Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bluetongue virus spread by midges infects domestic dogs in Morocco
By Oura, C A L & El Harrak, M·Published in Epidemiology and infection·2011·Institute for Animal Health, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Midge-transmitted bluetongue in domestic dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of domestic dogs in Morocco were found to have been infected with the bluetongue virus (BTV), which can cause severe illness and even death. Researchers discovered that about 21% of these dogs had antibodies against the virus, suggesting they had been exposed to it. The likely source of infection was through bites from Culicoides midges, as the dogs were only fed tinned food and had no access to other meat. While this raises concerns about dogs contracting BTV during outbreaks, it's still unclear if they can spread the virus to other animals.
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Abstract
The role of domestic dogs in the long-distance spread of bluetongue virus (BTV) remains unproven. It is currently known that dogs are capable of being infected with BTV, can mount an antibody response to the virus and in some cases die showing severe clinical signs of disease. Infection of dogs is currently thought to be by oral ingestion of infected meat or meat products rather than through vector feeding. In this study we show that a high percentage of domestic dogs in Morocco (21%) were seropositive for BTV and, as these dogs were fed tinned commercial food only, and had no access to other meat products, the most likely source of infection was through Culicoides midges. This finding increases the chances of dogs being infected with BTV during an outbreak but their role in the onward transmission of BTV remains unproven.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21044402/