkey. J. Small Anim. Pract., 2004; 45: 617.
Gavazza, A., Bizzeti, M., Papini, R.: Observations on dogs found naturally infected with Hepatozoon canis in Italy. Rev. Méd. Vét., ; 154: 565-571. Forlano, M., Scofield, A., Elisei, C., Fernandes, K.R., Ewing, S.A., Massard, C.L.: Diagnosis of Hepatozoon spp. in Amblyomma ovale and its experimental transmission in domestic dogs in Brazil. Vet. Parasitol., 2005; 134: 1-7.
Baneth, G., Samish, M., Shkap, V.: Life cycle of Hepatozoon canis (Apicomplexa: Adelorina: Hepatozoidae) in the tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus and domestic dog (Canis familiaris). J. Parasitol., 2007; 93: 283-299.
Elias, E., Homans, P.A.: Hepatozoon canis infection in dogs: clinical and hematological findings; treatment. J. Small Anim. Pract., 1988; 29: 55-62.
Inokuma, H., Okuda, M., Ohno, K., Shimoda, K., Onishi, T.: Analysis of the 18S rRNA gene sequence of a Hepatozoon detected in two Japanese dogs. Vet. Parasitol., 2002; 106: 265
Jain, N.C.: Schalm’s Veterinary Hematology. 4th edn., Lea and Febriger, Philadelphia, 1986.
Oura, C.A.L, Bishop, R.P., Wampande, E.M., Lubega, G.W., Tait A.: Application of a reverse line blot assay to the study of haemoparasites in cattle in Uganda. Int. J. Parasitol., 2004; 34: 613.
Murphy, G.L., Ewing, S.A., Whitworth, L.C., Fox, J.C., Kocan, A.A.: A molecular and serologic survey of Ehrlichia canis, E. chaffeensis, and E. ewingii in dogs and ticks from Oklahoma. Vet. Parasitol., 1998; 79: 325-339.
Inokuma, H., Fujii, K., Matsumoto, K., Okuda, M., Nakagome, K., Kosugi, R., Hirakawa, M., Onishi, T.: Demonstration of Anaplasma (Ehrlichia) platys inclusions in peripheral blood platelets of a dog in Japan. Vet. Parasitol., 2002; 110: 145-152.
Bekker, C.P., de Vos, S., Taoufik, A., Sparagano, O.A., Jongejan F.: Simultaneous detection of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species in ruminants and detection of Ehrlichia ruminantium in Amblyomma variegatum ticks by reverse line blot hybridization. Vet Microbiol., 2002; 89: 223-238.
Duncan, R.J., Prasse, W.K.: Veterinary Laboratory Medicine. nd edn. Iowa State University Press, Ames, Iowa. 1986; 227
Morgan, R.V.: Handbook of Small Animal Practice. Churchill Livingstone, New York, 1992; 1378-1384.
Baneth, G., Samish, M., Alekseev, E., Aroch, I., Shkap, V.: Transmission of Hepatozoon canis to dogs by naturally-fed or percutaneously-injected Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks. J. Parasitol., 2001; 87: 606-611.
Shaw, S.E., Day, M.J., Birtles, R.J., Breitschwerdt, E.B.: Tick- borne infectious diseases of dogs. Trends Parasitol., 2001; 17: 80.
Mylonakis, M.E., Koutinas, A.F., Baneth, G., Polizopoulou, Z., Fytianou, A.: Mixed Ehrlichia canis, Hepatozoon canis, and presumptive Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in a dog. Vet. Clin. Pathol., 2004; 33: 249-251.
Kuehn, N.F., Gaunt, S.D.: Clinical and hematological findings in canine ehrlichiosis. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc., 1985; 186: 355
Gondim, L.F.P., Kohayagawa, A., Alencar, N.X., Biondo, A.W., Takahira, R.K., Franco, S.R.: Canine hepatozoonosis in Brazil: description of eight naturally occurring cases. Vet. Parasitol., ; 74: 319- 323. O'Dwyer, L.H., Saito, M.E., Hasegawa, M.Y., Kohayagawa, A.: Prevalence, hematology and serum biochemistry in stray dogs naturally infected by Hepatozoon canis in Sâo Paulo. Arq. Bras. Med. Vet. Zootec., 2006; 58: 688-690.