Babesiosis: (Piroplasmosis, Tick Fever, Texas Fever)

16.3.3 Babesiosis: (Piroplasmosis, Tick Fever, Texas Fever)

Babesiosis is a disease caused by small organisms, called Babesia, that live in the red blood cells. Babesia cause the red blood cell to burst, and the red color from the burst cell appears in the urine.

Babesiosis is spread by the bite of ticks. A tick drinks the blood of an animal that already has Babesiosis. When the tick bites another animal, it transfers the Babesia.

Symptoms:

 The animal becomes suddenly ill with a fever and stops eating. The respiratory rate is fast and the pulse is rapid.

 Sometimes the animal develops nervous symptoms which might appear like rabies.

 Most animals (except horses) have red-colored urine.

 Because the red blood cells have broken open, the animal also develops anemia. The eyelids and the gums become pale like any other animal with anemia. If the animal does not die from fever and infection, it might die later from anemia. In a dead animal, the spleen will be large and filled with blood.

Diagnosis:

A tentative diagnosis can be made by the symptoms and knowledge that Babesiosis is a problem in the area.

As a simple field test, a sample of urine can be collected in a container and allowed to sit for at least one hour. In animals with hematuria, red blood cells will appear at the bottom of the container. But in animals with Babesia, no blood cells will appear at the bottom of the tube (because the cells have already burst). Instead, the urine is uniformly red in color due to a component of the red blood cell called “hemoglobin” that is present in the urine. The condition is therefore called “hemoglobinuria.”

The diagnosis can be confirmed by examining a blood smear from a drop of blood. That is, the blood smear can be sent to a laboratory and examined under a microscope. The Babesia organism can be seen inside the red blood cells. If there is no access to a laboratory to confirm the diagnosis, you should still treat the animal based on its symptoms of Babesiosis. A good response to treatment will also help confirm the diagnosis.

Treatment: There are special drugs to treat Babesiosis (e.g. Berenil). Good nursing care (e.g. good food, water, and shelter) is also important since the animal may be very ill.

Control: Controlling ticks will help decrease the spread of Babesiosis. Animals may be vaccinated against Babesiosis (however the vaccine is not available in many countries). Sometimes an AHA has no good way of preventing the disease.

Note: Animals that recover from Babesiosis usually develop resistance to it. However, new animals lacking this resistance may die if brought into an area with Babesiosis. If you purchase new animals, be ready to rapidly treat them upon the first symptom or they may become gravely ill and die.