Vector Surveillance and Pathogen Detection in the Working Areas of Military Working Dogs in Eastern Austria

Abstract

Vector-borne diseases play a major role in human and veterinary medicine worldwide. A previous study detected asymptomatic vector-borne pathogens in military working dogs stationed at a military base in eastern Austria, and a follow-up survey of potential arthropod vectors was conducted in spring 2019 and 2020 in the vicinity of the base to evaluate the presence of vectors and their carrier status for a range of canine and zoonotic pathogens. A total of 1324 ticks (nymphs and adults of Ixodes ricinus, comprising 92.9% of the collected specimens, and adults of Haemaphysalis inermis, a tick previously only rarely described in Austria, Haemaphysalis concinna, and Dermacentor reticulatus) were collected by flagging. In 44.1% (125/284) of all pools (n = 284), one infectious agent was found; in 27.8% (79/284) and in 1.1% (3/284), two and three different agents, respectively, could be identified. Overall, 72.9% of the pools contained at least one pathogen (Borrelia spp., Rickettsia spp., Bartonella spp., and Babesia microti). Borrelia mijamotoi, B. lustinaniae, and B. microti were previously only described in single cases in Austria. Mosquitoes were collected with BG-Sentinel traps monthly during the summer of 2019. A total of 71 individuals from 11 species were collected. No filarioid DNA was detected in the mosquito sample pools, although Dirofilaria repens had been present in the dogs from the military site. In conclusion, vector surveillance should be combined with the surveillance of an exposed population whenever possible to estimate the infection risks for dogs and their handlers.

The Tick Issue as a Reflection of Society–Nature Relations: Localized Perspectives, Health Issues and Personal Responsibility—A Multi-Actor Sociological Survey in a Rural Region (The Argonne Region, France)

“…But it is, above all, the perceptive effect that stands out here. The animals act as relays, conveying to them the concrete reality of tick risks-which have been demonstrated in the literature, for instance in a study focusing on military working dogs in Austria (Sonnberger et al 2022). A farmer from the Marne region, also a hunter, thus explained that hunting dogs are often the first concrete indicators of tick presence: "You often see [ticks] on the dogs first.…”