Abstract
BackgroundAnaplasma platys is a tick-borne bacterium which infects blood platelets of dogs, causing canine cyclic thrombocytopenia. The disease is distributed worldwide, particularly in the tropics and subtropics, but information on the epidemiology of A. platys infection in dogs is fragmentary in many countries, including Egypt. In this study, we investigated the prevalence and risk factors associated with A. platys infection in dogs from Egypt.MethodsA conventional PCR targeting a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene of A. platys was used to screen 500 dogs from five North Egyptian governorates. DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were performed for one of the positive samples.ResultsThe overall prevalence of A. platys in the studied dogs was 6.4%. Females of the German shepherd breed without veterinary care had higher odds for A. platys positivity. High tick infestation and lack of anti-tick treatment were also identified as risk factors for A. platys infection. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the sequence obtained herein was closely related to sequences from Egypt, South Africa and Uruguay.ConclusionsThis is the first large-scale epidemiological study of A. platys in Egypt, where female German shepherd dogs without veterinary care, as well as dogs with high tick infestation and without anti-tick treatment are at a higher risk of infection.Graphical abstract
Highlights
Anaplasma platys is a tick-borne bacterium which infects blood platelets of dogs, causing canine cyclic thrombocytopenia
Anaplasma platys is a Gram-negative, obligate intracellular bacterium, which is reputed to be transmitted by brown dog ticks Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (s.1.) [1, 2]
Anaplasma platys is most commonly found in dogs, but natural infections have been identified in cats, foxes, wild boars, red deer and a goat [3, 4]
Summary
Anaplasma platys is a tick-borne bacterium which infects blood platelets of dogs, causing canine cyclic thrombocytopenia. The present study aimed to determine the molecular prevalence of A. platys infections in dogs from five governorates in northern Egypt and to evaluate the possible risk factors associated with this infection. Age, breed, tick infestation, anti-tick treatment and veterinary care were recorded and analyzed as possible risk factors.
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