In order to investigate the prevalence of tick-borne infectious agents among ticks, ticks comprising five species from two genera (Hemaphysalis spp. and Ixodes spp.) were screened using molecular techniques. Ticks (3,135) were collected from small wild-caught mammals or by dragging/flagging in the Republic of Korea (ROK) and were pooled into a total of 1,638 samples (1 to 27 ticks per pool). From the 1,638 tick samples, species-specific fragments of Anaplasma phagocytophilum (

A total of 1,618 ticks [420 individual (adults) and pooled (larvae and nymphs) samples], 369 rodents (Apodemus agrarius, Rattus norvegicus, Tscherskia triton, Mus musculus, and Myodes regulus), and 34 shrews (Crocidura lasiura) that were collected in northern Gyeonggi-do near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of Korea during 2004-2005, were assayed by PCR for selected zoonotic pathogens. From a total of 420 individual and pooled tick DNA samples, Anaplasma (A.) phagocytophilum (16), A. platys (16), Ehrlichia (E.) chaffeensis (63), Borrelia burgdorferi (16), and Rickettsia spp. (198) were detected using species-specific PCR assays. Out of 403 spleens from rodents and shrews, A. phagocytophilum (20), A. platys (34), E. chaffeensis (127), and Bartonella spp. (24) were detected with species-specific PCR assays. These results suggest that fevers of unknown causes in humans and animals in Korea should be evaluated for infections by these vector-borne microbial pathogens.

Increases in plasma HMGB1 concentration and the ratio of HMGB1 to IL-10 may predict poorer outcomes in dogs with SIRS. The approach described may lead to reliable prognostic biomarkers and new therapeutic concepts in the study of SIRS in dogs.

Background: this study aimed to identify potential biomarkers for the screening and therapeutic monitoring of sepsis in canine pyometra and correlations with clinical parameters. Samples were collected from a total of 90 dogs with pyometra and 26 healthy female controls. The levels of inflammatory biomarkers and clinical parameters recorded in the dogs with pyometra at presentation were compared with those in the healthy subjects. In addition, consecutive samples from 22 dogs with surgically corrected pyometra and nine healthy controls, were compared before and after ovariohysterectomy. Results: significant leucocytosis, anaemia, hyperglobulinaemia, hypoalbuminaemia, and elevated activities of the alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzymes, were observed in the dogs with pyometra at presentation. Moreover, the concentrations of acute inflammatory proteins of C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA), as well as those of cell-free DNA (cfDNA), were significantly higher in the dogs with pyometra. cfDNA was the most sensitive biomarker for systemic inflammation, based on the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (area under the curve = 0.959). After surgical removal of the inflamed uterus, leucocyte and red blood cell counts, cholesterol, albumin, globulin levels, and the ALP activity significantly decreased. The levels of inflammatory parameters such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), and procalcitonin (PCT) also significantly decreased after surgical treatment. Conclusions: these findings indicate that cfDNA, CRP, and SAA have the potential to be used as clinical biomarkers for screening canine sepsis, whereas PCT, IL-6, and HMGB1 may be useful biomarkers for the therapeutic monitoring of canine sepsis.

A survey of the occurrence of Dirofilaria immitis, Borrelia burgdorferi, Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma phagocytophium in dogs was undertaken in the People's Republic of China between October 2008 and October 2009. A total of 600 blood samples were taken from dogs in four cities in China: 300 in Beijing, 150 in Shenzhen, 30 in Shanghai and 120 in Zhengzhou. All samples were tested for the heartworm antigen and antibodies of canine B. burgdorferi, E. canis and A. phagocytophium by using the canine SNAP® 4Dx® test kit. The occurrence of D. immitis, B. burgdorferi, E. canis and A. phagocytophium was 1.17% (7/600), 0.17% (1/600), 2.17% (13/600) and 0.5% (3/600), respectively. In Shenzhen city 2% (3/150), 8.67% (13/150) and 2% (3/150) of samples were positive for D. immitis, E. canis and A. phagocytophium, respectively. The occurrence of heartworm antigen was 0.33% (1/300) in Beijing, 2.00% (3/150) in Shenzhen, 3.33% (1/30) in Shanghai and 1.67% (2/120) in Zhengzhou. We found E. canis and A. phagocytophium only at one site, Shenzhen, while the only occurrence of B. burgdorferi was at Beijing. In conclusion, the dog population in China is at potential risk for D. immitis, B. burgdorferi, E. canis and A. phagocytophium infection, the risk being especially high in southern China.