Antibabesial treatment protocols against canine babesiosis

Canine babesiosis is an important tick-borne disease caused by hemoprotozoan parasites of the genus Babesia, and the predominant species infecting dogs is Babesia gibsoni. The disease has been identified worldwide and is now recognized as a serious emergent disease in dogs. Although the incidence of canine babesiosis has been increasing, effective and crucial therapeutic modality is unavailable. The conventional antibabesial drugs including diminazene aceturate, pentamidine, and imidocarb dipropionate could not eliminate the parasites from infected dogs. Newer therapeutic modality for canine babesiosis using drugs such as clindamycin, atovaquone and multiple drug combinations has been suggested. Although these therapeutic modalities are beneficial and seem to partially provide a permanent cure, the treatments failures often occur. Thus, broad understanding of treatment protocols are required when implementing an appropriate treatment plan against canine babesiosis. The goal of this review is to provide veterinary practitioners with guidelines for successful treatment against canine babesiosis. It is expected that the review will answer the most frequently asked questions posed by veterinary practitioners.