Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tick-borne infections found in pet and stray dogs in Guangzhou China
By Yuchen Wu et al.·Published in Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases·2024·College of Animal Veterinary Medicine, Henan University of Animal Husbandry and Economy, Zhengzhou, Henan 450046, PR China, DE·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Identification of Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato infected with tick-borne pathogens from pet and stray dogs in Guangzhou, Southern China
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 14% of pet and stray dogs in Guangzhou, Southern China, had ticks, specifically the Rhipicephalus sanguineus species. These ticks can carry diseases, and tests showed that some of them were infected with Babesia, a parasite that can cause serious health issues in dogs. This means that dogs in this area are at risk for tick-borne illnesses like babesiosis. Pet owners should be vigilant about tick prevention and consider regular check-ups to ensure their dogs are healthy and free from these parasites.
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Abstract
Tick-borne diseases are of substantial concern worldwide for both humans and animals, and dogs are frequently exposed to tick infestation. The aim of this study was to examine tick infestation of pet and stray dogs in Guangzhou, Southern China, as well as tick-borne pathogens of randomly sampled ticks. Ticks were found on 118 (14.1% [95% confidence interval; CI: 13.6–14.6]) out of 836 animals in four veterinary clinics and two shelters. A total of 280 individual ticks were collected from tick-infested dogs. Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (s.l.) was identified. PCR tests were conducted to detect six tick-borne pathogens in 280 ticks. The prevalence of tick-borne pathogens was 5.3% for Babesia spp., including Babesia vogeli (5.0% [95% CI: 4.3–6.3]) and Babesia gibsoni (0.3% [95% CI: 4.3–6.3]). These results indicated that R. sanguineus s.l. was the tick species found in dogs in Guangzhou city, and that dogs were at risk to exposure to babesiosis, implying the need for surveillance for this disease in dogs in this region.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102267