Babesia, Theileria, and Hepatozoon species in ticks infesting animal hosts in Romania

Andersson, Martin; Tolf, Conny; Tamba, Paula; Stefanache, Mircea; Radbea, Gabriel; Rubel, Franz; Waldenström, Jonas; Dobler, Gerhard; Chiţimia-Dobler, Lidia

doi:10.1007/s00436-017-5537-4

Cited by 27 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…However, H. canis has not been detected in the southeastern lineage of R. sanguineus s.l. in Romania (Andersson et al, 2017;Chitimia-Dobler et al, 2017), and the tropical (or northern) lineage of R. sanguineus s.l. does not appear to be a major H. canis vector in Brazil (Forlano et al, 2005;Gomes et al, 2010;Demoner et al, 2013).…”

Section: A Better Understanding Of H Canis Vector Competence In Putamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hepatozoon canis has been detected in several other tick species, including Amblyomma sculptum (Demoner et al, 2013;Melo et al, 2016), Dermacentor marginatus, (Hornok et al, 2013;Aktas, 2014;Karasartova et al, 2018), Dermacentor reticulatus (Hornok et al, 2013;Najm et al, 2014), Haemaphysalis concinna (Hornok et al, 2013;Andersson et al, 2017), Haemaphysalis parva (Orkun and Nalbantoğlu, 2018), Haemaphysalis punctata (Andersson et al, 2017), Haemaphysalis sulcata (Aktas, 2014), Ixodes canisuga, Ixodes hexagonus (Najm et al, 2014) and Ixodes ricinus (Gabrielli et al, 2010;Reye et al, 2010;Aktas, 2014;Najm et al, 2014;Hamsikova et al, 2016;Andersson et al, 2017). The vector competence of these species for H. canis is unknown, with many collected from H. canis-infected animals.…”

Section: A Better Understanding Of H Canis Vector Competence In Putamentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Australian dog diagnosed with an exotic tick-borne infection: should Australia still be considered free from Hepatozoon canis?

Greay

Barbosa

Rees

et al. 2018

International Journal for Parasitology

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Recent molecular and sero-surveillance studies of the tick-borne pathogen Hepatozoon canis have identified new hosts, potential vector species, and have revealed that H. canis is more widespread than previously thought. We report the first diagnosed case of canine hepatozoonosis in Australia from a Maremma Sheepdog in Sarina, Queensland. Hepatozoon canis was detected with blood smear examination and 18S rRNA sequencing. It is unknown when or how the organism was introduced into Australia, which raises questions about border biosecurity policies and the H. canis infection status of its potential vectors and hosts in Australia. Surveillance for this pathogen is required to determine whether H. canis has established in Australia.

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Section: A Better Understanding Of H Canis Vector Competence In Putamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: A Better Understanding Of H Canis Vector Competence In Putamentioning

confidence: 99%

An Australian dog diagnosed with an exotic tick-borne infection: should Australia still be considered free from Hepatozoon canis?

Greay

Barbosa

Rees

et al. 2018

International Journal for Parasitology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Still, Romania is dealing with a dearth of information concerning the ecology of tick populations and the risk of acquiring tick-borne diseases in urban recreational areas. In Romania, the studies that also include ticks collected in urban areas focus either on the pathogen diversity in questing ticks [18,19] or the prevalence of pathogens in engorged ticks, collected from animal hosts [20,21]. Additionally, other papers briefly report data on ticks biting humans in Cluj and Sibiu counties [22][23][24][25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of abiotic factors, habitat type and urban wildlife on the ecology of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in urban and peri-urban habitats

