Determination of serum cardiac biomarkers and plasma D-dimer levels in anemic sheep with babesiosis

In this study, the cardiac effects of anemia and venous thromboembolism (VTE), reportedly caused by the hemolyzed erythrocytes occurring in sheep with babesiosis, were investigated using cardiac markers and D-dimer (DD). The study included 34 sheep: 24 infected Akkaraman sheep (1-3 years old, diagnosed with babesiosis based on clinical and laboratory findings) and a control group of 10 noninfected healthy sheep of the same breed and age. Hematocrit (Hct) levels were measured in blood obtained from both groups. Cardiac troponin I (cTnI), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were measured in serum samples. In addition, the levels of DD were also measured in plasma samples. Sheep with babesiosis were subsequently divided into 3 subgroups according to their Hct levels, which ranged from 13.2% to 16.3% in the first group (n = 8), 20.1% to 25.6% in the second group (n = 8), and 27.4% to 30.3% in the third group (n = 8). Evaluations of the measurements of cTnI, CK-MB, and AST levels indicated statistically significant differences between infected and healthy sheep. Statistically significant differences were not found for DD levels between the 2 groups.