Pathological diagnosis of babesiosis in a labrador retriever

A 2-year-old male Labrador retriever dog was presented to veterinary clinical complex, CVSc, Rajendranagar, PVNRTVU, Hyderabad, with the history of inappetence, brownish urine, blood vomiting and diarrhea, and with the past history of tick infestation. Clinical examination revealed rise in the normal body temperature with intermittent relapse of fever, sunken eyeballs with pale conjunctival mucus membrane, severe dehydration, lymphadenopathy, tachycardia and tachypnoea. Faecal sample examination was negative for presence of any parasitic ova. Kidney function tests revealed elevated serum creatinine and BUN levels. Liver Function tests recorded hypoproteinemia, hypoalbuminemia and decreased glucose levels, with elevated serum SGPT values. Haematological examination documented hemolytic anaemia and mild thrombocytopenia. On Peripheral blood smear examination, presence of typical large pyriform, paired Babesia organisms within the erythrocytes were observed. The PCR report confirmed the presence of Babesia gibsoni infection. On postmortem examination, grossly blood-tinged frothy exudate was observed in the trachea, while the lungs were emphysematous and hemorrhagic. Hydropericardium was evident in the heart, kidneys were congested with generalized petechial hemorrhages. Hepatic congestion in the liver and engorged blood vessels in gall bladder was documented. Significant splenomegaly and enlarged hemorrhagic lymph nodes were noticed. Histopatho- logically, emphysema and edema of the lungs, with inter-septal infiltration of the lymphocytes noticed. Focal tubular necrosis, tubular desquamation and interstitial hemorrhages was observed within the kidneys. On further examination, the lymph nodes showed fibrous tissue proliferation, while the spleen revealed lymphocytic depletion and edematous fluid accumulation.