et al. 2020

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Background Ticks are increasingly acknowledged as significant vectors for a wide array of pathogens in urban environments with reports of abundant tick populations in recreational areas. The study aims to contribute to a better knowledge of the abiotic and biotic factors which impact the ecology of hard ticks in urban and peri-urban habitats in Romania. Methods Questing ticks were collected by flagging in seven recreational locations, from four types of habitats in Cluj-Napoca, Romania: parks; gardens; a cemetery; and peri-urban forests. Hedgehogs, birds and micromammals were also sampled and searched for ticks, using standard methods (i.e. torch-based searches, ornithological mist nets, snap-traps, etc.), while vegetation was evaluated on surveyed areas. Data on questing ticks were converted to abundance indices. Moodʼs median tests were used to assess the relationship between the abiotic and biotic factors and the abundance of questing ticks. Results Two species of questing ticks were found: Ixodes ricinus (96.8%) and Haemaphysalis punctata (3.2%). Ixodes ricinus was also the predominant engorged tick collected from urban wildlife. For I. ricinus the highest mean total abundance index/location (total no. of ticks/100 m2) was recorded in the urban gardens (3.79, 95% CI: ± 1.59) and parks (2.68, 95% CI: ± 0.75), whereas the lowest mean total abundance index was noted in the peri-urban forests (0.06, 95% CI: ± 0.03) and the urban cemetery (0.04, 95% CI: ± 0.02). The adults and nymphs of I. ricinus displayed a bimodal activity pattern, while the larvae showed a unimodal questing behaviour with an autumnal peak. Positive correlations were found between the mean total abundance index and the rise in the daily mean temperature and relative humidity, and between the global abundance of questing ticks and the presence of hedgehogs in the respective locations (P < 0.01). Conclusions Ticks were collected in all the recreational sites surveyed in Cluj-Napoca. Ixodes ricinus was the dominant questing and engorged tick species. Several abiotic and biotic factors shape the ecology of ticks in Cluj-Napoca city, with climate and the local presence of suitable hosts being the most important.

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“…On the other hand, D. reticulatus is a known vector of B. canis in the UK [ 41 ] and Croatia [ 42 ] and Ixodes ricinus is the vector of Babesia spp. in Romania [ 43 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infection with Babesia canis in dogs in the Algiers region: Parasitological and serological study

et al. 2020

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Background and Aim: Canine babesiosis is a vector-borne disease transmitted by ticks of the Ixodidae family. The effects of infection in dogs can range from the subclinical to the severe lethal form. This study aimed to make an original contribution to the knowledge of circulating species of Babesia spp. in dogs in the region of Algiers as well as mechanisms and risk factors for their transmission. Materials and Methods: An epidemiological study was carried out on 189 blood samples taken from dogs from April 2015 to January 2016. The samples taken underwent parasitological by Giemsa-stained blood smear and serological analyzes by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). The ticks were looked on all the dogs taken. Results: Giemsa-stained blood smears revealed the presence of two groups of parasites of the genus Babesia: Large Babesia (3/25, 12%) and small Babesia (22/25, 88%). The IFAT at a dilution of 1/32 showed an overall seroprevalence with Babesia canis of 17.98% (95% confidence interval 11.53-22.46). The distribution of the antibody titers for the positive samples showed that of the 34 positive sera with a titer ≥1/32, 28 sera remained positive at a dilution of 1/64 (14.81%), 22 at a dilution of 1/128 (11.64%) and 15 sera remained positive at a dilution of 1/256 (7.93%). Although seroprevalence varied according to canine population (20% and 19.49% in pet dogs and canine pound dogs, respectively, and 6.66-0% in farm dogs and hunting dogs, respectively), statistical analysis showed no significant differences between populations. The antibody titers obtained after several dilutions showed that 22 canine pound dog sera remained positive at a dilution of 1/128 compared to pet dogs and farm dogs which ceased to be positive at the dilution of 1/64. The comparison between the two diagnostic methods showed a strong agreement between the parasitological examination by blood smear and the serological method by IFAT. However, IFAT was much more sensitive. The analysis of risk factors, which may influence B. canis seroprevalence, has shown the influence of age, tick presence, and season. Finally, of the 242 ticks collected from a total of 59 dogs, only one tick species was identified, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Conclusion: This study indicates a frequent circulation of species of Babesia in the dog in the Algiers region and R. sanguineus was the only tick identified.

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Babesia, Theileria, and Hepatozoon species in ticks infesting animal hosts in Romania

Cited by 27 publications

References 38 publications

An Australian dog diagnosed with an exotic tick-borne infection: should Australia still be considered free from Hepatozoon canis?

An Australian dog diagnosed with an exotic tick-borne infection: should Australia still be considered free from Hepatozoon canis?

Impact of abiotic factors, habitat type and urban wildlife on the ecology of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in urban and peri-urban habitats

Infection with Babesia canis in dogs in the Algiers region: Parasitological and serological study

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