Serosurvey of arthropod-borne diseases among shelter dogs in the Cumberland Gap Region of the United States

Vina Faulkner,Dawn Spangler,Karen Gruszynski,Daniel Kish,Charles Faulkner,Paul Schmidt,Gilbert Patterson,Michele D. Coarsey,Matthew Tanhauser,Ashutosh Verma,Hemant Naikare

doi:10.1186/s12917-020-02440-1

Vina Faulkner, Dawn Spangler + Show 9 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-020-02440-1

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Abstract

BackgroundThe Cumberland Gap Region (CGR) of the United States is a natural corridor between the southeastern, northeastern, and midwestern regions of the country. CGR has also many species of ticks and mosquitos that serve as competent vectors for important animal and human pathogens. In this study, we tested dogs from six different animal shelters in the CGR for Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), anaplasmosis, Lyme disease, canine ehrlichiosis and canine heartworm disease.ResultsSera from 157 shelter dogs were tested for antibodies to RMSF agent, Rickettsia rickettsii, using an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Sixty-six dogs (42.0%) were positive for either IgM or IgG, or both IgM and IgG antibodies to R. rickettsii. Moreover, the same set of sera (n = 157) plus an and additional sera (n = 75) from resident dogs at the same shelters were tested using the SNAP 4Dx Plus. Of 232 dogs tested, two (0.9%) were positive for antibodies to Anaplasma phagocytophilum/A. platys, nine (3.9%) were positive for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi, 23 (9.9%) for positive for antibodies to Ehrlichia canis/E. ewingii, and 13 (5.6%) were positive for Dirofilaria immitis antigen. Co-infection with two or more etiologic agents was detected in five animals. Three dogs had antibodies to both B. burgdorferi and E. canis/E. ewingii, and two dogs were positive for D. immitis antigen and antibodies to B. burgdorferi and E. canis/E. ewingii.ConclusionsShelter dogs in the CGR are exposed to a number of important vector-borne pathogens. Further studies are required to ascertain the roles these animals play in maintenance and transmission of these pathogens.

Highlights

The Cumberland Gap Region (CGR) of the United States is a natural corridor between the southeastern, northeastern, and midwestern regions of the country
The ‘Cumberland Gap’ is a V-shaped passage across the Appalachian Mountains that has been used for millennia by populations of animals and humans migrating between the northeastern, midwest, and southeastern United States
Out of 157 tested sera, 23 sera were positive for pathogen-specific Immunoglobulin M (IgM), 27 were positive for pathogen-specific Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and 16 sera were positive for both IgM and IgG

Summary

Introduction

The Cumberland Gap Region (CGR) of the United States is a natural corridor between the southeastern, northeastern, and midwestern regions of the country. CGR has many species of ticks and mosquitos that serve as competent vectors for important animal and human pathogens. The Cumberland Gap Region (CGR) in the southeastern United States represents an ideal location for such a disease surveillance study as it is located at the intersection of the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. The ‘Cumberland Gap’ is a V-shaped passage across the Appalachian Mountains that has been used for millennia by populations of animals and humans migrating between the northeastern, midwest, and southeastern United States. Several species of ticks and mosquitos found in the CGR are competent vectors for a number of important disease of dogs and humans

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