Abstract
Canine tick-borne pathogens (CTBPs) such as Babesia vogeli, Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma platys, Hepatozoon canis, and Mycoplasma haemocanis are important pathogens in dogs worldwide. Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato, the main vector of several CTBPs, is the most common tick species found on dogs in Thailand. The present study identified CTBPs in dogs and ticks infested dogs. Samples (360 dog blood samples and 85 individual ticks) were collected from stray dogs residing in 37 temples from 24 districts in Bangkok and screened for CTBPs using molecular techniques. The most common CTBP found infecting dogs in this study was Ehrlichia canis (38.3%) followed by Mycoplasma haemocanis (34.2%), Hepatozoon canis (19.7%), Babesia vogeli (18.1%), and Anaplasma platys (13.9%), respectively. Furthermore, A. platys (22.4%) was the most common CTBP in ticks followed by M. haemocanis (18.8%), B. vogeli (9.4%), H. canis (5.9%), and E. canis (2.4%), respectively. The detection of CTBPs from the present study highlights the potential risk of infections that may occur in stray dogs and their ticks residing in Bangkok temples. These findings underline the importance of performing active surveys to understand the complexity of distributions of CTBPs in dogs and their ticks in Thailand.
Highlights
The blood-feeding behavior of a wide range of arthropods, such as ticks and fleas, makes them important vectors of an array of viral, bacteria, and protozoan pathogens to humans and animals [1]
E. canis, M. haemocanis, H. canis, B. vogeli, and A. platys were detected in dogs with prevalence levels of 38.3% (138/360), 34.2% (123/360), 19.7% (71/360), 18.1% (65/360), and 13.9% (50/360), respectively
Co-infection of Canine tick-borne pathogens (CTBPs) was detected in 95 individuals (26.4%) for two CTBPs, of which E. canis/M. haemocanis accounted for 29.5% (28/95), followed by E. canis/H. canis 13.7% (13/95) and M. haemocanis/H. canis
Summary
The blood-feeding behavior of a wide range of arthropods, such as ticks and fleas, makes them important vectors of an array of viral, bacteria, and protozoan pathogens to humans and animals [1]. The brown dog tick, R. sanguineus s.l. is the most widely distributed tick species worldwide [2]. It is able to transmit several tick-borne pathogens to the host during a blood meal [3]. Some of these pathogens are transmitted to the subsequent tick developmental stages known as transstadial maintenance [4]. Canine tick-borne pathogens (CTBPs) including Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., hemotropic mycoplasma, Babesia spp. and Hepatozoon spp., widely affect canine health [5,6,7,8]. Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species are obligate intracellular Anaplasmataceae bacteria in animals [9] and are mostly detected in canids in tropical and subtropical areas [3].
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