Molecular detection of Babesia rossi and Hepatozoon sp. in African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in South Africa

Paul Tshepo Matjila; Andrew L Leisewitz; Frans Jongejan; Henk J Bertschinger; Barend L Penzhorn

doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.07.016

Molecular detection of Babesia rossi and Hepatozoon sp. in African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in South Africa

Vet Parasitol. 2008 Oct 20;157(1-2):123-7. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.07.016. Epub 2008 Jul 23.

Authors

Paul Tshepo Matjila¹, Andrew L Leisewitz, Frans Jongejan, Henk J Bertschinger, Barend L Penzhorn

Affiliation

¹ Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag x04, 0110 Onderstepoort, South Africa. tshepo.matjila@up.ac.za

PMID: 18752897
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.07.016

Abstract

Blood specimens from wild dogs (n=301) were obtained from De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre (Pretoria) and five game reserves (4 in the North-West Province and 1 in Limpopo Province), South Africa. Specimens were screened for Babesia, Theileria, Hepatozoon and Ehrlichia/Anaplasma species using PCR and Reverse Line Blot (RLB) assays. Positive results were obtained in 18 (6%) wild dogs. Sixteen specimens were found positive for Babesia rossi and two dogs were Hepatozoon sp. positive. It appears that these tick-borne pathogens are not widely distributed in wild dog populations.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Apicomplexa / isolation & purification*
Babesia / isolation & purification*
Canidae*
Protozoan Infections, Animal / epidemiology
Protozoan Infections, Animal / parasitology*
South Africa / epidemiology