Abstract:
There are over 100 Babesia species known to infect vertebrates with some of them being zoonotic. Local
dog keeping practices enable extensive and intimate interactions between dogs, livestock, wildlife, and
their human owners, thus allowing the possibility of dogs to act as hosts for zoonotic parasites.
Canine babesiosis, known to occur in Kenya causes a severe and debilitating illness in dogs which
compromises their welfare and capacity to carry out their role in society. Published data on Babesia
species circulating among dogs in Kenya is limited. Improved control measures such as vaccines are
required against the disease.
Methods
The study design was descriptive and sampling opportunistic. A total of 143 whole blood samples were
collected from domestic dogs in Nakuru, Nairobi and Mombasa counties. Total genomic DNA was
extracted from each of the samples and screened for Babesia parasites using diagnostic PCR. Babesia
species were identified through bioinformatic analysis of Sanger sequences.
