Hematological Characteristics of Blood Parasite Infected Dogs

Abstract

During June 1994 to December 1995, 1035 canine blood samples submitted to Kamphaengsaen Animal Hospital were examined for blood parasite. 260 samples (25.12%) were positive for blood parasite infections. The single infections were microfilariae 11.78%, Trypanosoma sp. 0.48%, Babesia canis 3.07%, Hepatozoon canis 4.54%, Ehrlichia canis 2.32% and Haemobartonella canis 0.68%. The incidence rate of two and three kind of blood parasite infections were 2.03% and 0.19% respectively. Hematological characteristic of four major groups of infection (babesiosis, microfilariasis, ehrlichiosis and hepatozoonosis) which different from control group (n=35) compared by t-test for independent sample were anemia and lymphopenia. The same characteristic of babesiosis and ehrlichiosis were hypoproteinemia, leukopenia and eosinopenia whereas the different characteristic were neutropenia in babesiosis and monocytosis in ehrlichiosis. The same characteristic of microfilariasis and hepatozoonosis was leukocytosis whereas the different characteristic were hyperproteinemia, neutrophilia and eosinophilia in microfilariasis and eosinopenia in hepatozoonosis. Hematological characteristics of mixed blood parasite infected dogs were mixed characteristics of each infection except neutrophilia with left shift. This study showed that hematological characteristics can be useful in the diagnosis of blood parasite infection in dog.