Clinico-pathological and Ultrasonographical Studies in Babesia gibsoni Infection in Dogs

Abstract

The present study was carried out to investigate the prevalence, clinical signs, haematological, biochemical and ultrasonographic alterations in dogs naturally infected with Babesia gibsoni at the Medicine unit, Veterinary Clinical Complex, College of Veterinary and Animal Science, Bikaner, Rajasthan from July 2025 to December 2025. Out of 1628 dogs examined in the Medicine OPD, 23 were confirmed positive for B. gibsoni by PCR (18S rRNA gene), yielding an overall hospital prevalence of 1.41%. The highest occurrence was recorded in German Shepherds (30.4%), male dogs (56.5%) and the >1–5-year age group (34.8%). Maximum positivity was observed during July (39.1%). The predominant clinical signs included pyrexia (73.9%), anorexia (69.6%) and tick infestation (65.2%). Ultrasonography revealed splenomegaly (52.3%), hepatomegaly (39.1%) and renal cortical changes (17.4%). Haematological examination disclosed highly significant (p<0.01) reductions in haemoglobin (8.56 ± 0.79 g/dl), total erythrocyte count (4.45 ± 0.28 ×10⁶/µl), PCV (28.09 ± 1.98%) and platelets (82.52 ± 11.64 ×10³/µl). Biochemical analysis revealed significant elevations in AST, ALT and total bilirubin, along with significant decreases in total protein and albumin.