Species composition, distribution, ecological preference and host association of ticks in Cyprus

Tsatsaris, Andreas; Chochlakis, Dimosthenis; Papadopoulos, Byron; Petsa, Aikaterini; Georgalis, Leonidas; Angelakis, Emmanouil; Ioannou, Ioannis; Tselentis, Yannis; Psaroulaki, Anna

doi:10.1007/s10493-016-0091-9

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…The general spatial distribution of ticks in Italy observed in the present survey is consistent with findings of large-scale studies conducted in Mediterranean countries including Spain [ 9 ], Cyprus [ 13 ] and Greece [ 35 ]. These studies found R. sanguineus group to be the most prevalent tick species, while studies in temperate European countries including the Netherlands [ 36 ], Belgium [ 10 ] and UK [ 12 ] reported a higher prevalence of I. ricinus and I. hexagonus .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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

et al. 2018

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“…The area of Paphos, Cyprus, may be Lyme disease free as no anti- B . burgdorferi antibodies were detected in any of the dogs tested in this study, and the tick vectors that transmit this pathogen, including Ixodes Ricinus , have not yet been identified in Cyprus [12]. In two dogs (1%) antigens for D .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between clinical canine leishmaniosis and multiple vector-borne co-infections: a case-control serological study

et al. 2019

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Background Dogs that have clinical leishmaniosis (ClinL), caused by the parasite Leishmania infantum, are commonly co-infected with other pathogens, especially vector-borne pathogens (VBP). A recent PCR-based study found that ClinL dogs are more likely to be additionally infected with the rickettsial bacteria Ehrlichia canis. Further information on co-infections in ClinL cases with VBP, as assessed by serology, is required. The research described in this report determined if dogs with ClinL are at higher risk of exposure to VBP than healthy control dogs using a case-control serology study. Results Of the 47 dogs with ClinL, anti-E. canis/ Ehrlichia ewingii antibodies were detected in 17 (36.2%), anti-Anaplasma phagocytophilum/Anaplasma platys antibodies in 5 (10.6%) and antigen for Dirofilaria immitis in 2 (4.3%). Of the 87 control dogs, anti-E. canis/E. ewingii antibodies were detected in 14 (16.1%) and anti-A. phagocytophilum/A. platys antibodies in 2 (2.3%). No anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibody tests were positive. No statistical differences between the ClinL dogs and control dogs regarding lifestyle or use of ectoparasitic prevention, were identified. The ClinL was significantly associated with anti-E. canis/E. ewingii antibodies (odds ratio = 2.9, 95% confidence interval: 1.3–6.7, P = 0.010) compared to controls by both multivariable logistic regression and structural equation modelling. Conclusions It was demonstrated that an increased risk for E. canis/E. ewingii seropositivity is present in dogs with ClinL compared to clinically healthy control dogs, despite similar ectoparasitic prevention use and lifestyle. Based on these findings it is suggested that dogs with ClinL should not only be tested for E. canis co-infection using PCR but also serologically for E. canis/E. ewingii.

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“…In Morocco, Morel (2000) revealed that the seasonal dynamic of R. bursa was unimodal, with a peak in activity during the warm season ranging from March to September; this finding is similar to the results of the present study. Likewise, the R. turanicus tick species appears in March and disappears in July (Tsatsaris et al 2016). As shown in Figure 2, R. turanicus has been collected between April and November, with a peak infestation in April and May.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal activity of ticks infesting domestic dogs in Bejaia province, Northern Algeria

Kebbi

Nait-Mouloud

Hassissen³

et al. 2019

Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research

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This epidemiological study aimed to determine the species of tick infestation in dogs, their prevalence and dynamic in the Bejaia province, northeastern Algeria. A total of 631 dogs were examined from different localities of the Bejaia province between March 2016 and February 2017. Of the 631 examined dogs, 15% were infested with one or more tick species. A total of 339 adult ticks were collected and identified, including 199 male tick species and 140 female tick species. Our results revealed that most of these were Rhipicephalus species, with Rhipicephalus sanguineus (51.32%) being the most prevalent followed by Rhipicephalus bursa (35.1%) and Rhipicephalus turanicus (12.98%). Ixodes ricinus represented only 0.6% of all ticks collected. The highest infested seasons were spring (22.55%) and summer (22.54%) and the lowest infested seasons were autumn (8.62%) and winter ( 0.9%). There is no significant difference between the sex of the animal and the prevalence of infestation (p = 0.837). Also, the prevalence of infestation by ticks in young animals was higher than that in adult animals (p = 0.550). A significant difference between the prevalence of infestation and animal breed was observed (p = 0.042). This study is the first epidemiological investigation conducted on the prevalence of hard ticks infesting domestic dogs in Bejaia (northeastern Algeria) based on conventional methods. It is therefore necessary to implement an effective tick control strategy during infestation periods in order to prevent vector-borne diseases.

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Species composition, distribution, ecological preference and host association of ticks in Cyprus

Cited by 19 publications

References 47 publications

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

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

Associations between clinical canine leishmaniosis and multiple vector-borne co-infections: a case-control serological study

Seasonal activity of ticks infesting domestic dogs in Bejaia province, Northern Algeria

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