imidocarb-dipropionate and Parasitemia

Babesiosis is caused by a haemotropic protozoal parasite of the genus Babesia, member of the phylum Apicomplexa and transmitted by the bite of an infected tick. There are many Babesia species affecting livestock, dogs, horses and rodents which are of economic significance. Infections can occur without producing symptoms, but babesiosis may also be severe and sometimes fatal caused by the intraerythrocytic parasite development. The disease can cause fever, fatigue and haemolytic anemia lasting from several days to several months. There are a number of effective babesiacides, but imidocarb dipropionate (which consistently clears the parasitaemia; often the only available drug on the market) and diminazene aceturate are the most widely used. Some Babesia spp. can infect humans, particularly Babesia microti and Babesia divergens, and human babesiosis is a significant emerging tick-borne zoonotic disease. Clinical manifestations differ markedly between European and North American diseases. In clinical cases, a combination of clindamycin and quinine is administered as the standard treatment, but also administration of atovaquone-azithromycin is successful. Supportive therapy such as intravenous fluids and blood transfusions are employed when necessary. More specific fast-acting new treatments for babesiosis have now to be developed. This should be facilitated by the knowledge of the Babesia spp. genome and increased interest for this malaria-like parasite.

Topics: Animals; Antiprotozoal Agents; Arachnid Vectors; Babesia; Babesia microti; Babesiosis; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Horse Diseases; Horses; Humans; Imidocarb; Ixodidae; Parasitemia

The efficacy of imidocarb dipropionate for the treatment of Hepatozoon canis infection was studied in three naturally infected asymptomatic dogs followed longitudinally over 8 months. Response to treatment was followed by monitoring blood counts, parasitemia levels in blood, parasite in concentrated buffy-coat smears and by PCR. The dogs were initially treated with a low dose of 3 mg/kg imidocarb dipropionate twice a month and when parasitemia persisted after five treatments, with the regular dose of 6 mg/kg. In one dog, H. canis gamonts were no longer detectable by blood and buffy-coat microscopy after 2 months of therapy with 6 mg/kg while in the two other dogs gamonts were intermittently found in blood but persistently detectable in buffy-coat smears during the whole study period. Furthermore, combined therapy with doxycycline monohydrate administered at 10 mg/kg/day PO for 4 weeks also failed to eliminate H. canis. PCR revealed that parasite DNA was present in the blood of all dogs at all sampling dates regardless of treatment refuting the effectiveness of treatment suggested by negative blood microscopy. Detection of H. canis in buffy coat was found to be twice as sensitive than by blood smear and detection by PCR was even more sensitive revealing infection in eight samples (16% of total samples) negative by blood and buffy-coat microscopy. In conclusion, imidocarb dipropionate was not effective in eliminating H. canis from dogs treated repeatedly over 8 months. Microscopical detection is not sufficient for the evaluation of treatment response in H. canis infection and follow up by molecular techniques is recommended.

Topics: Animals; Antiprotozoal Agents; Apicomplexa; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Imidocarb; Parasitemia; Protozoan Infections, Animal; Treatment Failure

Topics: Animals; Antiprotozoal Agents; Coccidiosis; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Female; Imidocarb; Leukocyte Count; Leukocytes; Monocytes; Parasitemia

