Molecular+Characterization+on+18S+rRNA+Gene+of+Hepatozoon+canis+from+Suspected+Clinical+Infections+in+Taiwan+Dog+Cases

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the species of Hepatozoon spp. in dogs in Taiwan. Blood samples were collected from 714 dogs and DNA was extracted and analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction. Of the 714 animals, 15 (2.1%) cases were polymerase chain reaction-positive with Hepatozoon-genus specific primers. By sequence analysis, the partial sequences (666 bp) of the 18S rRNA gene among specified 15 samples with Hepatozoon spp. were shown mutually identical and with 100% similarity to other sequences of H. canis isolates including two Spain cases respectively from Old World red fox Vulpes vulpes (AY731062) and dog (AY461378), one Venezuela case from dog (DQ439543), and one USA case from dog (AF176835). With the phylogenetic tree in this report, the Taiwan cases with H. canis DNA isolates were shown at closest relevance to the cases with Vennezuela 1, Spain 2, Spain 3, USA and Australia strains. To our knowledge, this clinical case report represents the initiative molecular characterization on the 18S rRNA gene sequences of H. canis DNA isolates within the dog population in Taiwan.