Abstract
BackgroundDue to climate changes during the last decades, ticks have progressively spread into higher latitudes in northern Europe. Although some tick borne diseases are known to be endemic in Finland, to date there is limited information with regard to the prevalence of these infections in companion animals. We determined the antibody and DNA prevalence of the following organisms in randomly selected client-owned and clinically healthy hunting dogs living in Finland: Ehrlichia canis (Ec), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap), Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) and Bartonella.MethodsAnti-Ap, −Bb and –Ec antibodies were determined in 340 Finnish pet dogs and 50 healthy hunting dogs using the 4DX Snap®Test (IDEXX Laboratories). In addition, PCRs for the detection of Ap and Bartonella DNA were performed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors associated with seropositivity to a vector borne agent.ResultsThe overall seroprevalence was highest for Ap (5.3%), followed by Bb (2.9%), and Ec (0.3%). Seropositivities to Ap and Bb were significantly higher in the Åland Islands (p <0.001), with prevalence of Ap and Bb antibodies of 45 and 20%, respectively. In healthy hunting dogs, seropositivity rates of 4% (2/50) and 2% (1/50) were recorded for Ap and Bb, respectively. One client-owned dog and one hunting dog, both healthy, were infected with Ap as determined by PCR, while being seronegative. For Bartonella spp., none of the dogs tested was positive by PCR.ConclusionsThis study represents the first data of seroprevalence to tick borne diseases in the Finnish dog population. Our results indicate that dogs in Finland are exposed to vector borne diseases, with Ap being the most seroprevalent of the diseases tested, followed by Bb. Almost 50% of dogs living in Åland Islands were Ap seropositive. This finding suggests the possibility of a high incidence of Ap infection in humans in this region. Knowing the distribution of seroprevalence in dogs may help predict the pattern of a tick borne disease and may aid in diagnostic and prevention efforts.
Highlights
Due to climate changes during the last decades, ticks have progressively spread into higher latitudes in northern Europe
50 healthy hunting dogs were included in the study, from which blood samples were collected during a hunting dog show in September of 2011
Three hundred and forty client-owned pet dogs as well as 50 healthy hunting dogs were included in the study
Summary
Due to climate changes during the last decades, ticks have progressively spread into higher latitudes in northern Europe. Some tick borne diseases are known to be endemic in Finland, to date there is limited information with regard to the prevalence of these infections in companion animals. Vector borne diseases are increasingly recognized as the cause of several clinical illnesses in humans and domestic animals. These include infections transmitted by fleas and ticks, as well as other hematophagous arthropods. For several reasons, their epidemiology in Europe is changing [1,2]. There are several case reports of tick borne diseases diagnosed in previously non-endemic areas, both in human and veterinary medicine. Many of the arthropod-borne infections that affect dogs can cause serious disease in people, and dogs have often been considered to serve as effective sentinel animals to assess the risk of human infection [1]
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