DOI: 10.36347/sjavs.2015.v02i05.001

Pages: 337-341

Ehrlichia canis and Babesia canis are etiologic agents of canine hemoparasitosis, which normally share a common vector; ixodid ticks (Rhipicephalus sanguineus). This study aims to detect these agents in 89 blood samples from dogs treated at a Veterinary Hospital in Pelotas’s city, southern Brazil, through parasitological, serological and molecular methods. The presence of compatible structures was investigated (morulae within leukocytes and piroplasms in erythrocytes) by means of blood and buffy coat smears. Immunoglobulins IgG anti-E. canisand B. canis were detected in 21.4% and 22.5% of the samples respectively. PCR for E. canisand B. canis were positive in 37.1% and 10.1% of samples. After sequencing, genera and species were identified genetic similarity with those diagnosed in the other regions of the country. This paper reports the first molecular detection of E. canisand B. canis in dogs’ blood samples in the city of Pelotas - RS, southern of Brazil.