Detection of Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, and Babesia spp. in dogs in Cebu, Philippines

Vet World Vol.11 January-2018 Article-4

Research Article

Veterinary World, 11(1): 14-19

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2018.14-19

Rochelle Haidee D. Ybanez^1,2, Adrian P. Ybanez^1,3,4, Lyra Lee A. Arnado⁵, Laila Monika P. Belarmino⁵, Knowlie Gay F. Malingin⁵, Paul Bien C. Cabilete⁵, Ziggy Ryan O. Amores⁵, Maxfrancis G. Talle⁵, Mingming Liu², and Xuenan Xuan²

1. College of Science, University of the Philippines Cebu, Gorordo Avenue, Lahug, Cebu City 6000, Philippines.
2. National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro City 080-8555, Japan.
3. College of Veterinary Medicine at Barili Campus and College of Arts and Sciences at Main Campus, Cebu Technological University, Cor. M. J. Cuenco Ave. and R. Palma St. Cebu City, 6000 Cebu, Philippines.
4. Gullas College of Medicine, Inc., University of the Visayas, Banilad, Mandaue City 6014, Cebu, Philippines.
5. College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwestern University, Villa Aznar, Urgello St., Cebu City 6000, Philippines.

Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of Ehrlichia/Anaplasma and Babesia spp. in Philippine dogs.

Materials and Methods: A total of 100 dogs from seven different veterinary establishments in Cebu, Philippines, were examined for Ehrlichia/Anaplasma and Babesia spp. infection using peripheral blood smear examination and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Inclusion criteria included a history or presence of tick infestation, anemia, and/or thrombocytopenia. Clinical signs were recorded. Statistical analyses were performed between PCR positivity and clinical signs and hematological results.

Results: A total of 10 and 18 dogs were found to be positive for Ehrlichia/Anaplasma and Babesia spp., respectively. One animal was PCR positive for both pathogens, which is the first report of coinfection in the country. The most common clinical signs observed include inappetence (89%), lethargy (80%), thrombocytopenia (85%), and anemia (74%). Analyses revealed that inappetence (p=0.044) and weight loss (p=0.028) were found statistically significant with Ehrlichia/Anaplasma infection. Basophil (p=0.001) and eosinophil counts (p=0.000) were also found significantly different between Ehrlichia/Anaplasma spp.-positive and -negative dogs. On the other hand, differential monocyte count (p=0.009) was found significantly different between Babesia spp.-positive and -negative dogs.

Conclusion: The present study showed low infection rates of canine ehrlichiosis/anaplasmosis and babesiosis and provided additional evidence for the presence of the pathogens in the area. Keywords: Babesia, Cebu, dogs, Ehrlichia/Anaplasma, Philippines.

Keywords: Babesia, Cebu, dogs, Ehrlichia/Anaplasma, Philippines.

How to cite this article: Ybanez RHD, Ybanez AP, Arnado LLA, Belarmino LMP, Malingin KGF, Cabilete PBC, Amores ZRO, Talle MG, Liu M, Xuan X (2018) Detection of Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, and Babesia spp. in dogs in Cebu, Philippines, Veterinary World, 11(1): 14-19.

Received: 06-09-2017 Accepted: 05-12-2017 Published online: 12-01-2018

Corresponding author: Adrian P. Ybanez E-mail: dr.adrianpybanez@gmail.com

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2018.14-19

Copyright: Ybanez RHD, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.