Molecular Detection of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Stray Dogs and Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato Ticks from Bangkok, Thailand

Do, Thom; Phoosangwalthong, Pornkamol; Kamyingkird, Ketsarin; Kengradomkij, Chanya; Chimnoi, Wissanuwat; Inpankaew, Tawin

doi:10.3390/pathogens10050561

Cited by 19 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…E. canis may be the most prevalent pathogen in Thailand, as shown in our study and previous studies, including those in the northeastern region (Maha Sarakham, Amnat Charoen, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Buriram), central region (Bangkok), western region (Kanjanaburi), and southern region (Songkhla) [ 7 , 13 , 16 , 18 , 21 , 26 , 27 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…This is the first report of multiple blood pathogen infections in southern Thailand, where the occurrence was 22%, considerably higher than that in the northeast (2% of stray dogs) [ 21 , 25 ], but lower than that in the central region (36% of stray dogs) [ 7 ]. Double infection is the most common type of multiple infection in all studies in Thailand, but the combinations are diverse depending on geography and are related to the common pathogen found in those areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Thailand, investigations of blood pathogens are often conducted on stray dogs, with an occurrence of between 35% and 76% [ 7 , 19–24 ], and on owned dogs who visit or stay in hospitals, with an occurrence of between 14% and 57% [ 13 , 16 , 18 , 25–28 ]. However, only one study examined the prevalence of blood pathogens in two sheltered dogs in northern and central Thailand, and found that the infection occurred at a rate of approximately 25% [ 10 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multiple blood pathogen infections in apparently healthy sheltered dogs in southern Thailand

Sontigun

Boonhoh

Fungwithaya

et al. 2022

International Journal of Veterinary Science and Medicine

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In developing countries such as Thailand, free-ranging dogs are frequently involved in road accidents and contribute to the cost of public healthcare. Shelters play a vital role in communities because they help to control the population of unwanted and free-ranging dogs. This study aimed to investigate blood pathogen infection in sheltered dogs, as it is one of the factors contributing to animal welfare. Blood samples were randomly collected from 141 dogs from the largest shelter (approximately 400–500 dogs in total) in southern Thailand. Blood pathogens were detected using both PCR and light microscopy. Four blood pathogens were identified: Anaplasma platys, Ehrlichia canis, Babesia canis vogeli , and Hepatozoon canis . No trypanosomes were detected. The incidence of blood parasite infection was 56.7% (80/141) by PCR, and 28.4% (40/141) by microscopy. E. canis was the most prevalent pathogen, accounting for 46.1% (65/141) of the cases, while multiple infections accounted for 22% (31/141) of the cases. A triple infection with E. canis, A. platys , and B. canis vogeli was observed in 5.7% (8/141) of the cases. Although PCR is far more sensitive than microscopy, it appears to have equivalent specificity. In conclusion, this study reported a high occurrence of blood pathogen infections in clinically healthy sheltered dogs. Many of them were infected with multiple pathogens and may have been infected before entering the shelter. These findings suggest that a blood test is necessary to screen dogs prior to their admission to the shelter to prevent disease transmission and enhance animal welfare.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multiple blood pathogen infections in apparently healthy sheltered dogs in southern Thailand

Sontigun

Boonhoh

Fungwithaya

et al. 2022

International Journal of Veterinary Science and Medicine

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“…in H. bispinosa ( 55 ), or even co-infection with two to four pathogens of Anaplasmataceae, Babesia spp., and Hepatozoon spp. in Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato collected from dogs in Bangkok, Thailand ( 56 ). Co-infection with more than three microorganisms was also reported in questing Ixodes scapularis ticks in Wisconsin, USA ( 29 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Bacterial Community in Questing Ticks From Khao Yai National Park in Thailand

