Oral transmission of Trypanosoma evansi infection in a German Shepherd dog—a rare case report

• Published in: Comparative clinical pathology Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 175 - 179
• Main Authors: Sangeetha, S. G., Nehra, A. K., Raguvaran, R., Banerjee, P. S., Ram, Hira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer London 01-04-2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alkaline phosphatase; Anorexia; Blood; Case Report; Case reports; Creatinine; Dogs; Flagella; Hematology; Lymphadenopathy; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Oncology; Pathology; Polymerase chain reaction; Relapsing fever; Transaminase; Trypanosomiasis; Oral transmission; Wild animals; Relapsing fever; Giemsa stain; Dog; PCR
• ISSN: 1618-565X; 1618-5641; 1618-565X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00580-022-03324-6

A three-year-old male German Shepherd dog was presented to Referral Veterinary Polyclinic, Indian Veterinary Research Institute (RVP, IVRI), with a history of anorexia, progressive weight loss and relapsing fever for 15 days. Anamnesis revealed that the dog often attacked Nilgai and other wild animals in the forest and consumed wild rabbit regularly. Clinical examination revealed pale oral and conjunctival mucous membranes, pyrexia (104.3 F) and popliteal lymphadenopathy. Haemato-biochemical examination revealed anaemia, increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP), serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels suggestive of multiple organ involvement. Oral mode of transmission of trypanosomiasis was suspected in this case and blood sample was subjected to staining and molecular techniques for confirmation. Giemsa stained blood smear revealed leaf-like haemoparasite with free flagella, subterminal kinetoplast and well-developed undulating membrane characteristic of
Trypanosoma
spp. Additionally, infection was further confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using two different sets of primers, namely, Tevans F2/R2 and Tryp1S/1R, targeting paraflagellar rod-2 (PFR-2) and internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS-1) region, respectively. The dog was treated with diminazene aceturate with supportive therapy. Marked recovery in clinical signs and restoration of organ functions were noticed after completion of therapy.