Will my dog always test positive for Babesia gibsoni after infection?

Hello. As I said earlier, in some dogs B. gibsoni many NEVER clear the blood & will always test positive by PCR. This does not mean your dog has an active infection but total remission seldom occurs. There was a paper presented in 2017 where a dog was treated with clindamycin, doxycycline & metronidazole for 6 weeks, & was tested negative at 3 & 6 months after treatment was stopped, so you might want to discuss this with your veterinarian & see if this is possible for your pet. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Itis good that Bruno is feeling better. Babesia gibsoni can be very hard to completely clear and is an infection that can remain in hiding/dormant with no outward clinical signs. Therapy with variety of different medications has been tried with varying success. Months (2-3) of therapy is often needed. It is important that control of the vector (ticks) be a priority in preventing reinfection if the current infection is cleared.

" In many cases, treatment is frustrating, low levels of parasites remain, and a chronic subclinical carrier state develops." This means that many cases never become negative, that they will stay positive for b. gibsoni and become a carrier without symptoms of disease.

Your dog has a blood parasite transmitted by ticks, ie Babesiosis. Up to now, no single drug has effectively and consistently eliminated B. gibsoni from infected dogs and the side effects, as well as availability, of some of the medications limit their use. Here is information on B.gibsoni infection. You may want to discuss with your veterinarian, whwther he wants to proceed with treatment or just use supportive treatment. There is no virus involved. http://www.vetfolio.com/infectious-disease/babesia-gibsoni-an-emerging-pathogen-in-dogs

Babesia, just like all the other tick borne diseases, can show up positive on the snap test, because the snap test confirms exposure and not always current infection. As long as Danny's bloodwork does not show current low platelets or anemia, then he is likely free of infection. Just expect him to be positive on the screening test for a while, and monitor him for any recurring symptoms, which would indicate a repeat infection. The fact that he is clinically ok now, is a good sign that he is free from true infection. : ) I would also make a point to keep him on a tick/flea preventative to help protect him from future infections. Best wishes with your pet Danny moving forward! Take care.

If Buddy was already treated for me canines and is clinically normal right now I would not worry about a positive test result. You can discuss with his vet but many tests are for antibodies to the disease. Which will still be circulating in the blood from the initial infection. It does not necessarily mean there is an active infection at this time.

Well it looks like he is making platelets again which is good, however B. gibsoni also attacks red blood cells so it is important to have him also checked for a red blood cell count. Since you are in contact with a veterinarian and are having blood tests done, listen to your veterinarian's recommendation on when to do follow up blood tests.