Abstract:
Dogs, being companion animals serve a variety of economic, social, and cultural purposes.
Among the diseases of dogs, tick-borne protozoa are drawing attention globally for both
human and animals. The aim of this study was to observe the prevalence of tick-borne
protozoan infections as well as some selective hematological parameters of stray dogs in
Dhaka city. A total number of 160 dogs from various places in the study area were selected
randomly and examined for both tick and protozoan infection. Only one species of hard
tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus was identified where 49 (30.62%) among the study
population were found to be infested with this tick. There were differences in tick burdens
in two seasons with higher infestation levels in Summer (37.50%) followed by Winter
(26.92%). Ticks ranging from 1-16 were removed from dogs where most of the ticks were
collected from the neck and chest region (P <0.001). On the other hand, examinations of
blood smear confirmed three protozoan species (Babesia canis, Babesia gibsoni, and
Hepatozoon spp.) comprising 23.13% of the overall prevalence. Among the protozoan
species, B. canis (11.88%) was the most prevalent protozoa. Subsequently, only 10.81% of
the infected samples showed multiple infections. In both cases, females were more infected
than males. Among the hematological parameters, the RBC counts, Hemoglobin, and PCV
of all infected dogs were significantly lower (P <0.001) compared to the healthy group.
Moreover, the eosinophil of the infected groups showed higher values (11.00 % and
12.70% for protozoa and ticks, respectively) than the normal range indicating parasitic
infections. Therefore, these results suggest the necessity of frequent blood examinations to
enhance animals’ welfare and disease prevention.
Description:
A Thesis
Submitted to the Department of Microbiology and Parasitology,
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207, in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
MASTER OF SCIENCE (MS) IN PARASITOLOGY