Feline cytauxzoonosis is an emerging infection caused by tick-transmitted apicomplexan parasites of the genus Cytauxzoon. The association of clinical disease with Cytauxzoon infection appears to be limited to C. felis infections in the Americas. Sporadic infections of wild and domestic felids with Cytauxzoon sp. were recently described in European countries but clinical reports of the infection are rare and incomplete. This case report brings new interesting information on cytauxzoonosis expression in Europe.. A 9-years-old castrated European shorthair cat living in rural area of north-eastern France (Saint Sauveur, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region), without any travel history was presented for consultation due to hyperthermia, anorexia, depression and prolonged fever that didn't respond to antibiotic therapy. The cat had outdoor access with a history of vagrancy and was adequately vaccinated (core vaccines and FeLV vaccine). During biological investigations, intraerythrocytic inclusions were observed on blood smear and were further investigated by PCR analysis and sequencing. Molecular analyses confirmed Cytauxzoon sp. infection. The cat was treated with a subcutaneous injection of imidocarb dipropionate (3.5 mg/kg). One week after treatment, the cat improved clinically, although parasitic inclusions within erythrocytes persisted, and only a mild lymphocytosis was found. Two weeks after treatment, the cat appeared in excellent health, appetite was normal and parasitemia was negative. However, one month after treatment the cat relapsed with hyperthermia, anorexia, and depression. Blood smears and PCR were once again positive. Subsequently, the cat received an additional dose of imidocarb dipropionate (3.5 mg/kg SC) and recovered rapidly without other clinical signs. Two weeks after the second imidocarb injection, the cat was hit by a car and died.. This case provides the first clinical description of infection by Cytauxzoon sp. in a domestic cat in France. These findings support the fact that cytauxzoonosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute febrile illness which does not respond to antibiotic in cats with outdoor access especially in areas where populations of wild felids are present.

Topics: Animals; Antiprotozoal Agents; Cat Diseases; Cats; Erythrocytes; France; Imidocarb; Male; Parasitemia; Piroplasmida; Protozoan Infections, Animal; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; Treatment Outcome

Piroplasmosis caused by the Babesia microti-like piroplasm (Bml) is increasingly being detected in dogs in Europe. Sick dogs show acute disease with severe anaemia associated with thrombocytopenia with a poor response to current available drugs. This study assesses the safety and tolerance of three treatments and compares their efficacy over a full year of follow up in dogs naturally infected with Bml.. Fifty-nine dogs naturally infected with Bml were randomly assigned to a treatment group: imidocarb dipropionate (5 mg/kg SC, 2 doses 14 d apart) (IMI); atovaquone (13.3 mg/kg PO q 8 h, 10 d)/azithromycin (10 mg/kg PO q 24 h, 10 d) (ATO); or buparvaquone (5 mg/kg IM, 2 d apart)/azithromycin (same dosage) (BUP). Before and after treatment (days 15, 45, 90 and 360), all dogs underwent a physical exam, blood tests and parasite detection (blood cytology and PCR). Clinical efficacy was assessed by grading 24 clinical and 8 clinicopathological signs from low to high severity.. Before treatment, most dogs had severe regenerative anaemia (88.13%) and thrombocytopenia (71.4%). On treatment Day 45, clinical signs were mostly reduced in all dogs, and by Day 90, practically all dogs under the ATO or BUP regimen were clinically healthy (76.4 and 88%, respectively). Highest percentage reductions in laboratory abnormalities (82.04%) were detected in animals treated with ATO. Over the year, clinical relapse of Bml was observed in 8 dogs (8/17) treated with IMI. However, on Day 360, these animals had recovered clinically, though clinicopathological abnormalities were still present in some of them. Parasitaemia was PCR-confirmed on Days 90 and 360 in 47.05 and 50% of dogs treated with ATO, 68 and 60.08% with BUP, and 94.1 and 73.3% with IMI, respectively. Even after 360 days, 13.3% of the dogs treated with IMI returned a positive blood cytology result.. IMI showed the worse clinical and parasitological, efficacy such that its use to treat Bml infection in dogs is not recommended. The treatments ATO and BUP showed better efficacy, though they were still incapable to completely eliminate PCR-proven infection at the recommended dose. All three treatments showed good tolerance and safety with scarce adverse events observed.

Topics: Animals; Antiprotozoal Agents; Atovaquone; Azithromycin; Babesia microti; Babesiosis; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Drug Therapy, Combination; Europe; Female; Imidocarb; Male; Naphthoquinones; Parasitemia; Polymerase Chain Reaction

A 12-month-old male neutered mixed breed dog was presented with a history of diarrhea, lethargy, emaciation, polydypsia, and sniffling. Physical examination findings included pale mucous membranes, increased heart and respiratory rates, and normal rectal temperature (38°C). Hematologic abnormalities included anemia and thrombocytopenia. Biochemical abnormalities included hypoalbuminemia, hyperbilirubinemia, and elevated ALP and ALT activities. A SNAP 4Dx test result was positive for Ehrlichia canis. Babesia canis vogeli organisms were found in the peripheral blood films, while morulae of E canis were not seen. Real-time polymerase chain reaction testing confirmed the presence of both B c vogeli and E canis organisms, and also was positive for Anaplasma platys infection. The dog recovered following treatment with doxycycline and imidocarb dipropionate, with normal hematology and biochemical profiles.

