Molecular Survey onRickettsiaspp.,Anaplasma phagocytophilum,Borrelia burgdorferiSensu Lato, andBabesiaspp. inIxodes ricinusTicks Infesting Dogs in Central Italy

Morganti, Giulia; Gavaudan, Stefano; Canonico, Cristina; Ravagnan, Silvia; Olivieri, Emanuela; Diaferia, Manuela; Marenzoni, Maria Luisa; Antognoni, Maria Teresa; Capelli, Gioia; Silaghi, Cornelia; Veronesi, Fabrizia

doi:10.1089/vbz.2017.2154

Cited by 30 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…A. phagocytophilum occurs in the northern hemisphere, and it is vectored by hard ticks of the Ixodes ricinus, among them, the sheep tick I. ricinus in Europe. A. phagocytophilum has been detected across Europe, with varying prevalence in ticks, ranging from 1.7% in north-eastern Slovakia [37], 4.1% in Germany [38], 10.4% in central Italy [39] to 20.5 % in Spain [40]. In Poland, the pathogen A. phagocytophilum is reported to occur in its vector I. ricinus in numerous studies and the prevalence in ticks has been ranging from 2.9% in the central region [41] to 4.5% in the north-west [42].…”

Section: Tick-borne Diseases In Urban and Peri-urban Areas Mean A Rismentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of companion animals in the environmental circulation of tick-borne bacterial pathogens

Skotarczak¹

2018

Ann Agric Environ Med.

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Ticks are known as vectors of a wide range of pathogens of medical and veterinary importance; some of them of zoonotic concern constitute a hazard for the emergence of tick-borne diseases shared between humans and domestic animals and becoming a part of the 'One Health' concept. Canine and feline tick-borne diseases have emerged in recent years, performing an extensive geographic distribution and enlarged global prevalence. The present review focuses on the recent epidemiological studies on the emergence of tick-borne bacterial pathogens in dogs and cats, and the discussion whether pet ownership increases the risk of tick-borne diseases. A lot of data provide confirmation that dogs and cats themselves may substantially contribute to the circulation of the ticks and tick-borne bacterial pathogens in the environment. Molecular diagnostics of tick-borne pathogens infections generates a lot of problems like the choice of molecular methods and molecular markers for the detection of bacterial genomic DNA, but play an important role in the diagnosis of infections. The study provides some insight into molecular diagnostic techniques and new potentially recognized bacterial pathogens of this group. Protecting human and companion animal health from vector-borne infections requires controlling vector populations, containing development of novel, practicable strategies that will limit vectors and transmission of vector-borne disease pathogens.

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Section: Tick-borne Diseases In Urban and Peri-urban Areas Mean A Rismentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of companion animals in the environmental circulation of tick-borne bacterial pathogens

Skotarczak¹

2018

Ann Agric Environ Med.

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“…Italy is a European country with many species of ticks, with about 40 different species reported [ 3 ]. However, to date, there has been no surveillance program in Italy, and information regarding Italian ixodofauna of dogs is limited to local surveys of single tick species and their pathogens [ 15 ], or to ticks collected from the environment [ 16 – 20 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A national survey of Ixodidae ticks on privately owned dogs in Italy

