Reliability of clinical monitoring for the diagnosis of babesiosis in dogs in Nigeria

Babesiosis accounts for a high percentage of hospital cases in canines in Africa, with about 40% mortality in the cases presented. In Nigeria, records show an estimated 30% annual morbidity when diagnosis is largely based on clinical and laboratory findings. This study monitored clinical indices associated with canine babesiosis. One hundred and three babesiosis-suspected dogs were selected on the basis of clinical signs of anorexia, fever, presence of ticks, and enlarged lymph nodes or spleen when clinical parameters were recorded at the time of presentation. Parasite detection was done using thin blood smears; that is, the presence of merozoites was compared between capillary and cephalic blood. Blood was also assayed for hematology and blood chemistry using automated blood analyzers. The babesiosis-infected dogs' outcome was monitored. Data obtained were analyzed using chi-square test, analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation. Results based on thin blood smears showed that 61.1% of the dogs were positive for species. Breed disposition, sex, and age did not significantly influence the incidence of , while mean rectal temperatures did not differ significantly between the cases ( >0.05). Heart rate and pulse rates of -positive dogs were significantly (