Detección molecular de Anaplasma platys, Babesia spp., Ehrlichia canis y Hepatozoon canis en caninos (Canis lupus familiaris) con sospecha de hemoparásitos en clínicas veterinarias de Santa Tecla y San Salvador, El Salvador

Abstract

The research was conducted in ten veterinary clinics, which were selected taking into consideration criteria such as availability of the veterinarian, have a minimum flow of 20 patients a week and have records of all patients, these clinics are owned by departments San Salvador and La Libertad, El Salvador, during the period May 2016 to March 2017 and consisted of molecular detection of Anaplasma platys, Babesia spp., Ehrlichia canis and Hepatozoon canis in dogs with suspected blood parasites. The method of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), was used in two different protocols for the identification of four agents, from a blood sample of 100 symptomatic animals, which had to meet three criteria, possess fever, history of ticks and that its owner authorizes the taking of sample. The frequency of individual hemoparasites and the presence of co-infections were evaluated, obtaining relatively high percentages: Ehrlichia canis 34%, Anaplasma platys 17% and Babesia spp. twenty-one%. At the Central American level there is a significant percentage in the detection of hemoparasites in dogs, which closely resembles the values obtained in El Salvador. The results for coinfections of two agents were: Anaplasma-Ehrlichia 4%, Babesia-Ehrlichia 4% and Anaplasma-Babesia 2%. In the case of co-infections for three Anaplasma-Babesia-Ehrlichia agents, the presence of 1% was detected. It was not possible to detect Hepatozoon canis in any sample. Finally, a useful tool for future research and for the diagnosis of these agents in the country was adopted in this investigation. The presence of Babesia canis vogeli in El Salvador is reported for the first time