Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Toxoplasma infection found in ticks and dogs in study
By Seo, Min-Goo & Kwak, Dongmi·Published in Parasites, hosts and diseases·2025·College of Veterinary Medicine & Institute for Veterinary Biomedical Science, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Molecular detection of Toxoplasma gondii in ticks and their respective host dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can cause illness, in ticks collected from dogs. Out of 340 dogs, only 2 tested positive for the parasite, which was also found in some of the ticks. This suggests that ticks might play a role in spreading Toxoplasma to dogs, although the overall risk appears low. The findings highlight the importance of monitoring both ticks and pets for potential infections.
People also search for: dog ticks Toxoplasma gondii · symptoms of Toxoplasma in dogs · how to prevent ticks on dogs
Abstract
We identified the presence of Toxoplasma gondii in ticks and their host dogs, and assess the potential role of ticks as reservoirs for this pathogen. A total of 1,230 feeding ticks were collected from 340 dogs. The tick species identified included Haemaphysalis longicornis, H. flava, and Ixodes nipponensis. Detection of the T. gondii B1 gene occurred in 2 dogs (0.6%) and 4 tick pools (0.9%). Genotyping confirmed the presence of the I/III genotype. This study is the first to report the molecular detection of T. gondii in both canine ticks and their hosts. Our findings offer important insights into the dynamics of T. gondii transmission between vectors and their hosts.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40045682/