Case Report: first autochthonous Babesia vulpes infection in a dog from Italy

Maria Teresa Antognoni ¹ Valentina Cremonini ¹ Ambra Lisa Misia ¹ Federica Gobbo ² Federica Toniolo ² Arianna Miglio ^1*

• ¹ Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
• ² Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of the Venezie (IZSVe), Legnaro, Piedmont, Italy

A ten-month-old intact female, Cane Corso dog, was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of Perugia (PG-VTH) for severe hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia. The dog had never travelled abroad and was regularly treated with anti-parasite products. At physical examination, the dog showed lethargy, delayed growth, weight loss, pale mucous membranes and abdominal pain. The temperature was normal and, on inspection, no ectoparasites were observed on the animal's body surface. The main laboratory findings were hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and elevated liver enzymes. Babesia infection was initially diagnosed by blood smear evaluation via May Grünwald-Giemsa staining, and then confirmed by real-time PCR analysis; further sequencing analysis attributed the infection to Babesia vulpes (B. vulpes). An initial treatment with imidocarb dipropionate was only partially effective, while resolution of the infection was reached afterwards with a combination of Malarone® and azithromycin therapy. To the authors' knowledge, this report describes the first case of B. vulpes infection in a dog in Italy.