et al. 2021

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Ticks are known vectors for a variety of pathogens including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. In this study, bacterial communities were investigated in active life stages of three tick genera (Haemaphysalis, Dermacentor, and Amblyomma) collected from Khao Yai National Park in Thailand. Four hundred and thirty-three questing ticks were selected for pathogen detection individually using real-time PCR assays, and 58 of these were subjected to further metagenomics analysis. A total of 62 ticks were found to be infected with pathogenic bacteria, for a 14.3% prevalence rate, with Amblyomma spp. exhibiting the highest infection rate (20.5%), followed by Haemaphysalis spp. (14.5%) and Dermacentor spp. (8.6%). Rickettsia spp. were the most prevalent bacteria (7.9%) found, followed by Ehrlichia spp. (3.2%), and Anaplasma spp. and Borrelia spp. each with a similar prevalence of 1.6%. Co-infection between pathogenic bacteria was only detected in three Haemaphysalis females, and all co-infections were between Rickettsia spp. and Anaplasmataceae (Ehrlichia spp. or Anaplasma spp.), accounting for 4.6% of infected ticks or 0.7% of all examined questing ticks. The prevalence of the Coxiella-like endosymbiont was also investigated. Of ticks tested, 65.8% were positive for the Coxiella-like endosymbiont, with the highest infection rate in nymphs (86.7%), followed by females (83.4%). Among tick genera, Haemaphysalis exhibited the highest prevalence of infection with the Coxiella-like endosymbiont. Ticks harboring the Coxiella-like endosymbiont were more likely to be infected with Ehrlichia spp. or Rickettsia spp. than those without, with statistical significance for Ehrlichia spp. infection in particular (p-values = 0.003 and 0.917 for Ehrlichia spp. and Rickettsia spp., respectively). Profiling the bacterial community in ticks using metagenomics revealed distinct, predominant bacterial taxa in tick genera. Alpha and beta diversities analyses showed that the bacterial community diversity and composition in Haemaphysalis spp. was significantly different from Amblyomma spp. However, when examining bacterial diversity among tick life stages (larva, nymph, and adult) in Haemaphysalis spp., no significant difference among life stages was detected. These results provide valuable information on the bacterial community composition and co-infection rates in questing ticks in Thailand, with implications for animal and human health.

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“…The most common Babesia species found in dogs in Thailand are B. canis [ 27 ] and B. vogeli [ 21 , 28 , 29 ]. Ticks have been considered as the main vector of Babesia transmission [ 30 ], in which Rhipicephalus Sanguineus ticks is the most common tick species in Thailand have been reportedly as carriers of B. canis and B. vogeli [ 29 , 31 ]. The transmission of B. gibsoni through tick species found in dogs in the studied area should be taken into account in further research in order to overcome the limitation of the present investigation as the lack of the pathogen detection in ticks.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Molecular Detection of Babesia gibsoni in Stray Dogs from Thailand

Ngasaman

Saechan

et al. 2021

Pathogens

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In southern Thailand, the increasingly growing population of stray dogs is a concern to public health and environmental safety because of the lack of medical attention and control. More importantly, these animals are considered reservoirs for many zoonotic pathogens. The objective of this study was to molecularly detect canine vector-borne pathogens, and to perform genetic characterization of Babesia gibsoni present in stray dogs from southern Thailand. Blood samples were collected from 174 stray dogs in two provinces (Songkhla and Narathiwat) in southern Thailand. PCR analyses were executed using specific primers based on the Babesia spp. 18S rRNA gene, Babesia gibsoni Internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region, Ehrlichia canis citrate synthase (gltA) gene, Hepatozoon spp. 18S rRNA gene and Anaplasma platys heat shock protein (groEL) gene. The most common canine vector-borne pathogen found infecting stray dogs in this study was Hepatozoon canis (24.7%) followed by A. platys (14.9%), Babesia vogeli (8.0%), B. gibsoni (6.3%), and E. canis (1.72%). Concurrent infection with more than one pathogen occurred in 72 cases. Phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS1 region and 18S rRNA gene revealed that the B. gibsoni isolates from this study shared a large proportion of their identities with each other and with other reported B. gibsoni genotypes from Asia. This study highlights the molecular detection of B. gibsoni in dogs in Thailand for the first time and presents the genetic characterization by sequencing the ITS1 region and 18S rRNA gene of B. gibsoni from Thailand. Follow-up studies are needed to elucidate the origin, distribution, and vectors of B. gibsoni parasites circulating in dogs in Thailand, as well as to determine to what extent dogs are important reservoir hosts for zoonotic canine vector-borne disease infection in the studied area.

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Molecular Detection of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Stray Dogs and Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato Ticks from Bangkok, Thailand

Cited by 19 publications

References 42 publications

Multiple blood pathogen infections in apparently healthy sheltered dogs in southern Thailand

Multiple blood pathogen infections in apparently healthy sheltered dogs in southern Thailand

The Bacterial Community in Questing Ticks From Khao Yai National Park in Thailand

First Molecular Detection of Babesia gibsoni in Stray Dogs from Thailand

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