Occurrence of tick-borne diseases in domestic dogs in Belém, Pará, Brazil

• Published in: Acta veterinaria Brasílica Vol. 15; no. 4; pp. 323 - 329
• Main Authors: Guimarães, Mylenna de Cássia Neves, Silva, Pâmela Talita de Aguiar e, Monteiro, Thamillys Rayssa Marques, Santos, Camila de Cássia dos, Costa, Jacqueline Corrêa, Valente, Keila Feitosa, Silva, Barbara Wilka Leal, Casseb, Alexandre do Rosário, Casseb, Livia Medeiros Neves
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 05.10.2021
• ISSN: 1981-5484; 1981-5484
• DOI: 10.21708/avb.2021.15.4.10133

Tick-borne blood cell pathogens, which are challenging to diagnose, are primarily detected using molecular techniques. Therefore, this study aimed to detect the main infectious agents involved in 50 cases of suspected hemoparasitosis in dogs treated at the Veterinary Hospital Mário Dias Teixeira of the Federal Rural University of the Amazon. Hematological parameters were evaluated, and blood samples were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for DNA amplification of the following species: Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma platys, and Babesia canis. The PCR test results indicated that the most prevalent infectious agent was E. canis, present in 12% (6/50) infected animals, followed by A. platys and B. canis, present in 8% (4/50) and 2% (1/50) infected animals, respectively. Regarding hematological analysis, the most relevant changes were anemia, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, leukocytosis, and leukopenia. The availability of molecular techniques allows the management of the most appropriate treatment to infected animals in a rapid and specific way.