Babesiose canina em Maceió, AL: relato de caso

Abstract

Canine babesiosis or piroplasmosis is a disease caused by protozoa, Babesia spp. and it is characterized by intra and extravascular hemolysis, leading animal to present anemia. The canine babesiosis transmission occurs mainly through the blood feeding of the vector, Rhipicephalus sanguineus (brown tick) and this hemoparasitosis occurrence is justified by the wide distribution of its vectors, especially in tropical regions. The most common clinical signs observed are anemia, fever, inappetence, jaundice, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, hemoglobinuria, petechiae, edema and ascites. Its diagnosis is made through clinical history, clinical signs, blood count, hemoparasite screening in the blood smear, serology and molecular biology. And the treatment of babesiosis is based on associated administration of the imidocarb dipropionate and atropine sulfate, and the best way to prevent it is to control the presence of the vector on the animal and in the environment, in which it lives. In view of the frequent occurrence of this disease in the dogs medical clinics in our country and the risk of developing very debilitating clinical conditions, it is necessary to constantly update the subject by students and veterinary professionals. Therefore, it was the objective of this monograph to report a case of canine babesiosis in a five year old Labrador Retrivier, apathetic, inept, febrile, with restricted access to the street and absence of ectoparasitism. The diagnosis of this case was established after the association of history and clinical signs, clinical pathology, the exclusion of differential diagnoses by a snap-ELISA and the positive reactivity to the Babesia sp. ELISA. The therapeutic control was achieved from the administration of imidobarb dipropionate in combination with atropine sulfate, after hepatic recovery. Canine babesiosis is a disease widely distributed worldwide. It is transmitted from the blood repellent of the tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) that is parasitized by babesia, thus it becomes necessary the parasitic control of the tick, in the environment, as well as in the animal, as a form of prevention and control of the disease.