Canine babesiosis is a disease caused by parasites that affect dogs, and its incidence varies from one country to another depending on the distribution of the parasite species and their vectors.
In order to evaluate the occurrence of this disease in European veterinary clinics and create an updated map of its distribution in Western Europe, a study was conducted. The study involved sending questionnaires to veterinary clinics in Spain, France, Benelux, Germany, and Austria, inquiring about the number of babesiosis cases diagnosed in 2010, the number of practitioners in the clinic, and the clinic's location.
The data collected was used to calculate the annual incidence of canine babesiosis by dividing the total number of reported cases by the total number of dogs in the veterinary practices involved in the study. Georeferenced data was used to construct a distribution map.
The following figure shows the geographical distribution of the incidence of canine babesiosis among the general dog population in Western European regions in 2010. The initials of the countries are as follows: Spain (S), France (F), Belgium (B), Luxembourg (L), the Netherlands (N), Germany (G), and Austria (A). The color gradient, ranging from grey to red, indicates an increasing incidence. Score tests were conducted to compare the regional incidence and the Western European incidence. A white circle indicates that the regional incidence was significantly lower than the Western European incidence, while a star indicates that the regional incidence was significantly higher. A cross indicates that no score test was applicable.
