Prevalence of canine tick-borne haemoparasites in three Divisional Secretariat Divisions (Rambewa, Tirappane, and Galenbidunuwewa) in the Anuradhapura district, Sri Lanka

Weerathunga, Dulmini; Amarasinghe, Anjalie; Iddawela, Devika; Wickramasinghe, Susiji

doi:10.4038/sljid.v9i2.8254

“…This study revealed that over a third of owned dogs in Sri Lanka were positive for B. gibsoni compared to 15% detected by Weerathunga et al [14] using light microscopy in Anuradhapura district. The prevalence of E. canis in owned dogs in Sri Lanka at 4.5% was significantly lower than the previous 17% reported for 'apparently healthy' stray dogs in the country using nested PCR [11] and 24.5% using microscopy by Weerathunga et al [14]. This discrepancy might be explained due to differences in study cohorts (owned versus stray dogs) in the former and the low specificity (high-false positivity rate) of microscopic identification of E. canis morulae in the latter.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 51%

“…In addition, this study attributes B. vogeli as the large Babesia species infecting dogs in Sri Lanka, which has to date, been likely misclassified as B. canis using light microscopy [7,14]. This study revealed that over a third of owned dogs in Sri Lanka were positive for B. gibsoni compared to 15% detected by Weerathunga et al [14] using light microscopy in Anuradhapura district.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…In addition, this study attributes B. vogeli as the large Babesia species infecting dogs in Sri Lanka, which has to date, been likely misclassified as B. canis using light microscopy [7,14]. This study revealed that over a third of owned dogs in Sri Lanka were positive for B. gibsoni compared to 15% detected by Weerathunga et al [14] using light microscopy in Anuradhapura district. The prevalence of E. canis in owned dogs in Sri Lanka at 4.5% was significantly lower than the previous 17% reported for 'apparently healthy' stray dogs in the country using nested PCR [11] and 24.5% using microscopy by Weerathunga et al [14].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Additionally, many of these studies [7,8,10,14] utilised microscopic-based methods for diagnosing VBP, which are notorious for their low sensitivity [15]. Only one study utilised molecular assays to detect the prevalence of E. canis in stray dogs residing within the Colombo district [11], and another utilised immunodiagnostic assays for the seroprevalence of Anaplasma spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence, Distribution, and Factors Associated with Vector-Borne Pathogen Infections in Pet Dogs from Different Geoclimatic Zones in Sri Lanka

Atapattu,

Colella,

Worsley

et al. 2023

Transboundary and Emerging Diseases

2

0

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Vector-borne pathogens (VBPs) cause significant diseases in dogs in the tropics. In Sri Lanka, the scarce availability of previous studies on canine VBPs has hampered an accurate evaluation of their prevalence in pet dog populations. In this study, we collected demographic, clinical, and environmental data together with whole blood from 423 pet dogs from three geoclimatic zones in Sri Lanka. All blood samples were screened using a previously validated multiplex qPCR assay to detect the six most prevalent canine VBPs in tropical Asia. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to investigate environmental and host factors as predictors of VBP infections. Overall, 254 dogs (60.1%, 95% CI: 55.3–64.6%) were infected with one or more VBPs. Babesia gibsoni was the most prevalent VBP with 37.4% (95% CI: 32.7–42.2%) of dogs infected followed by Hepatozoon canis (21.04%, 95% CI: 17.25–25.24%), haemotropic mycoplasmas (10.2%, 95% CI: 7.5–13.4%), Babesia vogeli (5%, 95% CI: 3.2–7.5%), Ehrlichia canis (4.5%, 95% CI: 2.7–6.9%), and Anaplasma platys (3.8%, 95% CI: 2.12–6.1%). Predictors of VBP infections included tick infestation for H. canis ( p = 0.05 ) and A. platys ( p = 0.01 ), as well as age for B. gibsoni ( p = 0.01 ) and H. canis ( p = 0.05 ) infection. Local breed ( p = 0.004 ), male dogs ( p = 0.001 ) and flea infestation ( p = 0.04 ) were significantly associated with haemotropic mycoplasma infections suggesting direct-blood exchange through fighting and fleas as a possible means of transmission for these pathogens. Clinical results suggest that B. gibsoni and E. canis caused clinically significant disease, especially in exotic breeds such as German shepherds and Rottweilers compared to the local breeds ( p < 0.001 ). Measures such as educating pet dog owners on the importance of being vigilant on ectoparasite infestation of their pets, preventing pet dogs from interacting with stray or community dogs, and the compliant use of effective ectoparasiticides will be crucial for effective control of VBPs in pet dogs in Sri Lanka.

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