Canine tick-borne pathogens in Cyprus and a unique canine case of multiple co-infections

Charalampos Attipa,Chelsea A.E Hicks,Emily N Barker,Vasiliki Christodoulou,Kyriaki Neofytou,Mathios E Mylonakis,Victoria I Siarkou,Elpida I Vingopoulou,Francesca Soutter,Dimosthenis Chochlakis,Anna Psaroulaki,Kostas Papasouliotis,Séverine Tasker

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.12.006

Abstract

Canine tick-borne pathogens such as Ehrlichia canis and Hepatozoon canis are widespread in the Mediterranean basin but have never been reported or investigated in Cyprus. We describe herein the presence of canine tick-borne pathogens in three dogs with clinical signs compatible with vector-borne diseases from Paphos area of Cyprus. Molecular and phylogenetic analysis revealed the presence of E. canis, Anaplasma platys, H. canis, Babesia vogeli and Mycoplasma haemocanis in Cyprus. One dog co-infected with E. canis, H. canis, B. vogeli and M. haemocanis is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report of this multiple co-infection in dogs. The tick-borne pathogens reported in the current study should be considered in the differential diagnoses in dogs exposed to ticks in Cyprus.

Highlights

Cyprus is a European Union member island state situated in the eastern Mediterranean basin (35◦10 N and 33◦22 E) with a Abbreviations: CTBP, canine tick-borne pathogens; qPCR, quantitative polymerase chain reaction; VBD, vector-borne disease.temperate climate
Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays were used to investigate for the presence of haemotropic mycoplasmas (M. haemocanis and ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum’), B. burgdorferi sensu lato and Bartonella henselae, conventional PCRs were used to evaluate for Ehrlichia/Anaplasma spp., Hepatozoon spp., Babesia spp. and Leishmania spp. infection, and a nested E. canis-specific PCR assay was performed (Table 1) (Barker et al, 2010; Christodoulou et al, 2012; Dawson et al, 1996; Demaerschalck et al, 1995; Inokuma et al, 2002; Matjila et al, 2008; Oosthuizen et al, 2008; Parola et al, 2000; Robinson et al, 2010)
Canine tick-borne pathogens such as E. canis, H. canis, B. vogeli and M. haemocanis have been documented in several European countries especially in the Mediterranean region where the temperate climate sustains the presence and activity of R. sanguineus sensu lato which is considered the major vector for the transmission of these pathogens (Baneth, 2011; Novacco et al, 2010; Sainz et al, 2015; Solano-Gallego and Baneth, 2011)

Summary

Introduction

Cyprus is a European Union member island state situated in the eastern Mediterranean basin (35◦10 N and 33◦22 E) with a Abbreviations: CTBP, canine tick-borne pathogens; qPCR, quantitative polymerase chain reaction; VBD, vector-borne disease.temperate climate. Cyprus is a European Union member island state situated in the eastern Mediterranean basin (35◦10 N and 33◦22 E) with a Abbreviations: CTBP, canine tick-borne pathogens; qPCR, quantitative polymerase chain reaction; VBD, vector-borne disease. Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato, the main vector for several canine tick-borne pathogens (CTBP), is the most common tick species found in dogs in Cyprus (Chochlakis et al, 2012; Dantas-Torres, 2010; Le Riche et al, 1974). The only vector-borne disease (VBD) previously reported in dogs in Cyprus is leishmaniosis (Mazeris et al, 2010). This report describes, for the first time, the molecular detection of Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma platys, Hepatozoon canis, Babesia vogeli and Mycoplasma haemocanis in three naturally-infected dogs from Cyprus with clinical signs compatible with VBD

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion