Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Parasitology International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/parint A case of Trypanosoma evansi in a German Shepherd dog in Vietnam Khanh Linh Bui a, ⁎ , Duc Hieu Duong a , Dao Tran Anh Bui b , Viet-Linh Nguyen c,d , Thom Do c,e , Thi Lan Anh Le a,c , Khanh Trang Tran a a Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi 12406, Viet Nam b Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi 12406, Viet Nam c Biodiversity Conservation and Tropical Disease Research Institute, Hanoi 11213, Viet Nam d Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Bari 70010, Italy e Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Trypanosoma evansi Dog Vietnam PCR ABSTRACT A 2.5-year-old male German Shepherd was presented to a private veterinary clinic in Hanoi, Vietnam showing anorexia, weakness, lethargy, reluctant to go for walks with a recent history of intermittent fever. Clinical examination of the dog showed pale mucous membrane, impaired eyesight, edema of the back legs. Complete blood count revealed severe anemia; red blood cell 3.8 × 10 12 /l, hemoglobin 8.7 g/dl, hematocrit 26.4%, associated with thrombocytopenia 145 × 10 9 /l. Biochemical analysis showed a moderate increase of alanine transaminase (150.7 UI/l) and alkaline phosphatase activities (266 UI/I) with mild hypoglycemia (71.46 mg/dl). Trypanosoma evansi was observed in Giemsa-stained blood smears under microscopic observation which was confrmed by PCR. This is the frst report of canine trypanosomiasis caused by T. evansi in Vietnam. 1. Background Trypanosoma evansi, an etiological agent causing surra, is of great veterinary concern [1,2]. This fagellate parasite is mechanically transmitted by several genera of hematophagous fies such as Tabanus spp. and Stomoxys spp. [3] Since Grifth Evans frst described infection of this parasite in Indian equines and dromedaries in 1880 [1], T. evansi has become an important protozoan pathogen because of its various mammalian hosts (including bovines, rodents, canines, and in very rare cases also humans) and pathogenicity. The disease was spread from Africa to many countries in tropical and subtropical regions [4]. Dogs are highly susceptible to T. evansi and often exhibit signifcant clinical signs such as edema, anemia, weakness, corneal opacity, and even death within a month in acute cases [1]. Many cases of canine trypa- nosomiasis caused by T. evansi have been reported in Africa [5], South America [6,7], Europe [8,9] and Asia [10,11]. In Southeast Asia, T. evansi infection in dogs has also been reported in Malaysia and Thailand [12,13]. In Vietnam, T. evansi infection is considered as highly pre- valent among water bufaloes [14] and even a case of human infection has been reported [15], however, canine trypanosomiasis by T. evansi has never been documented. Herein we reported the frst case of T. evansi infection in a German Shepherd dog in Vietnam. 2. Case report A 2.5-year-old male German Shepherd from a dog training center in Hai Duong Province was presented to a private veterinary clinic showing anorexia, weakness, lethargy, reluctant to go for walks, and having a history of intermittent fever. Clinical examination of the dog showed pale mucous membrane, impaired eyesight, edema of the back legs, and body temperature in the normal range (38.7 °C). Blood- sucking dog ticks were greatly found between the toes, behind ears, under armpits, and around the tail and head. Approximately 2 ml of blood was obtained aseptically from the jugular vein for hematological and biochemical analysis. Complete blood count revealed the strongly regenerative anemia (Hematocrit = 26.4%), accompanying a dramatic decrease of erythrocyte (3.8 × 10 12 /l), hemoglobin (8.7 g/dl) and platelets (145 × 10 9 /l). Serum biochemistry showed a moderate in- crease in alanine transaminase (ALT; 150.7 IU/l) and alkaline phos- phatase (ALP; 266 IU/I) with mild hypoglycemia (71.46 mg/dl) (Table 1). The infected dog has been lately hospitalized to the clinic and consequently has died before receiving any treatment. Giemsa-stained blood smears were made on microscopic slides for the detection of blood parasites. Microscope examination on the blood smears revealed the presence of numerous Trypanosoma characterized by a long slender free fagellum, a central nucleus, and a posterior https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parint.2020.102198 Received 12 June 2020; Received in revised form 21 August 2020; Accepted 26 August 2020 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: bklinh@vnua.edu.vn (K.L. Bui). Parasitology International 80 (2021) 102198 Available online 12 September 2020 1383-5769/ © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. T