Seroprevalence of babesia gibsoni in companion dogs in korea by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay using recombinant bgtrap antigen

This study assessed the seroprevalence of Babesia gibsoni in companion dogs in Korea by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay using recombinant BgTRAP antigen. Dogs were randomly selected from those admitted for various reasons to local private veterinary hospitals and the Animal Medical Center of Chonbuk National University. With the owners’ permission, extra blood was drawn from each dog for serological assays. Of the 188 selected dogs, seven (3.72%) were positive for B. gibsoni, including six of 167 (3.59%) indoor and one of 12 (8.33%) outdoor dogs. Of the seven dogs positive for B. gibsoni, four were aged > 10 years, two were < 1 year, and one was between 1 and 10 years; and two were Yorkshires and one each was Shih-tzu, Maltese, Pekinese, beagle and mixed. Concurrent diseases or chief complaints were anemia in two dogs, both of which had a history of confirmed babesiosis by polymerase chain reaction, and non-anemic diseases in five. Geographically, four dogs were from Jeonbuk/Jeonju, and one each from Seoul, Gyounggi-do, and Jeonnam/Gwangju. To our knowledge, this is the first report of companion dogs in Korea being seropositive for B. gibsoni. Serologic screening of subclinical or carrier dogs can detect this potentially dangerous disease and assess its epidemiology.