Abstract
BackgroundDifferent tick species are able to transmit different pathogens, and tick-borne diseases are of substantial concern worldwide for both humans and animals. Environmental changes and changes in the range of tick species, including Dermacentor reticulatus in Europe, can affect the spread of zoonotic pathogens. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of the tick-borne pathogens in ticks removed from dogs in Latvia, and to explore possible changes between years 2011 and 2016.ResultsIn 2011, only Ixodes ticks (221 Ixodes ricinus and 22 Ixodes persulcatus) were collected from dogs, while in 2016 tick samples belonged to Ixodes ricinus (360), Ixodes persulcatus (2) and Dermacentor reticulatus (27) species. In total, 35.8 and 40.0% of adult ticks were pathogen-positive in 2011 and 2016, respectively; the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The molecular analysis indicated the presence of 13 tick-borne microorganisms; the most prevalent pathogen was Rickettsia, followed by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group spirochetes, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia species. Borrelia miyamotoi was also present. A co-infection with two and three tick-borne pathogens was detected in 7.9 and 7.4% of Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus, respectively. The results of this study confirmed that the spread of novel vectors could bring additional risk of exposure to novel emerging pathogens to pets and their owners, as both Babesia canis and Rickettsia raoultii were shown to be highly associated with Dermacentor reticulatus ticks in Latvia.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the potential danger from the inadvertent introduction of novel disease pathogens and vectors. Awareness of co-infections and Dermacentor reticulatus-related pathogens needs to be increased.
Highlights
Different tick species are able to transmit different pathogens, and tick-borne diseases are of substantial concern worldwide for both humans and animals
No Dermacentor ticks were present among 243 samples collected in year 2011, in 2016, almost 7% of ticks removed from dogs in different regions of Latvia were D. reticulatus (27/389)
D. reticulatus ticks were obtained in western, southern and central parts of Latvia, including Rīga, Liepāja, Daugavpils, Krāslava, Aizkraukle, Ogre and Dobele regions (Fig. 1). This result indicates that sympatric populations of D. reticulatus and I. ricinus ticks, as well as D. reticulatus, I. ricinus and I. persulcatus ticks, exist in several regions of Latvia
Summary
Different tick species are able to transmit different pathogens, and tick-borne diseases are of substantial concern worldwide for both humans and animals. Ticks are able to transmit numerous disease agents such as viruses, bacteria and protozoa, and tick-borne diseases are of substantial concern worldwide for both humans and animals. The taiga tick Ixodes persulcatus (I. persulcatus), which is found in eastern Europe, northern Asia and, recently, has expanded to Finland and northern Sweden, transmits a wide range of human and animal pathogens including tick-borne encephalitis virus, B. burgdorferi s.l., Ehrlichia muris, B. microti and A. phagocytophilum [6, 7]. Namina et al BMC Veterinary Research (2019) 15:398 vectors and tick-borne diseases It helps to raise awareness of tick-borne diseases in dog owners, who could be ignorant of the tick-borne pathogenassociated risks to their pets. Infected companion animals could provide a reservoir for human tick-transmitted infectious agents, and the importance of a One Health approach was emphasized, calling physicians and veterinarians to unify their efforts in the management of tickborne zoonoses [9, 10]
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