PREVALENCE AND PHYLOGENETIC LINEAGES OF HEPATOZOON CANIS FOUND IN STRAY DOGS IN MUMBAI, INDIA

Abstract

With the warm weather and large number of hosts, it is not a surprise to hear that tick infestations of dogs are most common in Mumbai. Moreover, the dogs in Mumbai are at the greatest risk of tick-borne pathogens such as Ehrlichia canis, Babesia gibsoni and others. The primary objective of this study was to obtain information about the prevalence of H. canis, a protozoan species of stray dogs in Mumbai, which was first described in India in 1905. The other aim of this study was to compare the gene sequences of H. canis detected in Mumbai with those reported from different parts of India and other countries.