Diagnosis and Treatment Analysis of a Case of Canine Eperythrozoonosis

Eperythrozoonosis is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by Rickettsia-like Eperythrozoon parasitizing the red blood cells or plasma of humans, pigs and many other animals. In recent years, eperythrozoonosis has shown an upward trend. The disease can infect many animals, bringing huge losses to the breeding industry and inconvenience to people's daily lives. The Baoding Animal Hospital recently admitted a sheepdog that was diagnosed with eperythrozoonosis and recovered after treatment. Some diagnosis and treatment experience is introduced below.

1. Clinical symptoms

The typical symptoms of the dog on admission were persistent high fever of the continued type. At the same time, the dog was emaciated, listless and depressed, with reduced appetite progressing to complete loss of appetite. Heart rate was increased, breathing was rapid, the nose was dry, visible mucous membranes were pale, and there was vomiting, diarrhea and blood in the feces.

2. Laboratory testing

1. Take one drop of venous blood from the sick dog, place it on a glass slide, add an equal amount of normal saline to lower the plasma concentration, spread evenly on the slide with a glass rod, then cover with a cover slip, and observe under a high-power microscope (400-600); a large number of deformed red blood cells can be seen.

2. Take one drop of venous blood from the sick dog, place it on a glass slide, add an equal amount of 0.1% dilute HCL to the slide, likewise spread evenly on the slide with a glass rod, then cover with a cover slip, and observe under a high-power microscope (400-600); a large number of organisms can be found.

3. Giemsa staining microscopic examination shows that the cells are purplish red, with irregular and uneven edges, surrounded by many pink and purplish red organisms. Because Eperythrozoon is refractive, the center appears bright, resembling a gas bubble.

Wright's staining microscopic examination shows that the red blood cells are light purple, and the Eperythrozoon organisms are light blue; at this time the red blood cells appear gear-shaped and pineapple-shaped.

3. Diagnosis

Based on clinical symptoms such as persistent high fever, anemia and jaundice, together with epidemiological features such as decreased red blood cells, increased white blood cells and reduced hemoglobin concentration on routine blood tests, a definitive diagnosis can be made in combination with microscopic examination of blood smears.

4. Treatment

1. For persistent high fever in the animal, use diminazene (blood parasite clear, berenil) at 4 mg per kg body weight, and long-acting antibacterial agent at 0.1 mL per kg body weight, once daily, injected intramuscularly alternately every other day.

2. Add 100,000-200,000 IU of amikacin to 5% glucose for intravenous infusion, once daily.

3. Subcutaneous injection of antipyrine, dexamethasone, vitamin K3, vitamin B12 and sodium glucuronate, twice daily.

According to the above treatment method, the sick dog recovered and was discharged after 5 days.

5. Prevention

Because the disease often occurs in humid environments, and blood-sucking insects multiply in large numbers in such environments, practice has proved that it is impossible to control eperythrozoonosis when sarcoptic mange mites and lice cannot be controlled. Therefore, sanitation and disinfection of the rearing pens and sheds must be strengthened, and blood-sucking insects such as ticks, sarcoptic mange mites, lice and fleas must be eliminated to cut off their contact with animals, which can reduce the occurrence of this disease. At the same time, frequent disinfection and cleaning of the pens and sheds are also very important. Finally, while administering preventive medication to animals, their exercise should be increased to strengthen their physique and improve resistance.