Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Same Hepatozoon canis parasite found in dogs and foxes in Germany
By Helm, Christina S et al.·Published in Ticks and tick-borne diseases·2020·Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Identical 18S rRNA haplotypes of Hepatozoon canis in dogs and foxes in Brandenburg, Germany.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 4.4% of dogs in Brandenburg, Germany, tested positive for a blood parasite called Hepatozoon canis, which is typically spread by ticks. Interestingly, many of these dogs had never traveled outside Germany, indicating that they could be getting the parasite from local foxes, which had a much higher infection rate of 77.6%. The genetic analysis showed that the same strain of the parasite was present in both dogs and foxes, suggesting they are part of the same infection cycle. This means that pet owners in areas with fox populations should be aware of the risk of Hepatozoon canis and discuss prevention with their veterinarian.
People also search for: dog blood parasite symptoms · Hepatozoon canis treatment · foxes and dog infections · dog tick prevention · why is my dog sick after being outside
Abstract
Hepatozoon canis is a blood parasite of the suborder Adeleorina infecting wild and domestic canids. Transmission occurs by oral uptake of Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato vector ticks infected with H. canis, but vertical transmission is also assumed to be possible. In German foxes, a high prevalence of H. canis has previously been reported despite the fact that R. sanguineus s.l. is not endemic. In the absence of knowledge about local transmission pathways, foxes should be considered to be possible reservoirs of H. canis and contribute to infection of domestic dogs. The present study aimed to determine how often foxes and dogs are infected in Brandenburg (Germany) and if identical or different H. canis 18S rRNA haplotypes are found in these host species. Hepatozoon spp. were detected by PCR in 46/1050 (4.4 %) of dog blood and 176/201 (77.6 %) of fox spleen samples from Brandenburg. Sequencing of 19 dog and 56 fox samples identified all as H. canis. For nine positive dogs, owners stated that they had never left Germany suggesting that autochthonous transmission occurs not only in foxes but also in dogs. Sequences for seven of these possible autochthonous cases were obtained and six were identical to the predominant haplotype found in the foxes. Haplotype network analysis confirmed that many dogs, including some without travel history, carried the same or very similar 18S rRNA haplotypes as the foxes suggesting that both hosts participate in the same epidemiological cycle.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32993940/