Clinico-haematological evaluation and molecular identification of Babesia gibsoni, Babesia canis vogeli, Ehrlichia canis and Trypanosoma evansi in dogs

Clinico-haematological alterations associated with haemoparasites like babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and trypanosomosis in dogs of Kerala, India were studied and the sensitivity of detection methods like light microscopic examination and polymerase chain reaction were compared. Case history and clinical signs of the dogs (n=144), presented to the Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex (TVCC), Mannuthy during the study period from April 2018 to October 2019, were recorded. Clinical signs like anorexia and lethargy were noticed in all the dogs sampled. Anaemia and thrombocytopenia were the major haematological features noticed and the haematological changes were prominent in babesiosis when compared to other infections. Light microscopic examination of the blood samples revealed vector-borne microorganisms in 33 (22.9%) samples, while a total of 113 cases of babesiosis, 13 cases of ehrlichiosis, 4 cases of trypanosomosis and 31 cases of mixed infections were detected by polymerase chain reaction. The present study showed that PCR was more sensitive when compared to light microscopic examination. A combination of clinico-haematological investigations, direct microscopic examination and polymerase chain reaction could be adopted as standard tool for the routine laboratory investigation of these haemoparasites in dogs.