et al. 2018

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BackgroundThe geographical distribution of ticks on companion animals needs to be monitored to develop and plan effective control measures, as suggested by the European Scientific Counsel on Companion Animal Parasites. The aim of this study was to conduct the first Italian national survey of tick distribution on privately owned dogs.MethodsThe study was performed over 20 months (February 2016 - September 2017) and involved 153 veterinary practices in 64 different provinces covering 17/20 (85%) Italian regions. Participating practitioners were asked to examine five different dogs per month at random and complete a questionnaire for each dog. Differences in tick infestation associated with: sex, age and hair length (long and short); the dog’s habitat (indoor or outdoor/kennel); and the dog’s environment (urban or rural/sylvatic) were evaluated. The attachment site of ticks on the dog was also recorded. Acaricide efficacy was evaluated for the subset of dogs for which complete information on product used, date of sampling and date of last ectoparasiticide treatment was available.ResultsOf the 3026 dogs examined, 1383 (45.7%) were carrying at least one tick. Overall, 2439 tick samples were collected and a total of 14 tick species identified. Rhipicephalus sanguineus group were the most predominant ticks (63.6%), followed by Ixodes ricinus (30.6%) and I. hexagonus (5.6%). Twenty-four dogs had mixed tick infestations. Long-haired dogs had a higher tick infestation risk as did dogs with outdoor and rural/sylvatic lifestyles. Ticks were located on the head (37.4%), the neck (28.8%), the muzzle (15.5%) and the back (15.3%). A higher prevalence of Rhipicephalus was found in the interdigital spaces (10.8%) compared to Ixodes (0.2%). Finally, ectoparasiticide treatments were found significantly protective against tick infestation, especially orally administered formulations.ConclusionsPrivately owned dogs in Italy have a high prevalence (45.7%) of infestation with ixodid ticks and this risk varies by dog phenotype and lifestyle.

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“…[45]. Previous studies report A. phagocytophilum in ticks of domestic dogs and wild carnivores from Italy, with a prevalence ranging from 0% to 16.6% [22,[46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54]. A. platys and E. canis were reported in tick pools from both northern and southern provinces (p>0.05), in contrast with previous reports of higher seroprevalence levels in dogs from southern Italy [54,55] and Sardinia [56].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 72%

Tick-borne pathogens in Ixodidae ticks collected from privately-owned dogs in Italy: a country-wide molecular survey

Zanet

Battisti

Pepe

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background Ticks and tick-borne diseases are increasingly recognized as a cause of disease in dogs worldwide. The epidemiology of ticks and tick-transmitted protozoa and bacteria has changed due to the spread of ticks to urban and peri-urban areas and the movement of infected animals, posing new risks for animals and humans. This countrywide study reports information on distribution and prevalence of pathogens in ticks collected from privately-owned dogs in Italy. We analyzed 2681 Ixodidae ticks, collected from 1454 pet dogs from Italy. Specific PCR protocols were used to detect i) Piroplasms of the genera Babesia and Theileria , ii) Gram-negative cocci of the family Anaplasmataceae and iii) Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Sequencing of positive amplicons allowed for species identification. Results Babesia / Theileria spp. DNA was detected in 435 homogeneous tick-pools (Minimum Infection Rate (MIR) = 27.6%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 25.4-29.8%) with higher prevalence in Ixodes ricinus and Rhipicephalus sanguneus group. The zoonotic B. venatorum was the most prevalent species (MIR = 7.5%; 95% CI = 6.3-9.0%). Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species were detected in 165 tick-pools (MIR = 10.5%; 95% CI = 9.3-11.8%) and specifically, A. phagocytophilum was identified with MIR = 5.1% (95% CI = 4.1-6.3%). Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and B. afzelii were detected with MIR = 0.4% (95% CI = 0.2-0.8%) and MIR = 0.3% (95% CI 0.1-0.7%) respectively. Conclusions Zoonotic pathogens B. venatorum and A. phagocytophilum were the most frequently detected in ticks collected from privately-owned dogs which might be used as markers of pathogens presence and distribution.

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Molecular Survey onRickettsiaspp.,Anaplasma phagocytophilum,Borrelia burgdorferiSensu Lato, andBabesiaspp. inIxodes ricinusTicks Infesting Dogs in Central Italy

Cited by 30 publications

References 51 publications

The role of companion animals in the environmental circulation of tick-borne bacterial pathogens

The role of companion animals in the environmental circulation of tick-borne bacterial pathogens

A national survey of Ixodidae ticks on privately owned dogs in Italy

Tick-borne pathogens in Ixodidae ticks collected from privately-owned dogs in Italy: a country-wide molecular survey

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