title: Babesiosis due to the canine Babesia microti-like small piroplasm in dogs-first report from Portugal and possible vertical transmission.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Canine babesiosis (or piroplasmosis) is endemic in northern Portugal, but molecularly confirmed cases of infection with small piroplasms have not been reported in the country. Three German shepherd dogs - a bitch and its 2-month old pup and an unrelated male - clinically suspected of piroplasmosis were assessed for babesial infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parasitemia with small piroplasms was detected by microscopy in two dogs. All three dogs were positive by PCR and the Babesia microti-like small piroplasm (syn. Theileria annae) was identified by DNA sequencing. These are the first confirmed cases of babesiosis caused by the B. microti-like piroplasm both in dogs from Portugal and in dogs suspected of clinical piroplasmosis outside of Spain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the bitch and the male had visited neighboring Galicia (northwestern Spain), where the disease is endemic, incursion of this piroplasm into northern Portugal is evident and infection of the non-traveled pup was due to either vertical transmission or autochthonous tick infection.
authors.affiliation: Inno-Serviços Especializados em Veterinária, Braga, Portugal
authors.forename: Paula Brilhante
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Simões
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yisaschar-Mekuzas
authors.forename: Gad
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baneth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D041001:Babesia microti / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000635:transmission*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011174:Portugal; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D016053:RNA, Protozoan; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S