Canine vector-borne diseases are of great relevance not only regarding animal welfare but also in relation to the One Health concept. Knowledge concerning the most relevant vector-borne pathogens in dogs is scarce and limited to stray dogs in most western African regions, and there is virtually no information about the situation in kept dogs presenting (regularly) to vets. Therefore, the blood samples of 150 owned guard dogs in the Ibadan area—in the southwest of Nigeria—were collected and analyzed for the DNA of Piroplasmida (Babesia, Hepatozoon, Theileria), Filarioidea (e.g., Dirofilaria immitis, Dirofilaria repens), Anaplasmataceae (e.g., Anaplasma, Ehrlichia), Trypanosomatidae (e.g., Leishmania, Trypanosoma), Rickettsia, Bartonella, Borrelia and hemotropic Mycoplasma using molecular methods. Overall, samples from 18 dogs (12%) tested positive for at least one pathogen. Hepatozoon canis (6%) was the most prevalent blood parasite, followed by Babesia rossi (4%). There was a single positive sample each for Babesia vogeli (0.6%) and Anaplasma platys (0.6%). Moreover, one mixed infection with Trypanosoma brucei/evansi and Trypanosoma congolense kilifi was confirmed (0.67%). Generally, the prevalence of vector-borne pathogens in this sample group of owned dogs in southwest Nigeria was lower than in prior studies from the country and in other parts of Africa in total. This leads to the assumption that, firstly, the exact geographical location has a major influence on the incidence of vector-borne diseases, and, secondly, it seems to make a difference if the dogs are owned and, therefore, regularly checked at a veterinary clinic. This study should raise awareness of the importance of routine health check-ups, tick and mosquito prophylaxis, and a well-managed infectious disease control program to prevent vector-borne diseases in canines.

Vector-borne diseases play a major role in human and veterinary medicine worldwide. A previous study detected asymptomatic vector-borne pathogens in military working dogs stationed at a military base in eastern Austria, and a follow-up survey of potential arthropod vectors was conducted in spring 2019 and 2020 in the vicinity of the base to evaluate the presence of vectors and their carrier status for a range of canine and zoonotic pathogens. A total of 1324 ticks (nymphs and adults of Ixodes ricinus, comprising 92.9% of the collected specimens, and adults of Haemaphysalis inermis, a tick previously only rarely described in Austria, Haemaphysalis concinna, and Dermacentor reticulatus) were collected by flagging. In 44.1% (125/284) of all pools (n = 284), one infectious agent was found; in 27.8% (79/284) and in 1.1% (3/284), two and three different agents, respectively, could be identified. Overall, 72.9% of the pools contained at least one pathogen (Borrelia spp., Rickettsia spp., Bartonella spp., and Babesia microti). Borrelia mijamotoi, B. lustinaniae, and B. microti were previously only described in single cases in Austria. Mosquitoes were collected with BG-Sentinel traps monthly during the summer of 2019. A total of 71 individuals from 11 species were collected. No filarioid DNA was detected in the mosquito sample pools, although Dirofilaria repens had been present in the dogs from the military site. In conclusion, vector surveillance should be combined with the surveillance of an exposed population whenever possible to estimate the infection risks for dogs and their handlers.