Evidence of the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi in dogs and associated ticks in Egypt

Abstract

Background Borrelia burgdorferi is the spirochete that causes Lyme Borreliosis (LB), which is a zoonotic tick-borne disease of humans and domestic animals. Hard ticks are obligate haematophagous ectoparasites that serve as vectors of Borrelia burgdorferi. Studies on the presence of Lyme borreliosis in Egyptian animals and associated ticks are scarce. Methods This study was conducted to detect B. burgdorferi in different tick vectors and animal hosts. Three hundred animals (dogs=100, cattle=100, and camels=100) were inspected for tick infestation. Blood samples from 160 tick-infested animals and their associated ticks (n=1025) were collected and examined for the infection with B. burgdorferi by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. The identified tick species were characterized molecularly by PCR and sequencing of the ITS2 region. Results The overall tick infestation rate among examined animals was 78.33% (235/300). The rate of infestation was significantly higher in camels (90%), followed by cattle (76%) and dogs (69%); (P = 0.001). Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus, and both Hyalomma dromedarii and Amblyomma variegatum, were morphologically identified from infested dogs, cattle, and camels; respectively. Molecular characterization of ticks using the ITS2 region confirmed the morphological identification, as well as displayed high similarities of R. sanguineus, H. dromedarii, and A. Variegatu with ticks identified in Egypt and various continents worldwide. Just one dog (1.67%) and its associated tick pool of R. sanguineus were positive for B. burgdorferi infection. The 16S rRNA gene sequence for B. burgdorferi in dog and R. sanguineus tick pool showed a 100% homology. Conclusion Analyzed data revealed a relatively low rate of B. burgdorferi infection, but a significantly high prevalence of tick infestation among domesticated animals in Egypt, which possesses a potential animal and public health risk. Additionally, molecular characterization of ticks using the ITS2 region was a reliable tool to discriminate species of ticks and confirmed the morphological identification.

Screening and phylogenetic characterization of tick-borne pathogens in a population of dogs and associated ticks in Egypt

“…Ticks, as blood-feeding ectoparasites, directly damage vertebrate hosts during blood sucking and indirectly by transmitting many pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoa [ 1 – 4 ]. Rhipicephalus sanguineus (s.l.)…”

Doença de Lyme canina: Relato de caso

“…Doença de Lyme (DL) ou borreliose é uma doença infecciosa não contagiosa, emergente, multissistêmica de distribuição mundial, com potencial zoonótico (Elhelw et al, 2021). É a principal doença transmitida por vetores no hemisfério Norte (Irwin et al, 2017).…”

“…Os sinais clínicos podem ser diferentes de acordo com a espécie de Borrelia. Somente 5-15% dos animais infectados costumam apresentar sintomas, sendo assim, podemos perceber uma subestimação significativa da prevalência da doença (Elhelw et al, 2021). Em cães de experimentação, o período de incubação foi de 2 a 5 meses (Bowman, 2010).…”

“…Essa doença tem distribuição mundial (Littman et al, 2006;Tilley et al, 2008). Os sinais clínicos, na grande maioria dos casos são inespecíficos, e os animais apresentam febre, letargia, linfoadenomegalia e trombocitopenia, alterações que podem ser indicativas de outras doenças (Elhelw et al, 2021). Os transmissores são os Ixodes e possivelmente o Amblyomma e a bactéria espiroqueta vai se disseminar no hospedeiro pela união ao plasminogênio sem ativadores na ativação do complemento e resistência ao soro também, seguindo por uma resposta inflamatória desencadeada pelas lipoproteínas.…”

Tick-borne diseases in Egypt: A one health perspective

“… Cats, cattle, humans, rodents ND Fayoum, Menofia, Sinai [ 62 , [96] , [97] , [98] , [99] ]. Bartonella elizabethae, Candidatus Bartonella fadhilae, Candidatus Bartonella sanaae Rodents ND Sinai [ [100] , [101] , [102] ] Borreliosis Lyme borelliosis Borrelia burgdorferi Cattle, dogs, humans Hyalomma anatolicum excavatum, Rhipicephalus sanguineus Benisuif, Cairo, Fayoum, Giza, Qualyobia [ 94 , [103] , [104] , [105] ] Bovine borreliosis Borrelia theileri Cattle, horses, sheep Rhipicephalus annulatus Benisuef, Cairo, Fayoum [ 45 , 98 ] Tick-borne relapsing fever Borrelia crocidurae Foxes, hedgehogs, owls, rodents Ornithodorous erraticus Coastal strip, Lower Nile valley, Matrouh, Nile Delta [ 19 , 106 , 107 ] Q fever Coxiella burnetii Camels, cattle, dogs, humans Amblyomma variegatum, Argas persicus, Hyalomma anatolicum, Hyalomma dromedarii, Rhipicephalus pulchellus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus Alexandria, Aswan, Cairo, Dakahlia, Giza, Ismailia, Matrouh, New valley, Port Said, Sharkia, Sinai [ 46 , 90 , [116] , [117] , [118] , [108] , [109] , [110] , [111] , …”