Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tick-borne infections in dogs from urban and rural Parana Brazil
By Vieira, Thállitha Samih Wischral Jayme et al.·Published in Revista brasileira de parasitologia veterinaria = Brazilian journal of veterinary parasitology : Orgao Oficial do Colegio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria·2013·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serosurvey of tick-borne pathogens in dogs from urban and rural areas from Parana State, Brazil.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that 66.7% of dogs tested in Parana State, Brazil, had been exposed to tick-borne diseases. Among the 138 dogs sampled, those from urban areas were more likely to have these infections compared to those from rural areas. Specifically, 44.9% tested positive for Ehrlichia canis, which can cause serious health issues, while 13.8% had Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and 46.4% were positive for Babesia vogeli. This suggests that urban dogs face a higher risk of tick-related illnesses, highlighting the importance of regular tick prevention measures.
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Abstract
Considering the zoonotic potential of tick-borne disease (TBD) agents and the fact that dogs may act as sentinels for human infection, the aim of the present study was to determine the seroprevalence of TBD agents and risk factors for exposure in two different canine populations from Parana State, Southern Brazil. A total of 138 dog serum samples from urban (UA) (n=68) and rural (RA) (n=70) areas were tested with commercial ELISA rapid test for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia canis and Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies and indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFAT) for Babesia vogeli. An overall of 92∕138 (66.7%) dogs, being 62∕68 (91.2%) from UA and 30∕70 (42.9%) from RA, were seropositive for at least one TBD agent. From the total number of dogs, sixty-two were positive for E. canis (44.9%), 19 (13.8%) for A. phagocytophilum, and 64 (46.4%) for B. vogeli. Anti-B. burgdorferi antibodies were not detected. Dogs from UA showed a higher percentage of tick infestation (p = 0.0135) and were highly associated with seropositivity to E. canis (p = 0.000005), A. phagocytophilum (p = 0.0001), and B. vogeli (p = 0.0012). In summary, the findings indicate that dogs from urban areas present higher potential risk exposure to TBD pathogens than those from rural areas.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24252955/