Infection and exposure to vector-borne pathogens in rural dogs and their ticks, Uganda

Particle and Fibre Toxicology

Javier Millán⁸  Santo Caracappa⁷  José de la Fuente²  Lawrence Mugisha^1,10  Valeria Blanda⁷  Aitor Cevidanes⁸  Antonio Piazza⁷  Ester Bach⁵  Jesús Muro⁴  Andrea D. Chirife⁶  Isabel G. Fernández de Mera¹  Laia Solano-Gallego²  Laura Altet³  Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka⁹  Tatiana Proboste^1,11 

[1] Health & Biotechnology (SaBio) Group, IREC (CSIC-UCLM- JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, Ciudad Real 13005, Spain;Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola 08193, Barcelona, Spain;VetGenomics, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Cerdanyola 08193, Barcelona, Spain;Andorra Veterinary Services, Government of Andorra, Andorra La Vella, Andorra;Servei d’Hematologia Clinica Veterinaria (SHCV), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinaria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola 08193, Barcelona, Spain;Camino del Rosario P5, Peñaflor, Santiago, Chile;Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, via Gino Marinuzzi 3, Palermo, 90129, Italy;Facultad de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Andres Bello, Republica 252, Santiago, Chile;Conservation Through Public Health, Plot 3 Mapera Lane, Uringi Crescent, Entebbe, Uganda;Conservation & Ecosystem Health Alliance (CEHA), Kampala 34153, Uganda;Facultad de Ciencias Silvoagropecuarias, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile

关键词: Tick-borne pathogens;    Rickettsia;    Ehrlichia;    East Africa;    Dogs;    Babesia;   

Others  :  1224215
DOI  :  10.1186/s13071-015-0919-x

 received in 2015-03-19, accepted in 2015-05-27,  发布年份 2015

【 摘 要 】

Background

In rural parts of Africa, dogs live in close association with humans and livestock, roam freely, and usually do not receive prophylactic measures. Thus, they are a source of infectious disease for humans and for wildlife such as protected carnivores. In 2011, an epidemiological study was carried out around three conservation areas in Uganda to detect the presence and determine the prevalence of vector-borne pathogens in rural dogs and associated ticks to evaluate the risk that these pathogens pose to humans and wildlife.

Methods

Serum samples (n = 105), blood smears (n = 43) and blood preserved on FTA cards (n = 38) and ticks (58 monospecific pools of Haemaphysalis leachi and Rhipicephalus praetextatus including 312 ticks from 52 dogs) were collected from dogs. Dog sera were tested by indirect immunofluorescence to detect the presence of antibodies against Rickettsia conorii and Ehrlichia canis. Antibodies against R. conorii were also examined by indirect enzyme immunoassay. Real time PCR for the detection of Rickettsia spp., Anaplasmataceae, Bartonella spp. and Babesia spp. was performed in DNA extracted from FTA cards and ticks.

Results

99 % of the dogs were seropositive to Rickettsia spp. and 29.5 % to Ehrlichia spp. Molecular analyses revealed that 7.8 % of the blood samples were infected with Babesia rossi, and all were negative for Rickettsia spp. and Ehrlichia spp. Ticks were infected with Rickettsia sp. (18.9 %), including R. conorii and R. massiliae; Ehrlichia sp. (18.9 %), including E. chaffeensis and Anaplasma platys; and B. rossi (1.7 %). Bartonella spp. was not detected in any of the blood or tick samples.

Conclusions

This study confirms the presence of previously undetected vector-borne pathogens of humans and animals in East Africa. We recommend that dog owners in rural Uganda be advised to protect their animals against ectoparasites to prevent the transmission of pathogens to humans and wildlife.

【 授权许可】

   
2015 Proboste et al.

【 图 表 】

Fig. 1.

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