ABSTRACT
Babesia rossi infection has been reported to be associated with the high prevalence of pancreatitis in dogs. In this study, we retrospectively investigated whether pancreatitis occurs in B. gibsoni-infected dogs. The clinical manifestations, and hematological and serum biochemical examination results, including canine pancreatic-specific lipase (cPL), in 20 B. gibsoni-infected dogs were analyzed. The cPL concentration exceeded 400 µg/l in only 2 dogs, and they were suspected of having pancreatitis. Although the cPL concentration did not correlate with the degree of anemia or the level of parasitemia, it correlated with the band neutrophil count, platelet count, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level. Our study suggested that the prevalence of pancreatitis is lower among B. gibsoni-infected dogs than B. rossi-infected dogs.
Subject(s)
Babesia/classification , Babesiosis/parasitology , Dog Diseases/parasitology , Pancreatitis/veterinary , Animals , Dog Diseases/pathology , Dogs , Female , Male , Pancreatitis/parasitology , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the causative agent of hepatitis E, a food- and water-borne disease. In developed countries, consumption of meats from pigs, wild boars and deer is a major source of infection. Although HEV and HEV-related viruses have been detected in many animal species, their zoonotic potential and prevalence has not been completely understood. To detect anti-HEV antibody in mammalian species, a simple enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was established using extract from cells expressing HEV capsid protein and protein A/G as an antigen and a reagent for detection of antibody. Absorbance in the ELISA was compared with those in our previous ELISA using VLPs and anti-swine antibody, suggesting that newly established ELISA was similarly specific and sensitive as the previous ELISA. Seroprevalence of HEV infection among wild boars was examined in Yamaguchi Prefecture, confirming that 111 of 364 wild boars (30.5%) were positive for anti-HEV antibody. Next, this ELISA was applied to humans, dogs, cats, ferrets, raccoons and masked palm civets in Japan, and anti-HEV antibodies were detected in humans, ferrets, dogs and cats. This ELISA is thus useful for serological surveys and comparison of HEV infection among various mammals, including humans.
Subject(s)
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods , Hepatitis Antibodies/isolation & purification , Hepatitis E virus/immunology , Hepatitis E/diagnosis , Hepatitis E/immunology , Animals , Animals, Wild/virology , Capsid Proteins/immunology , Cat Diseases/diagnosis , Cats , Dog Diseases/diagnosis , Dogs , Hepatitis Antibodies/immunology , Hepatitis E/epidemiology , Hepatitis E/veterinary , Humans , Japan/epidemiology , Raccoons/virology , Sensitivity and Specificity , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Sus scrofa/virology , Swine , Swine Diseases/diagnosis , Swine Diseases/immunology , Viral Proteins/immunology , Viverridae/virologyABSTRACT
The efficacy of Malarone(®) alone and in combination with doxycycline (DOXY) against Babesia gibsoni infections was examined in 8 dogs. In all dogs except one treated with Malarone(®), parasitemia decreased, and anemia improved soon after initiation of treatment. However, 3 of 4 dogs treated with Malarone(®) relapsed, and relapse was inhibited in 2 of 4 dogs treated with Malarone(®) and DOXY. All relapsed dogs responded well to the second treatment, but 1 dog relapsed again and did not respond to the third treatment. Malarone(®) may be useful for acute stage of B. gibsoni infections, and at least second repeating treatment might be effective.
