Clinical and therapeutic aspects of an outbreak of canine trypanosomiasis

Abstract

Trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma evansi can seriously affect both domestic and wild animals. This article reports on an outbreak of canine trypanosomiasis on a farm in the Pantanal region of Brazil. The farm had 38 dogs, 20 of which died before receiving veterinary care. The remaining 18 dogs were underwent anamnesisn, clinical examination, hematological and biochemical evaluations. Blood smears and PCR analysis were performed for the diagnosis. The treatment protocols used according to the clinical recovery or parasitological cure of the dogs, using diminazene diaceturate, isometamidium chloride or quinapyramine sulfate. Post-treatment parasitological evaluation was performed by the microhematocrit technique. 7/18 dogs were PCR positive for T. evansi (confirmed by sequencing). There was clinical findings, which were consistent with both the acute and chronic stages of the disease in dogs. The infected dogs all exhibited at least one clinical sign of the disease. The hematological findings were compatible with trypanosomiasis, highlighting the hypochromic microcytic anemia as the main outcome. No treatment protocol was fully effective and the prolonged use of diminazene diaceturate caused the death of an animal. The trypanosomiasis can cause high rates of morbidity and mortality in dogs and difficulty in establishment an effective and safe therapeutic protocol.

Canine trypanosomosis: a case report

“…The relapsing parasitaemia may represent that drug, in case of central nervous system involvement, is not capable to cross the blood-brain barrier, its concentration in the plasma is not sufficient or drug resistance has developed (Da Silva et al, 2009). The factors like low therapeutic index, variable pharmacokinetics, excessive drug concentration in plasma, high doses, and adequate doses (given at short intervals) may contribute towards diminazene aceturate toxicosis (Flores et al, 2014;Echeverria et al, 2019). The mortality in dogs after diminazene diaceturate (Rjeibiet al, 2015) and diminazene aceturate (Echeverria et al, 2019) therapy was also observed due to injury to the central nervous system.…”

“…The factors like low therapeutic index, variable pharmacokinetics, excessive drug concentration in plasma, high doses, and adequate doses (given at short intervals) may contribute towards diminazene aceturate toxicosis (Flores et al, 2014;Echeverria et al, 2019). The mortality in dogs after diminazene diaceturate (Rjeibiet al, 2015) and diminazene aceturate (Echeverria et al, 2019) therapy was also observed due to injury to the central nervous system. The recovery of the dog with diminazene aceturate was observed in this study which has also been observed by Gunaseelan et al (2009) and Kumar (2017).…”

A new strategy for canine visceral leishmaniasis diagnosis based on FTIR spectroscopy and machine learning

“…The T. evansi infected group was confirmed by PCR and DNA sequencing, as described elsewhere [31]. Serological tests excluded Leishmania infection in this group.…”

Autochthonous Trypanosoma spp. in European Mammals: A Brief Journey amongst the Neglected Trypanosomes

“…The Trypanozoon subgenus comprises cyclically transmitted trypanosomes extremely relevant for human and animal health, such as T. brucei complex, including T. brucei brucei , also an agent of nagana disease in animals in Africa, and the HAT causal agents T. brucei rhodesiense and T. brucei gambiense [ 64 ]. Moreover, this subgenus includes T. brucei evansi , which causes Surra in a wide range of hosts, and the monoxenous sexually transmitted T. brucei equiperdum [ 36 , 65 ].…”