Therapeutic Management of Anemia Due to Trypanosomosis in Dogs

Abstract

Trypanosomosis is one of the fatal diseases in canines. Inappropriate usage of the trypanosomacidal drugs leads to development of the resistance organisms. Present communication report the successful treatment of the clinical trypanosomosis with two doses of injection diminazene aceturate at the rate of 3.5 mg per kg body weight intramuscularly. Two dogs with clinical trypanosomosis were noticed with the signs of fever; tachycardia and tachypnea congested mucus membranes, corneal opacity and enlarged lymph nodes. Dogs revealed lowered the red blood cell count, hemoglobin, packed cell volume, serum total protein; albumin and glucose levels. Trypanosoma evansi organisms were noticed in the blood smears. The clinical and biochemical improvement was recorded in both the dogs and dogs were free from anemia after one month of therapy.Keywords: Anaemia; Trypanosoma evansi; Dog; Diminazene aceturate and micrometry it was confirmed as Trypanosoma evansi [5]. Haematological finding were in two dogs were as haemoglobin (6.6, 5.4g/dL), total erythrocyte count (3.4 X 10 6 , 3.1 X 10 6 µL), packed cell volume (18%, 17.4%) and higher total leucocyte count (9800, 11200/µL), neutrophils (42-38%), eosinophils (6-4%), lymphocytes (51,57%) and monocytes (1,1%). Biochemical findings were glucose (53,68mg/dL), total protein (5.43, 5.66mg/ dL), albumin (1.79, 1.62mg/dL), blood urea nitrogen (48.12, 56.60mg/dL) and creatinine (2.20, 2.86mg/dL). Recorded haemato-biochemical findings before and after therapy were presented in the Table 1. By the seventh day of treatment, clinical signs were disappeared and the parasites were not found in blood smears. The severity of canine trypanosomosis ranges from acute, subacute to chronic forms. In dogs an acute and fatal type is commonly seen and death possibly occurs in 2-4 weeks after infection. During the course of pathogenesis, organisms enter host cells after infection, multiplies sub-clinically, escapes the immune system and parasitemia develops within a few days and peaks 2 to 3 weeks post-infection [6]. During the chronic infection, progressive weakness, anorexia, anaemia, intermittent fever, conjunctivitis, swelling of limbs, enlarged superficial lymph nodes and bilateral corneal opacity are noticed [7]. Haemato-biochemical findings observed in the present study were in according with the previous studies and the anaemic changes are attributable to extra vascular destruction of red blood cell which may be through the process of erythrophagocytosis or metabolic product and toxins liberated from the parasites. Hypoglycaemia was noticed in these dogs and it is due to utilization of blood glucose by parasites in circulation. Observed reduced serum albumin levels were may be due to decreased liver biosynthesis and progressive loss of albumin in urine [4]. Due to tissue damage and kidney dysfunction, uremia and elevated creatinine levels were noticed in the present study [8]. Diminazene aceturate is the commonly used drug to control trypanosomosis in animals in Africa which have been in ...