Clinical, haemato-biochemical and ultrasonographical studies on naturally occurring Babesia gibsoni infection in dogs

Abstract

The present study reports the changes in clinical signs, haematology, serum biochemistry and ultrasonographic changes in 8 dogs affected with Babesia gibsoni during the month of December 2016 to December 2017. The predominant clinical findings in dogs affected with B. gibsoni were icteric mucus membranes, lethargy and pyrexia. Splenomegaly was a common finding in most of the cases. Haematology and serum biochemistry revealed a significant decrease in haemoglobin (7.58125 ±3.71) packed cell volume (20.375±11.12%), total erythrocyte (4.03±1.81×106 /µl) and platelet count (43.125±32.18 103/µL), significant increase in globulin (4.30625±0.75 gm/dl) in affected dogs when compared to healthy dogs. The naturally occurring cases of B. gibsoni are having variety of clinical manifestations ranging from anorexia to hepatomegaly or splenomegaly or death making it difficult to have a definitive diagnosis solely on the basis of clinical examination.