Prevalence of Canine Babesiosis in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State

A study on the prevalence of canine babesiosis was carried out at Jos south Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria, between May and June 2019. Giemsa stained blood smears of 150 dogs revealed that 20 (13.33%) of the dogs were positive with Babesia canis. Among these, 63 (42.00%) were puppies aged less than 6 months, and 87 (58.00%) are adult dogs aged 9 months and above infected by the parasite. However, the age is found significantly correlated with Babesia canis as all the positives are in adults. P-value is 0.01 ( 0.05) was observed. The parasite was encountered in 13 (8.67%) out of 60 local breeds and 7 (4.67%) out of 90 exotic breeds. The breed-related prevalence rates were also not significantly different (p \u003e 0.05). Babesia canis was the only specie identified in the study area. The public health implications of the findings are discussed.