title: Identification, occurrence and clinical findings of canine hemoplasmas in southern Brazil.
abstract: Hemoplasmas are ubiquitous pleomorphic and epicellular bacteria detected in erythrocytes in several species. In Brazil, studies on hemoplasmas have not included information on occurrence, clinical signs, and risk factors in dogs. This paper investigates the occurrence of hemoplasmas in dogs, focusing on risk factors and clinical status. Conventional PCR for the four types of canine hemoplasmas was performed in 331 blood samples collected from dogs clinically treated at a teaching veterinary hospital. Of all samples, 17/331 (5.1%) were positive for Mycoplasma haemocanis and 6/331 (1.8%) were positive for a 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum-like' organism. Risk factors included the presence of vectors, old age, dog bite wounds, and neoplastic diseases. In the multivariate analysis, a 4.40 odds ratio in dogs with vector-borne diseases indicated risk for hemoplasmosis. There was correlation between hemoplasma infection and neoplastic disease, suggesting that neoplastic conditions are a risk factor for hemoplasma infection in dogs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Electronic address: stella.valle@ufrgs.br.
authors.forename: Stella de Faria
authors.initials: Sde F
authors.lastname: Valle
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Joanne B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Messick
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea Pires
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Dos Santos
authors.affiliation: School of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, Universidade de Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luiz Carlos
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Kreutz
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Naila Cristina Blatt
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Duda
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luis Gustavo
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Corbellini
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Pathology, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexander Welker
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Biondo
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Felix Hilario Diaz
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: González
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D024581:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (Phosphorylating) / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000662:veterinary*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D024581:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (Phosphorylating)
keywords: Hemotropic mycoplasmas; Mycoplasma haemocanis; Neoplastic disease; Polymerase chain reaction; ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum’