A Retrospective Epidemiological Study: The Prevalence of Ehrlichia canis and Babesia vogeli in Dogs in the Aegean Region of Turkey

Abstract

Among tick-borne diseases, Ehrlichia canis and Babesia piroplasm cause important diseases in dogs where the distributions of the pathogen, vector and host overlap. The primary aim of the present study was to detect the prevalence of Babesia spp. and E. canis using PCR and reverse line blot (RLB) hybridization assay in a total of 379 samples comprising stray and owned dogs and to compare the diagnostic sensitivity of the two tests. Overall, 41.4% of dogs were infected with B. vogeli and/or E. canis as single (35.4%) and mixed (6.1%) infections. The majority of Babesia positive dogs (74.1%) were co-infected with E. canis. PCR detected a higher (P= 0.000) number of positivity in some provinces compared to RLB. To the best of our knowledge, these findings provide the first molecular evidence for the existence of B. vogeli in the Aegean Region, Turkey. The present study pinpoints the distribution and prevalence of E. canis and B. vogeli in the Aegean region of Turkey as of 2004 and as such establishes a baseline. This is of pivotal importance for future studies aimed to demonstrate changes in the dynamics of E. canis and B. vogeli infections in the region.

Primary Tick-Borne Protozoan and Rickettsial Infections of Animals in Turkey

“…Molecular studies investigating Babesia species showed the presence of Babesia canis , Babesia gibsoni , and Babesia vogeli in dogs in the country. The molecular prevalence of canine babesiosis was determined to be between 0% and 12% in these studies [ 139 , 140 , 141 , 142 , 143 , 144 ]. An unnamed novel Babesia spp.…”

“…CME is common in Turkey, and the prevalence of the disease has been detected by serologic and molecular investigations [ 140 , 197 , 198 ]. Serologic tests such as ELISA and IFAT used to detect anti- E. canis specific antibodies, show the seroprevalence of E. canis to be between 0% and 74% [ 174 , 176 , 177 , 179 , 181 , 198 , 199 , 200 , 201 , 202 , 203 , 204 ]; however, the molecular prevalence was determined to be between 0% and 39.3% [ 140 , 141 , 142 , 144 , 181 , 193 , 194 , 196 ]. The genetic diversity of E. canis was poorly studied in Turkey.…”

Retrospective analysis of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis in Thailand with emphasis on hematological and ultrasonographic changes

“…The disease is caused by rickettsial bacteria, namely, Ehrlichia canis, transmitted by Rhipicephalus sanguineus (brown dog tick). CME is widely distributed in tropical, Mediterranean, and subtropical climates, including Europe [1,2], the United States [3], Costa Rica [4], Brazil [5], and Asia [6][7][8]. In Thailand, the reported prevalence of E. canis identified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in all parts of the country ranges from 7.6% to 38.3% [9][10][11][12][13].…”

Molecular Identification of Ehrlichia canis in Rhipicephalus Sanguineus Ticks from Siirt Province

“…Ticks are responsible for the spread of various pathogens that infect both humans and animals, including various bacteria species, helminths, protozoa, and viruses [1,2]. Worldwide, Ehrlichia canis is the most important species of Ehrlichia in dogs, and its principal vector is the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (s.l) [3][4][5]. E. canis is a gram-negative, obligate-intracellular bacteria belonging to the Rickettsiales order of the Anaplasmataceae superclass [6,7], and causes the potentially fatal Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) [4][5][6]8,9].…”

“…Worldwide, Ehrlichia canis is the most important species of Ehrlichia in dogs, and its principal vector is the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (s.l) [3][4][5]. E. canis is a gram-negative, obligate-intracellular bacteria belonging to the Rickettsiales order of the Anaplasmataceae superclass [6,7], and causes the potentially fatal Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) [4][5][6]8,9]. E. canis causes an infection that could potentially last for a lifetime in dogs by infecting their blood mononuclear cells [10,11].…”