Serological and molecular prevalence of canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) in Korea

Abstract

BackgroundPrevious surveys in dogs from Korea indicated that dogs are exposed to a variety of vector- borne pathogens, but perception for a nation-wide canine vector-borne disease (CVBD) occurrence has been missing. We report here results of both serological and molecular prevalence studies for major CVBDs of dogs from all over the South Korean Peninsula except for Jeju Island.ResultsSerological survey of 532 outdoor dogs revealed the highest prevalence for Dirofilaria immitis (25.2%), followed by Anaplasma phagocytophilum (15.6%), Ehrlichia canis (4.7%) whereas Borrelia burgdorferi showed the lowest prevalence (1.1%). The number of serologically positive dogs for any of the four pathogens was 216 (40.6%). Concurrent real-time PCR assay of 440 dogs in the study indicated that DNA of “Candidatus M. haematoparvum”, Mycoplasma haemocanis, Babesia gibsoni, A. phagocytophilum, and Hepatozoon canis was identified in 190 (43.2%), 168 (38.2%), 23 (5.2%), 10 (2.3%) and 1 (0.2%) dogs, respectively. DNA of Bartonella spp., Ehrlichia spp., Leishmania spp., Rickettsia spp. and Neorickettsia risticii was not identified. Analysis of questionnaires collected from owners of 440 dogs showed that the number of dogs with heartworm preventive medication was 348 (79.1%) among which dogs still positive to D. immitis infection were 60 (17.2%), probably due to the mean months of heartworm preventive medication being only 6.5. The high prevalence rates of both “Ca. M. haematoparvum” and Mycoplasma haemocanis in dogs from Korea indicate that these organisms may be transmitted by vectors other than Rhipicephalus sanguineus because this tick species has rarely been found in Korea. This is the first nationwide survey for canine haemotropic mycoplasma infections in Korea.ConclusionsThis study showed that the risk of exposure to major vector-borne diseases in dogs is quite high throughout all areas of South Korean Peninsula. Since achieving full elimination of many pathogens causing CVBDs from infected animals is often impossible even when they are clinically cured, dogs once exposed to CVBDs can remain as lifetime reservoirs of disease for both other animals and humans in the close vicinity, and should therefore be treated with preventative medications to minimise the risk of pathogen transmission by the competent vectors.

Bartonella infections in cats and dogs including zoonotic aspects

“…seroprevalence (%) PCR / culture prevalence (%) Confirmed Bartonella spp. and type Reference Africa East nf PCR: 0 nf [ 269 ] Central nf PCR: 2.3 B. clarridgeiae , B. henselae [ 27 ] North 19.5–47.4 PCR: 0.85–37.1 B. clarridgeiae , B. elizabethae , B. henselae , B. rochalimae , B. vinsonii berkhoffii [ 230 , 270 – 272 ] South 14 PCR: 0–9.0; Culture: 0 B. henselae [ 233 , 273 , 274 ] West nf PCR: 0 nf [ 275 ] Asia Middle East 6.6–47.4 Culture and PCR: 9.2–37.1 “ Candidatus Bartonella merieuxii”, B. vinsonii berkhoffii (type III in one study) [ 276 – 278 ] South Korea nf PCR: 0–29.6 B. clarridgeiae , B. henselae [ 241 , 279 , 280 ] Sri Lanka 5.1 PCR: 3.38 Bartonella strain HMD [ 281 ] Thailand 38 PCR: 1.8; Culture and PCR: 0.3–31.3 B. clarridgeiae , B. elizabethae , B. grahamii , B. quintana , B. taylorii , B. vinsonii arupensis [ 40 , 282 – …”

Clinical Case of a Transfusion-Associated Canine Mycoplasma haemocanis Infection in the Republic of Korea: A Case Report

“…In one study, only 1 out of 510 randomly selected healthy dogs in Korea was infected with M. haemocanis according to sequential confirmation after DNA amplification [2]. However, another study performed in 2017 indicated that 168 out of 440 Korean outdoor dogs (38.2%) were confirmed to have M. haemocanis infection, as evidenced by multiplex PCR [6] testing performed by a reference laboratory; however, sequential confirmation was not performed. The sample selection and methodological differences might have contributed to the differing prevalence.…”

Molecular Detection and Characterization of Borrelia garinii (Spirochaetales: Borreliaceae) in Ixodes nipponensis (Ixodida: Ixodidae) Parasitizing a Dog in Korea

“…In Korea, some studies have serologically identified Borrelia in dogs, and the seroprevalence ranges between 1.1% and 2.2% [12,35,36]; however, Borrelia infection in dogs has not been molecularly proven. Haemaphysalis longicornis is known as a dominant tick species in Korea, and other tick species, including Ixodes, Amblyomma, and Rhipicephalus, have been identified in different environments [37,38].…”