A molecular and parasitological survey of Hepatozoon canis in domestic dogs in Turkey

Abstract

In this study, asymptomatic dogs in nine provinces of Turkey were surveyed to investigate the prevalence and intensity of Hepatozoon canis infection. DNA obtained from blood samples collected from 694 domestic dogs (243 stray, 288 shelter, and 163 pets) of both genders and varying ages were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In addition, 285 thin blood smears prepared from these blood samples were also evaluated for microscopic examination. Direct microscopy revealed Hepatozoon gamonts in the peripheral blood of three of 285 (1.0%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.21-3.04) tested. Using PCR, 155 of the 694 (22.3%; 95% CI: 19.28-25.61) were found to be positive for the presence of H. canis DNA. The prevalence of infection was higher in adult dogs (26.2%; 95% CI: 22.1-30.7) than young animals (16.4%; 95% CI: 12.2-21.3). Although the prevalence determined by PCR was higher in male dogs (24.5%; 95% CI: 19.6-29.9) than in female dogs (20.8%; 95% CI: 16.9-25.1), gender differences were not significant. Pet dogs had a lower prevalence of infection (10.4%; 95% CI: 6.2-16.2) compared to stray (26.3%; 95% CI: 20.9-32.3) and shelter dogs (25.7%; 95% CI: 20.7-31.1), but no significant association between stray and shelter dogs was found for the presence of the parasite. Partial sequences of the 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene shared 99-100% similarity with the corresponding H. canis isolates. This epidemiological survey revealed a high prevalence of H. canis in dogs from several provinces in Turkey, and it suggests that the age and origin are associated with the parasite.

İç Anadolu Bölgesindeki Sokak Köpeklerinde Kene-Kaynaklı Kan Protozoonları Varlığının Araştırılması ve Yüksek Orandaki Hepatozoon Enfeksiyonunun Moleküler Karakterizasyonu

“…Moreover, the molecular method of identification is much more sensitive than microscopy. In addition, Aktas et al [29] found a 4% positive rate in dogs in Ankara, which is much lower than our rate (49.5%). We believe that this is due to the limited number of samples in their study.…”

“…In a study including a total of 694 dogs from Sakarya, Kocaeli, Mersin, Giresun, İzmir, Elazığ, Erzurum, Ankara and Nevşehir, 3 (1.05%) of the 285 dogs examined were determined to be positive by microscopy and 155 (22.3%) of the 694 dogs were positive for H. canis by PCR. From Ankara, 49 dogs were tested and 2 dogs (4%) were H. canis-positive [29] . In Erzurum Province, 43 (32.3%) of 133 asymptomatic dogs were positive for Hepatozoon spp.…”

“…in Turkey show that the disease was first reported in a dog in 1933 [23] . Subsequently, the presence of H. canis was determined morphologically [24][25][26][27][28][29] , molecularly [9,13,15,16,19,25,26,[28][29][30] , and serologically [26] in dogs. Hepatozoon spp.…”

Molecular Identification and Clinicopathological Findings of Hepatozoon sp. Infection in a Cat: First Report from Turkey

“…The first clinical case of H. canis infection in a dog was reported by Voyvoda et al (18). Several epidemiological surveys have revealed a high prevalence of H. canis in dogs in Turkey (10)(11)(12)(13). The studies indicated that the prevalence of H. canis infection in dogs varies as 22.3-54.3%.…”

“…In Turkey, although hepatozoonosis is widespread in dogs (10)(11)(12)(13), feline hepatozoonosis has not yet been documented. This case is the first report of molecular identification of Hepatozoon spp.…”