American Canine Hepatozoonosis
Open Access
- 1 October 2003
- journal article
- review article
- Published by American Society for Microbiology in Clinical Microbiology Reviews
- Vol. 16 (4), 688-697
- https://doi.org/10.1128/cmr.16.4.688-697.2003
Abstract
American canine hepatozoonosis (ACH) is a tick-borne disease that is spreading in the southeastern and south-central United States. Characterized by marked leukocytosis and periosteal bone proliferation, ACH is very debilitating and often fatal. Dogs acquire infection by ingesting nymphal or adult Gulf Coast ticks (Amblyomma maculatum) that, in a previous life stage, ingested the parasite in a blood meal taken from some vertebrate intermediate host. ACH is caused by the apicomplexan Hepatozoon americanum and has been differentiated from Old World canine hepatozoonosis caused by H. canis. Unlike H. canis, which is transmitted by the ubiquitous brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus), H. americanum is essentially an accidental parasite of dogs, for which Gulf Coast ticks are not favored hosts. The geographic portrait of the disease parallels the known distribution of the Gulf Coast tick, which has expanded in recent years. Thus, the endemic cycle of H. americanum involves A. maculatum as definitive host and some vertebrate intermediate host(s) yet to be identified. Although coyotes (Canis latrans) are known to be infected, it is not known how important this host is in maintaining the endemic cycle. This review covers the biology of the parasite and of the tick that transmits it and contrasts ACH with classical canine hepatozoonosis. Clinical aspects of the disease are discussed, including diagnosis and treatment, and puzzling epidemiologic issues are examined. Brief consideration is given to the potential for ACH to be used as a model for study of angiogenesis and of hypertrophic osteoarthropathy.Keywords
This publication has 58 references indexed in Scilit:
- Persistence of Hepatozoon americanum (Apicomplexa: Adeleorina) in a Naturally Infected DogJournal of Parasitology, 2003
- DETERMINATION OF TIME OF ONSET AND LOCATION OF EARLY SKELETAL LESIONS IN YOUNG DOGS EXPERIMENTALLY INFECTED WITHHEPATOZOON AMERICANUMUSING BONE SCINTIGRAPHYVeterinary Radiology & Ultrasound, 2003
- Transmission ofHepatozoon americanum(Apicomplexa: Adeleorina) by Ixodids (Acari: Ixodidae) : Table 1Journal of Medical Entomology, 2002
- Detection of Hepatozoon canis Oocyst from Ticks Collected from the Infected Dogs.The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science, 1995
- Vertical Transmission of Hepatozoon canis in Dogs.The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science, 1993
- First Case of Hepatozoon canis Infection of a Dog in Japan.The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science, 1991
- Comparison of Various Staining Procedures in the Identification of Hepatozoon canis GamontsVeterinary Clinical Pathology, 1988
- Hepatozoon balfouri (Laveran, 1905): Sporogonic Cycle, Pathogenesis, and Transmission by Mites to Jerboa HostsJournal of Parasitology, 1966
- Malayan Protozoa 2. Hepatozoon Miller (Sporozoa : Coccidia), with an unusual host record for H. canis (James)*The Journal of Protozoology, 1959