VMD 513: Pet animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

PROTOZOAL INFECTION IN DOGS

• Protozoal infections are disorders caused by a variety of different organisms affecting multiple systems, causing a variety of many different signs and diseases.

General Causes

• Giardiasis caused by Giardia species
• Trichomoniasis caused by Pentatrichomonas hominis
• Amebiasis caused by Entamoeba histolytica
• Balantidiasis caused by Balantidium coli
• Coccidiosis caused by Cystoisospora (most commonly)
• Cryptosporidiosis caused by Cryptosporidium parvum
• Toxoplasmosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii
• Acanthamebiasis caused by Acanthamoeba species
• Babesiosis caused by Babesia species
• Cytauxzoonosis caused by Cytauxzoon felis
• Leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania species
• Trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma cruzi
• Hepatozoonosis caused by Hepatozoon canis
• Encephalitozoonosis caused by Encephalitozoon cuniculi
• Pneumocystosis caused by Pneumocystis carinii
• Neosporosis caused by Neospora caninum

Clinical Signs

• Due to the many different organisms with a variety of effects on the individual, multiple signs are seen, depending on the particular organism.
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Fever
  • Anorexia
  • Weight loss
  • Cough
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Depression
  • Yellow color
  • Enlarged lymph nodes
  • Seizures
  • Muscle spasm
  • Paralysis
  • Blindness

Diagnosis

• Baseline tests include a complete blood count (CBC), biochemical profile and urinalysis.
• Changes are variable, depending on the organ system(s) involved. Additional tests include:
  • Fecal evaluations
  • Chest and abdominal X-rays
  • Serologic testing
• Direct organism identification, if possible, either via aspirate (removing and evaluating cells) or biopsy (evaluation of tissue)

Treatment

• Depending on the specific protozoan organism, therapeutic recommendations will vary.
• Intensive supportive care may be indicated in some cases, such as fluids and blood transfusions.
• Depending on the protozoa, specific antibiotics and specific deworming agents may be necessary.

Prevention

• Administer all medication as directed by your veterinarian.
• Contact your veterinarian at once if your pet is not responding to therapy and/or getting worse.
• Return for follow up examination and testing as recommended by your veterinarian.
• Prohibiting exposure to infected individuals can help prevent infection.
• Sanitation is important and avoiding contact with the intermediate host is important in prevention.