Occurrence of Babesia Species and Co-Infection with Hepatozoon canis in Symptomatic Dogs and in Their Ticks in Eastern Romania

Ciucă, Lavinia; Martinescu, Gabriela; Miron, Liviu; Roman, Constantin; Acatrinei, Dumitru; Cringoli, Giuseppe; Rinaldi, Laura; Maurelli, Maria Paola

doi:10.3390/pathogens10101339

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 73 publications

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“…However, according to Shabangu et al [ 38 ], African wild dogs are not a significant reservoir of infection, and a separate study from various sub-Saharan African countries (Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Kenya) did not identify Babesia infections among 154 presumably asymptomatic African wild dogs [ 39 ]. Ciuca et al [ 40 ] speculated that golden jackals ( Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758) may be a potential host of B. rossi in Europe.…”

Section: Prevalence Of Babesia Rossimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…South Africa and Nigeria (West Africa) are countries where B. rossi in dogs is endemic [ 3 , 12 , 30 , 31 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. However, infections have also been detected in dogs in other countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Uganda, Angola, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, and Sudan), while individual cases have been noted in North America (USA), South America (Brazil), Asia (Singapore), and Europe (France, Germany, Switzerland, Romania, and Russia) [ 6 , 40 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ].…”

Section: Prevalence Of Babesia Rossimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a study from Romania in 2019, B. rossi DNA was detected in 2 out of 90 dogs (2.2%) that were exhibiting clinical signs of babesiosis such as fever, anemia, thrombocytopenia, icterus, and hemoglobinuria. The remaining dogs (88) were infected with B. canis or B. vogeli [40]. At a conference in Russia, Egorov et al [53] reported mixed infections in dogs caused by B. rossi, B. vogeli, and B. canis in the area of the upper Volga River.…”

Section: South Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Canine Babesiosis Caused by Large Babesia Species: Global Prevalence and Risk Factors—A Review

Zygner

Gójska-Zygner²,

Bartosik

et al. 2023

Animals

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Canine babesiosis is a disease caused by protozoan pathogens belonging to the genus Babesia. Four species of large Babesia cause canine babesiosis (B. canis, B. rossi, B. vogeli, and the informally named B. coco). Although canine babesiosis has a worldwide distribution, different species occur in specific regions: B. rossi in sub-Saharan Africa, B. canis in Europe and Asia, and B. coco in the Eastern Atlantic United States, while B. vogeli occurs in Africa, southern parts of Europe and Asia, northern Australia, southern regions of North America, and in South America. B. vogeli is the most prevalent large Babesia species globally. This results from its wide range of monotropic vector species, the mild or subclinical nature of infections, and likely the longest evolutionary association with dogs. The most important risk factors for infection by large Babesia spp. include living in rural areas, kennels or animal shelters, or regions endemic for the infection, the season of the year (which is associated with increased tick activity), infestation with ticks, and lack of treatment with acaricides.

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Section: Prevalence Of Babesia Rossimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Prevalence Of Babesia Rossimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: South Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Canine Babesiosis Caused by Large Babesia Species: Global Prevalence and Risk Factors—A Review

Zygner

Gójska-Zygner²,

Bartosik

et al. 2023

Animals

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“…(Eucoccidiorida, Hepatozoidae) are intraerythrocytic parasites of different vertebrates. Hepatozoon canis DNA has been sporadically detected in questing I. ricinus ( Hamšíková et al., 2016b ) and in I. ricinus removed from dogs ( Ciuca et al., 2021 ). However, the vector role of this tick species for H. canis has not been confirmed.…”

Section: Pathogensmentioning

confidence: 99%

What do we know about the microbiome of I. ricinus?

