Abstract
BackgroundTicks and tick-borne diseases are increasingly recognized as a cause of disease in dogs worldwide. The epidemiology of ticks and tick-transmitted protozoa and bacteria has changed due to the spread of ticks to urban and peri-urban areas and the movement of infected animals, posing new risks for animals and humans. This countrywide study reports information on distribution and prevalence of pathogens in ticks collected from privately-owned dogs in Italy.We analyzed 2681 Ixodidae ticks, collected from 1454 pet dogs from Italy. Specific PCR protocols were used to detect i) Piroplasms of the genera Babesia and Theileria, ii) Gram-negative cocci of the family Anaplasmataceae and iii) Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Sequencing of positive amplicons allowed for species identification.ResultsBabesia/Theileria spp. DNA was detected in 435 homogeneous tick-pools (Minimum Infection Rate (MIR) = 27.6%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 25.4–29.8%) with higher prevalence in Ixodes ricinus and Rhipicephalus sanguneus group. The zoonotic B. venatorum was the most prevalent species (MIR = 7.5%; 95% CI = 6.3–9.0%). Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species were detected in 165 tick-pools (MIR = 10.5%; 95% CI = 9.3–11.8%) and specifically, A. phagocytophilum was identified with MIR = 5.1% (95% CI = 4.1–6.3%). Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and B. afzelii were detected with MIR = 0.4% (95% CI = 0.2–0.8%) and MIR = 0.3% (95% CI 0.1–0.7%) respectively.ConclusionsZoonotic pathogens B. venatorum and A. phagocytophilum were the most frequently detected in ticks collected from privately-owned dogs which might be used as markers of pathogens presence and distribution.
Highlights
Ticks and tick-borne diseases are increasingly recognized as a cause of disease in dogs worldwide
Babesia/Theileria DNA of protozoa belonging to the genera Babesia and Theileria was detected in 435 pools (MIR = 27.6%; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 25.4–29.8) from 395 dogs
Dogs living in urban environments were at a lower risk of carrying a Babesia/Theileria-infected tick (odds ratio (OR) = 0.31; 95% CI = 0.24–0.39) compared to dogs living in rural and forest habitats; housing did not influence the risk of being parasitized by an infected tick (p > 0.05)
Summary
Ticks and tick-borne diseases are increasingly recognized as a cause of disease in dogs worldwide. The epidemiology of ticks and tick-transmitted protozoa and bacteria has changed due to the spread of ticks to urban and peri-urban areas and the movement of infected animals, posing new risks for animals and humans. This countrywide study reports information on distribution and prevalence of pathogens in ticks collected from privatelyowned dogs in Italy. Ixodid ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are, after mosquitoes, the leading vectors of pathogens of medical and veterinary importance on a global scale [1] They are ectoparasites of domestic and wild animals, as well as humans, and feed on vertebrate hosts to develop and reproduce. Wild animals are usually considered the main reservoir hosts of TBPs like Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia venatorum and B. microti [9,10,11,12]
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