Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Risk factors for tick-borne infections in hunting dogs in the USA
By Mahachi, Kurayi et al.·Published in Parasites & vectors·2020·Department of Epidemiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Predominant risk factors for tick-borne co-infections in hunting dogs from the USA.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that hunting dogs in the USA are at risk for multiple tick-borne diseases, such as Anaplasma and Babesia. Dogs that tested positive for one of these infections were more likely to also test positive for the other. The research showed that dogs living in the western part of the country had a lower risk for certain infections compared to those in other regions. This highlights the importance of being aware of tick risks in your area and taking steps to protect your dog from ticks and related diseases.
People also search for: dog tick disease symptoms · hunting dog tick prevention · Anaplasma Babesia co-infection in dogs · tick-borne illness in dogs · how to protect my dog from ticks
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Both incidence and geographical range of tick-borne disease has increased across the USA. Similar to people, dogs are hosts for Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., Ehrlichia spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi. Dogs also share our homes and beds, making them both a sentinel for the ticks in our backyards but also increasing our exposure to ticks. Measures to better track, prevent, and/or treat tick-borne diseases in companion animals can lead to better control and prevention of human tick-borne disease. This study identifies demographic and co-infection risk factors for canine seropositivity to tick-borne infections in a cohort of hunting dogs across the USA. RESULTS: Human patterns of tick-borne disease co-infection in the USA have been predominantly driven by the geographical distribution of the tick vector. Dogs who tested seropositive for Anaplasma spp. were 1.40 times more likely (P = 0.0242) to also test seropositive for Babesia spp. and vice versa (1.60 times more likely, P = 0.0014). Dogs living in the West had 5% lower risk (P = 0.0001) for Ehrlichia spp. seropositivity compared to other regions. Controlling for age and Anaplasma spp. seroprevalence, dogs in all three other regions were 2.30 times more likely (P = 0.0216) to test seropositive for B. burgdorferi than dogs in the West. Dogs seropositive for B. burgdorferi were 1.60 times more likely (P = 0.0473) to be seropositive for Anaplasma spp. CONCLUSIONS: Tick geographical distributions have a prominent impact on the regional distribution of hunting dog exposure to tick-borne diseases. Education concerning regional tick prevalence and disease risk is important for everyone, but particularly dog owners, regarding ticks in their region and protection from infection and co-infection of tick-borne pathogens as they travel or move with their dogs. Dogs are sentinel species for human exposure to ticks, and as such surveillance of canine tick-borne infections and understanding the probability that these infections might be seen together as co-infections helps predict emerging areas where people are more likely to be exposed as well.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32404151/