Hodosi

Kazimírová

Šoltýs

2022

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

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I. ricinus is an obligate hematophagous parasitic arthropod that is responsible for the transmission of a wide range of zoonotic pathogens including spirochetes of the genus Borrelia, Rickettsia spp., C. burnetii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Francisella tularensis, which are part the tick´s microbiome. Most of the studies focus on “pathogens” and only very few elucidate the role of “non-pathogenic” symbiotic microorganisms in I. ricinus. While most of the members of the microbiome are leading an intracellular lifestyle, they are able to complement tick´s nutrition and stress response having a great impact on tick´s survival and transmission of pathogens. The composition of the tick´s microbiome is not consistent and can be tied to the environment, tick species, developmental stage, or specific organ or tissue. Ovarian tissue harbors a stable microbiome consisting mainly but not exclusively of endosymbiotic bacteria, while the microbiome of the digestive system is rather unstable, and together with salivary glands, is mostly comprised of pathogens. The most prevalent endosymbionts found in ticks are Rickettsia spp., Ricketsiella spp., Coxiella-like and Francisella-like endosymbionts, Spiroplasma spp. and Candidatus Midichloria spp. Since microorganisms can modify ticks’ behavior, such as mobility, feeding or saliva production, which results in increased survival rates, we aimed to elucidate the potential, tight relationship, and interaction between bacteria of the I. ricinus microbiome. Here we show that endosymbionts including Coxiella-like spp., can provide I. ricinus with different types of vitamin B (B2, B6, B7, B9) essential for eukaryotic organisms. Furthermore, we hypothesize that survival of Wolbachia spp., or the bacterial pathogen A. phagocytophilum can be supported by the tick itself since coinfection with symbiotic Spiroplasma ixodetis provides I. ricinus with complete metabolic pathway of folate biosynthesis necessary for DNA synthesis and cell division. Manipulation of tick´s endosymbiotic microbiome could present a perspective way of I. ricinus control and regulation of spread of emerging bacterial pathogens.

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“…James in India in 1905 [ 4 ]. Hepatozoonosis is a common disease in dogs in the Mediterranean area of Europe and more recently was also reported in both South and North America [ 1 , 2 , 5 – 7 ]. The expansion of H. canis to Central Europe has been confirmed recently, likely due to the northwards expansion of the geographical range of R. sanguineus with climate change and global warming [ 2 , 8 , 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The first report on Hepatozoon canis in dogs and wolves in Poland: clinical and epidemiological features

Tołkacz,

Kretschmer,

Nowak

et al. 2023

Parasites Vectors

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Background Canine hepatozoonosis caused by Hepatozoon canis is a common infection in dogs, with frequent case reports from the Mediterranean region and more recently from several Central European countries, such as Hungary and Germany. Despite the high prevalence of H. canis in red foxes, no infections have been reported to date in dogs in Poland. We describe here the first autochthonous cases of H. canis infection in dogs, including their clinical features, and report the prevalence of H. canis in grey wolves from different regions of Poland. Methods Thin smears prepared from blood samples collected from dogs were evaluated by microscopic examination. A total of 60 wolves and 47 dogs were tested. Infections were confirmed by PCR and sequencing. Results Gamonts of H. canis were found in > 50% of the neutrophils of two dogs and in < 10% of the neutrophils in another five dogs. Molecular typing by PCR sequencing of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene fragment confirmed infections in 11 dogs from different regions of Poland, in 2.7% of dogs attending veterinary practices in central Poland and in 35% of wolves from various geographical regions of Poland. Clinical features manifested mostly in older dogs, and the most common signs were anaemia and apathy. Young dogs usually remained asymptomatic. Conclusions This is the first report of H. canis infection in dogs and wolves in Poland. Although the exact vector of the parasite is not known, veterinary practitioners should be aware of this new parasitosis and should consider appropriate diagnostics to confirm/exclude this infection. Further studies are needed to understand the transmission routes of H. canis in domestic and wild canids in Poland. Graphical Abstract

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Occurrence of Babesia Species and Co-Infection with Hepatozoon canis in Symptomatic Dogs and in Their Ticks in Eastern Romania

Cited by 9 publications

References 73 publications

Canine Babesiosis Caused by Large Babesia Species: Global Prevalence and Risk Factors—A Review

Canine Babesiosis Caused by Large Babesia Species: Global Prevalence and Risk Factors—A Review

What do we know about the microbiome of I. ricinus?

The first report on Hepatozoon canis in dogs and wolves in Poland: clinical and epidemiological features

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