Prevalence of Demodex infection in pet dogs in Southern China

Abstract

Canine demodicosis caused by ectoparasitic mites in the genus Demodex is a major and common ectoparasitic disease of dogs. However, little is known of the prevalence of Demodex infection in pet dogs in China. The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Demodex infection in pet dogs in Guangzhou, Southern China. A total of 3977 pet dogs admitted to several animal hospitals in Guangzhou City were investigated for Demodex infection from January to December 2009. The result showed that 977 (24.57%) dogs were positive for dermatosis and 130 (13.31%) of the dermopathic dogs were positive for Demodex infection. No significant association was found between Demodex prevalence and season, age, and gender of pet dogs. Seasonal prevalence showed that the highest and lowest were in March (4.15%) and December (1.39%), respectively. The prevalence in male dogs (3.67%) was higher than that in female dogs (2.74%). Dogs of 1 to 5 year old were more commonly infected than other age groups. The present investigation revealed the prevalence of Demodex infection in pet dogs in China's subtropical Guangzhou City, which accounts for 13.31% of canine dermatosis cases. These results have important implications for conducting control strategies and measures against canine demodicosis in this region.

Principales hipótesis inmunológicas de la demodicosis canina

“…el manejo de esta enfermedad es considerado un desafío para la Dermatología Veterinaria (1)(2)(3)(4). los ácaros del género Demodex se encuentran de manera natural en la piel de sus hospederos (mamíferos), formando parte de la microbiota; en la mayoría de los casos no generan una reacción adversa en sus hospederos, pues el sistema inmunológico de estos detecta la presencia de los ácaros y ejerce un control sobre ellos sin necesidad de una respuesta inflamatoria, manteniendo un número bajo de Demodex; sin embargo, por causas aún desconocidas con exactitud, los ácaros del género Demodex proliferan, generando la enfermedad (5)(6)(7)(8). la demodicosis se asocia a perros que presentan alguna inmunodeficiencia, relacionada, generalmente, a terapias inmunosupresoras (hormonal y citotóxicas), así como a enfermedades crónico-degenerativas como la diabetes mellitus y cáncer; en cachorros, el estrés puede jugar un papel importante en la aparición de esta patología (4,6,(8)(9)(10)(11).…”