Volume: 57 Issue: 2
Year: 2026, Page: 298-303, Doi: https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2026.57.2.298-303
Received: Feb. 7, 2026 Accepted: April 10, 2026 Published: June 30, 2026
Peripheral oedema is a common but diagnostically challenging clinical finding in dogs, reflecting underlying disturbances in vascular, oncotic, or lymphatic homeostasis. Infectious agents, particularly vector-borne pathogens and filarial parasites contribute to oedema formation through mechanisms such as vasculitis, hypoproteinaemia, and lymphatic obstruction. This study investigated the aetiopathology of peripheral oedema associated with selected infectious agents in dogs. Thirty dogs presented with non-traumatic peripheral oedema were evaluated using clinical examination, haematology, serum biochemistry, oedema fluid analysis, ultrasonography, electrocardiography, echocardiography and molecular diagnostics. Conventional polymerase chain reaction was employed to detect Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia gibsoni, Hepatozoon canis, Brugia malayi, and Borrelia burgdorferi. Positive amplicons were sequenced for confirmation. Wet film and blood smear examination detected sheathed microfilariae and Babesia gibsoni. Molecular analysis confirmed Brugia malayi and Babesia gibsoni as the predominant infectious agents associated with peripheral oedema in the study, while other pathogens were not detected. Oedema fluid was characterised as modified transudate. Significant haematological and biochemical alterations, including leucocytosis with neutrophilia, hyperglobulinaemia and increased AST levels, were observed. Although treatment resulted in clinical improvement and clearance of parasitaemia, recurrence of oedema occurred in several cases. This study demonstrates that Brugia malayi, Babesia gibsoni and cardiac diseases play a significant role in the aetiopathology of peripheral oedema in dogs. Aetiology-specific treatment alone often gave temporary improvement, emphasising the need for vasculitis-directed therapy
Keywords: Peripheral oedema, Brugia malayi, Babesia gibsoni, dogs, vector-borne diseases, PCR
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© 2026 Aiswarya et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Aiswarya S., Vinodkumar, K., Tresamol, P.V., Justin D. K., Ancy T. & Sajitha I.S. (2026). Infectious aetiopathology of peripheral oedema in dogs: a clinico-pathological and molecular study. Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 57(2),298-303 https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2026.57.2.298-303