Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Vector-borne infections in Sri Lanka Air Force and pet dogs
By Jayatilaka, P S et al.·Published in Scientific reports·2024·Sri Lanka Air Force·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine vector-borne infections of working dogs of the Sri Lanka Air Force, and free roaming, and privately owned dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 31.7% of dogs in Sri Lanka had one or more canine vector-borne infections (CVBIs), which can be serious health issues. The highest rates were seen in free-roaming dogs, with 40% infected, while military working dogs and privately owned dogs had lower rates. Many of the infected dogs showed no symptoms, making it hard for owners to know if their pets were sick. The most common infections identified were caused by parasites like Babesia gibsoni and Ehrlichia canis. Regular check-ups and preventive measures, such as tick control, are important for keeping dogs healthy.
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Abstract
Canine vector-borne infections (CVBIs) are a global health problem. The military working dogs of Sri Lanka die at an early age, and CVBIs have been a leading speculated cause. We examined CVBIs in the working dogs of the Sri Lanka air force (SLAF) and free-roaming dogs (FRDs) and privately owned dogs (PODs) country-wide. Giemsa-stained smears were prepared and conventional PCR-positive DNA was subjected to sequencing and phylogeny. Of the 668 dogs sampled, 212 (31.7%) had one or more CVBIs. The prevalence of infections among the FRDs (40.0%) was significantly higher than SLAF working dogs (30.0%; χ = 10.5216; p = 0.0012) and PODs (26.2%; χ = 5.3414, p = 0.0208) but not between SLAF dogs and PODs (χ = 1.7655, p = 0.1838). Many infected dogs were asymptomatic (57.4%), which was higher among the FRDs. Seven infectious agents were identified: Babesia gibsoni, B. canis, Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma platys, Leishmania sp., Hepatozoon canis, and filaria worms. The most common infection was B. gibsoni (13.8%), followed by E. canis (9.9%). Three tick species: Rhipicephalus linneai, Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides and Haemophysalis bispinosa were found infesting the dogs. The SLAF dogs were thoroughly quarantined upon arrival, but the infection prevalence was similar to PODs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39375382/