Topics: Anaplasma; Anaplasmosis; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antiprotozoal Agents; Babesia; Babesiosis; Blood Chemical Analysis; Coinfection; DNA, Protozoan; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Doxycycline; Ehrlichia canis; Ehrlichiosis; Hematologic Tests; Imidocarb; Male; Parasitemia; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Trophozoites

Ovine babesiosis, caused by Babesia ovis, is of major economic importance in Turkey. The changes in the blood profile of infected animals are informative about the course of infection. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hematological and biochemical changes in the pre- and post-treatment periods of the natural B. ovis infections. The presence of the parasites was confirmed by microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. On the basis of the clinical and laboratory findings, the infections were categorized into different groups according to the degree of anemia and the level of parasitemia. All infected sheep were treated with imidocarb dipropionate (IMDP). The blood pictures in the pre- and post-treatment periods were compared. Pancytopenia occurred in animals with severe anemia and very high parasitemia, and bicytopenia in the other groups. The platelet count (PLT), plateletcrit (PCT) and mean platelet volume (MPV) returned to the normal ranges after treatment, except those in the group with severe anemia. In the biochemical profile, B. ovis infection caused an increase in blood urea nitrogen and total bilirubin, and these parameters returned to normal levels after treatment. The indirect fluorescein antibody test (IFAT) results showed that 38.1% of the cases raised specific antibodies during the period of infection, with titers ranging from 1/160 to 1/640. All of 45 animals re-examined after treatment were seropositive, with high titers that rose up to 1/5120.

Topics: Anemia; Animals; Babesia; Babesiosis; Blood Cell Count; Blood Chemical Analysis; Imidocarb; Parasitemia; Sheep; Sheep Diseases; Turkey

Outbreaks of autochthonous babesiosis, caused by Babesia canis, occurred in The Netherlands in the spring and autumn of 2004 affecting 23 dogs. Nineteen animals recovered after treatment, whereas four dogs died. Adult Dermacentor reticulatus ticks collected from these dogs indicate that canine babesiosis could become endemic in The Netherlands.

Topics: Animals; Babesia; Babesiosis; Base Sequence; Carrier State; Dermacentor; Disease Outbreaks; DNA, Protozoan; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Female; Imidocarb; Netherlands; Nucleic Acid Hybridization; Parasitemia; Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; Urban Population

It is proposed that the chronic asymptomatic carrier state produced by Babesia canis infection could make dogs more resistant against subsequent infections. This suggests that treatment with imidocarb dipropionate, which removes the organism, can make dogs more susceptible to reinfection in a short period of time. Ten male and female dogs of approximately 4-5 months of age were inoculated with B. canis. Half of them received treatment with imidocarb dipropionate (7 mg/kg) on days 15 and 27 post-infection and the other half were untreated. All the animals were examined using clinical and laboratory methods (CBC, platelet counts and serological study by indirect immunofluorescence test) for a 6-month period. Antibodies were first detected on day 7 post-injection and remained at high levels (1:2560) over the period in the non-treated group. This result was significantly different (P<0.001) from the treated group in which antibodies titers declined after day 34 post-infection. Six months later, after a homologous challenge infection only the dogs of treated group showed parasitaemia, thrombocytopenia and splenomegaly, which was significantly different (P<0.05) from the non-treated group. The sterilizing treatment with imidocarb dipropionate was effective in clearing the infection, but inhibited the maintenance of protective antibodies, making the animals more susceptible to reinfection.

Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Protozoan; Antiprotozoal Agents; Babesia; Babesiosis; Carrier State; Disease Susceptibility; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Female; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; Imidocarb; Male; Parasitemia; Random Allocation; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; Splenomegaly; Thrombocytopenia