The Influence of Giardia duodenalis on the Occurrence of Clinical Signs in Dogs.

Giardia duodenalis infections are common in dogs and are mainly caused by assemblages C and D. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the presence of Giardia duodenalis and different Giardia assemblages detected in symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs and the occurrence of certain clinical signs. All the dogs included (n = 82) were clinically examined, and fecal samples were examined for other parasites and Clostridium spp. Also, G. duodenalis assemblages were detected and the occurrence of certain clinical signs was assessed. A total of 42/82 (51.2%) dogs were symptomatic and had one or more gastrointestinal signs, and 40/82 (48.8%) dogs were asymptomatic. G. duodenalis was found in 25/82 (30.5%) dogs: assemblage C in 10/25 (40%) and assemblage D in 15/25 (60%). Only Cryptosporidium spp. showed a higher coinfection rate with G. duodenalis but that did not have an influence on clinical sign appearance. There was no correlation between the presence of different assemblages of G. duodenalis and the sex of the host or the duration and appearance of certain clinical signs, except the presence of mucus in feces, which was more frequent in dogs invaded with G. duodenalis assemblage C. Further research of other assemblages is needed.

Molecular evidence of natural infection with Babesia canis canis in Croatia.

The aim of the present study was to detect and characterise the species and subspecies of Babesia spp. that cause canine babesiosis in Croatia. Twenty-eight dogs with typical signs of babesiosis (lethargy, anorexia, fever, dark urine and thrombocytopenia) were included in this study. Their blood smears showed the presence of Babesia canis . The results showed the detection of one subspecies, namely Babesia canis canis using PCR, and subsequent sequence analysis demonstrated portions of the nss rRNA gene in 27 out of 28 samples. Sequence analysis of the isolates showed 100% identity in 11 samples, 99.7% identity (one nucleotide difference) in 11 samples and 99.4% identity (two nucleotides difference) in 5 samples with B. canis canis . The results of this study confirm the presence of B. canis canis in infected dogs in Croatia and demonstrate a slightly new genetic variant of Babesia subspecies.

Septic shock in canine babesiosis.

The records of all canine patients (86) that had been diagnosed with babesiosis and that were admitted to the Clinic for Internal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagreb from January 2007 to December 2007 were reviewed retrospectively. All dogs that had been diagnosed with canine babesiosis and that had systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) followed by multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), and refractory hypotension, were included in this study. Of 86 patients diagnosed with canine babesiosis that were admitted during the study period, 10 had evidence of septic shock and were included in this study. Seven of the 10 dogs had a level of parasitaemia above 1%, with the highest level being 20.2%, seven of the 10 dogs were anaemic and three of the 10 dogs were leucopoenic. Thrombocytopenia was present in nine dogs. Hypoglycaemia was noted in two dogs, and bilirubinaemia in nine dogs. Four patients had involvement of two organs, five had involvement of three organs, and one had involvement of four organs. The organ that was most frequently involved was the kidney (nine cases). Central nervous system dysfunction was the rarest complication noted (one case). The mortality rate in non-septic shock canine babesiosis was 2.6%. All dogs that developed septic shock died between the first and the fourth day after admission. The 100% mortality rate that is reported here reflects the fact that in cases in which progression of the inflammatory response leads to the development of septic shock, an unfavourable outcome should be expected.