Macedonian Veterinary Review

Original Scientific Article

Reticulocyte response in paired blood samples of Babesia canis infected young and adult dogs

Zorana Milanović *

Anja Ilić Božović

Žanka Bojić-Trbojević ,

Ljiljana Hajduković ,

Jelena Francuski Andrić

Milica Kovačević Filipović

Mac Vet Rev 2024; 47 (1): 13 - 21

10.2478/macvetrev-2024-0011

Received: 29 November 2023

Received in revised form: 07 January 2024

Accepted: 15 January 2024

Available Online First: 31 January 2024

Published on: 15 March 2024

Correspondence: Zorana Milanović, zorana.milanovic@vin.bg.ac.rs

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Abstract

Acute B. canis infection can lead to an acute phase reaction (APR) in dogs. The parasite invades red blood cells causing anemia through immune-mediated hemolysis and possible erythropoietic suppression. A regenerative response of the erythroid lineage during the babesiosis has not been described in extension. This research examines hematologic parameters focusing on the absolute reticulocyte count and apolipoprotein A I (ApoA I) level on the day of admission and 14 days after treatment with imidocarb-dipropionate in young (n=11) and adult (n=11) dogs naturally infected with B. canis. Metabolic and inflammatory processes were characterized by analyzing protein and lipid profiles, as well as ApoA I at specified time points. Automated analyzers were used to determine complete blood count and biochemical parameters, while ApoA I was assessed using radioimmunoassay. The reticulocyte count was determined using a manual method by means of supravital staining. Both young and adult dogs with acute B. canis infection showed non-regenerative anemia without difference. Fourteen days after successful treatment with imidocarb dipropionate, the anemia was corrected and a high reticulocyte count was observed (p<0.05). This indicates that the erythroid regenerative response was efficient in young and adult dogs, although vital signs, leukocyte count and triglyceride concentration suggest a more intense APR in young dogs. A decrease in ApoA I in both groups 14 days after treatment (p<0.01) confirmed that this lipoprotein acts as a positive acute-phase protein in acute B. canis infection in dogs, but further studies are needed to connect its role in erythroid lineage regeneration.

Keywords: Babesia canis, dog, reticulocyte count, paired blood samples, ApoA I

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Copyright

© 2024 Milanović Z. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declared that they have no potential lict of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Citation Information

Macedonian Veterinary Review. Volume 47, Issue 1, Pages 13-21, e-ISSN 1857-7415, p-ISSN 1409-7621, DOI: 10.2478/macvetrev-2024-0011