Investigations on the Haemoprotozoan Parasites of Nigerian Local Breed of Dogs in Gwagwalada Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nigeria

摘要

Background: Haemoprotozoan diseases have been recognized globally as emerging problems in the livestock industry, including dogs. Materials and Methods: Between May and October 2016, blood samples collected from randomly selected 109 local breed of dogs in Gwagwalada, FCT were examined for the presence of haemoprotozoa. Results: Of the 109 dogs examined, 60 (55.0%) were male and 49 (45.0%) female. Of these, 84 (77.1%) were infected with haemoparasites. Prevalence of infection in the male dog was 76.7% and in female dog, 77.6%. Haemoprotozoa encountered among the dogs were Babesia sp., 48 (57.1%), Hepatozoon sp., 33 (39.3%) and Trypanosoma sp., 3 (3.6%). All age groups of the local breed of dogs were infected, but this decreased in older dogs. Ticks collected from the dogs were of the genus Rhipicephalus. Dogs with brown hair coat were infested with 60.5% of the ticks, while those with white and brown/black hair coats had 3.7 and 2.5% tick infestations, respectively. About 37 of the dogs infested with ticks and 11 of those without ticks were infected with Babesia sp. Thirty of the tick infested and 3 of the non-infested dogs had Hepatozoon sp., while 3 of the tick infested dogs and none of those without ticks were infected with Trypanosoma sp. Ten of the dogs with ticks and 15 of those without ticks had no haemoprotozoan infection. Conclusion: It was therefore concluded that local breed of dogs in Gwagwalada are highly infected with Rhipicephalus borne haemoparasites and thus need adequate veterinary attention.