Prevalence of co-infections with Ehrlichia spp. or Theileria spp. in dogs naturally infected with babesiosis in the Eastern Cape province

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dc.contributor.author Cloete, Henry P.P.
dc.contributor.author Rautenbach, Yolandi
dc.contributor.author Leisewitz, Andrew L.
dc.contributor.author Mellanby, Richard J.
dc.contributor.author Thompson, P.N. (Peter N.)
dc.contributor.author Schoeman, Johan P.
dc.date.accessioned 2024-09-16T11:27:48Z
dc.date.available 2024-09-16T11:27:48Z
dc.date.issued 2024-09
dc.description.abstract BACKGROUND : Canine babesiosis and ehrlichiosis are tick-borne infections of great significance in South Africa. Theileriosis in dogs in South Africa is still poorly understood. Co-infection with multiple tick-borne diseases has been documented and is perceived as a common occurrence in South Africa. OBJECTIVES : The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of co-infections with Ehrlichia canis or Theileria equi in dogs with babesiosis in the Eastern Cape province. There is a lack of data on canine tick-borne disease distribution in this region. Possible associations of population characteristics and haematological and biochemistry measures with a co-infection of E. canis or T. equi in these dogs were also investigated. METHOD : The study population included 150 dogs naturally infected with babesiosis that presented to the Mdantsane State Veterinary Clinic between January 2021 and November 2021. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to confirm the Babesia spp. that the dogs were infected with and to identify co-infections. Association with co-infection for the following parameters were evaluated: sex, breed, age, duration of illness, leukocyte count, band neutrophil count, monocyte count, platelet count, ARC, and serum globulin concentration. Positive and negative predictive values of monocytosis, leukopenia, band neutrophilia, thrombocytopenia, and non-regenerative absolute reticulocyte count for co-infection were also calculated. RESULTS : Babesia rossi was identified in 149/150 samples and B. vogeli in only 1/150 samples. A co-infection prevalence of 2.0% (3/149; 95% CI: 0.4–5.7) with B. rossi and E. canis was found. No other co-infections were reported. No investigated variables showed significant associations with co-infections. Monocytosis, in particular, was not associated with co-infection. CONCLUSION : Co-infection with other tick-borne diseases in dogs with babesiosis is uncommon in the Eastern Cape province. These findings raise the possibility that B. rossi may have a protective effect against other tick-borne diseases. en_US
dc.description.department Companion Animal Clinical Studies en_US
dc.description.department Production Animal Studies en_US
dc.description.librarian hj2024 en_US
dc.description.sdg SDG-03:Good heatlh and well-being en_US
dc.description.sponsorship The Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority, and the University of Pretoria Pathobiology Research Fund and Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies. en_US
dc.description.uri https://www.elsevier.com/locate/vprsr en_US
dc.identifier.citation Cloete, H.P.P., Rautenbach, Y., Leisewitz, A.L. et al. 2024, 'Prevalence of co-infections with Ehrlichia spp. or Theileria spp. in dogs naturally infected with babesiosis in the Eastern Cape province', Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports, vol. 54, art. 101092, pp. 1-8. doi : 10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.101092. en_US
dc.identifier.issn 2405-9390 (online)
dc.identifier.other 10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.101092
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/98230
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher Elsevier en_US
dc.rights © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). en_US
dc.subject Babesia rossi en_US
dc.subject Ehrlichia canis en_US
dc.subject Co-infection en_US
dc.subject Protozoa en_US
dc.subject Canine en_US
dc.subject Dogs (Canis familiaris) en_US
dc.subject Predictive values en_US
dc.subject Tick-borne disease (TBD) en_US
dc.subject Eastern Cape Province (ECP) en_US
dc.subject SDG-03: Good health and well-being en_US
dc.title Prevalence of co-infections with Ehrlichia spp. or Theileria spp. in dogs naturally infected with babesiosis in the Eastern Cape province en_US
dc.type Article en_US


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