© The Author(s). 2024 Open Access This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License. RESEARCH ARTICLE common conventional antibabesial drugs used in B. gibsoni infection are Diminazene aceturate (Berenil) and Imidocarb dipropionate (Imizol) often with toxic effects including vomiting and diarrhea and fatal nervous complications after 24-48 h of overdose (Boozer and Macintire, 2003). A new therapeutic modality for canine babesiosis using drugs such as clindamycin, atovaquone and multiple drug combinations has been suggested (Kumara, 2016). Some studies have I NTRODUCTION C anine babesiosis is a clinically important and well-known haemoprotozoan disease of dogs. Newly recognized Babesia with zoonotic potential continues to emerge around the world and the substantial economic impact of babesiosis is ongoing on livestock and companion animals especially in the tropics and subtropics (Kivaria et al., 2007). Babesia causes massive injuries to the host depending on the virulence and pathogenicity of the parasite. Canine babesiosis is caused by tick-transmitted apicomplexan parasites of Babesia species, which parasitize erythrocytes. The currently recognized species include B. canis, Babesia vogeli, Babesia rossi, B. gibsoni, Babesia conradae and Babesia vulpes (also termed Theileria annae and Babesia microti -like) (Baneth, 2018). Babesiosis primarily affects erythrocytes leading to progressive anaemia, but can involve multiple organs and can range from a relatively mild to a fatal per-acute disease. There is strong evidence of the role played by erythrocytic peroxidation in the pathogenesis of several haemoparastic infections (Nazifi et al., 2008). Oxidative stress in babesiosis may cause damage to erythrocytes that result in their increased susceptibility to phagocytosis (Tvedten, 2004). Nowadays, so many chemotherapies and vaccinations are applied to treat and eradicate babesiosis without success. Since the parasites are not eliminated by any of the anti- babesial therapies tested to date, pets that survive acute infections are at risk for recurring clinical disease and serve as reservoir hosts (Stegeman et al., 2003). Currently, the most 1 Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Central Agricultural University, Selesih, Aizawl, Mizoram-796015, India 2 Department of Veterinary Microbiology, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Central Agricultural University, Selesih, Aizawl, Mizoram-796015, India 3 Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Central Agricultural University, Selesih, Aizawl, Mizoram-796015, India Corresponding Author: Dr. Kalyan Sarma, Professor, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Central Agricultural University, Selesih, Aizawl, Mizoram-796015, India. e-mail: kalyan_srm@rediffmail.com How to cite this article: Gonmei, C., Sarma, K., Roychoudhury, P., Eregowda, C. G., Tolenkhomba, T. C., Prasad, H., Rajesh, J. B., & Singh, N. S. (2024). Therapeutic Efficacy of Clindamycin in Dogs Naturally Infected with Babesia gibsoni. Ind J Vet Sci and Biotech. 20(6), 27-33. Source of support: Nil Conflict of interest: None Submitted 11/07/2024 Accepted 25/08/2024 Published 10/11/2024 Therapeutic Efficacy of Clindamycin in Dogs Naturally Infected with Babesia gibsoni Chamniugongliu Gonmei 1 , Kalyan Sarma 1 *, Parimal Roychoudhury 2 , Chethan Gollahalli Eregowda 1 , Thingujam Chaa Tolenkhomba 3 , Hridayesh Prasad 1 , Justus Babykutty Rajesh 1 , Ningthoujam Suraj Singh 1 A BSTRACT As there are no anti-babesial therapies to eliminate the parasite from the animal’s body to date, pets that survive acute infections are at risk for recurring clinical disease and serve as reservoir hosts. This study was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of clindamycin for the treatment of dogs naturally infected with Babesia gibsoni. Dogs of various breeds and age groups of either sex diagnosed with Babesia gibsoni infection by blood smear examination and confirmed by PCR were selected for the study. Positive cases (n=12) were divided into two equal groups to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of two drugs, viz., Gr. A (Diminazene aceturate @ 3.5 mg/kg b.wt., i/m once) and Gr. B (Clindamycin @ 11 mg/kg b.wt., i/v q24 h for 10 days) both with supportive treatment. All animals showed clinical cure with improvement in appetite and physical activity by day seven post-treatment with gradual increase in haematological parameters including platelet count and serum biochemistry values, and antioxidant level, i.e., TA, GSH and SOD, and reduced oxidative stress, i.e., LPO, in both the treated groups till day 21 post-treatment. The finding suggests that clindamycin along with supportive therapy might be useful for the treatment of dogs naturally infected with B. gibsoni infection as a substitute of Diminazene aceturate. Key words: Babesia gibsoni, Biochemical, Canine, Clindamycin, Haematology, Oxidative stress. Ind J Vet Sci and Biotech (2024): 10.48165/ijvsbt.20.6.06