Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Co-infections with tick diseases in healthy dogs
By Gusatoaia, Oana et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2025·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Co-infections of rickettsiales in clinically healthy, Leishmania infantum seropositive and seronegative dogs: a systematic literature review and new findings from Southern Italy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study in southern Italy found that some dogs with leishmaniasis (a disease caused by Leishmania infantum) also had infections from tick-borne pathogens like Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia canis, even if they showed no symptoms. Among healthy dogs tested, about 12% of those with leishmaniasis had Anaplasma, while a smaller percentage had Ehrlichia. Interestingly, even dogs without leishmaniasis had low rates of these co-infections. This suggests that dogs can carry multiple infections without showing signs of illness, which is important for understanding how these diseases spread in areas where they are common.
People also search for: dog leishmaniasis symptoms · tick-borne diseases in dogs · Anaplasma treatment for dogs
Abstract
Canine leishmaniosis (CanL), caused by Leishmania infantum, is a widespread vector-borne disease. In Italy, an endemic region for CanL, overlapping transmission of L. infantum and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) like Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia canis is increasingly reported. Dogs with clinical leishmaniosis often show higher co-infection rates and pronounced clinicopathological abnormalities. This study presents a systematic literature review and new findings from southern Italy, focusing on co-infections with E. canis and A. phagocytophilum in clinically healthy L. infantum seropositive and seronegative dogs. The systematic review identified two eligible studies. The first reported 34/488 (7%) dogs L. infantum seropositive, with 11.8% also seropositive for A. phagocytophilum. Among 454 seronegative dogs, 3% were seropositive for A. phagocytophilum and 2.4% for E. canis. The second study identified 154/1260 (12.2%) dogs L. infantum seropositive, with co-infection rates of 0.6% and 1.9% for A. phagocytophilum and E. canis, respectively. Among 1106 seronegative dogs, 1.3% were seropositive for A. phagocytophilum and 2.3% for E. canis. In the retrospective study from southern Italy, 90/154 (58.4%) dogs were L. infantum seropositive, with co-infection rates of 4.4% for A. phagocytophilum and 2.2% for A. phagocytophilum and E. canis. Among 64 seronegative dogs, 1.6% showed similar co-infections. This is the first systematic review in Italy, documenting low and comparable co-infection rates with A. phagocytophilum and E. canis in clinically healthy dogs, regardless of L. infantum serostatus. These findings suggest that co-infections may occur independently, offering insights into vector-borne disease dynamics in endemic areas.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39878800/