Department of Parasitology, Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
Vet Parasitol. 2009 Dec 23;166(3-4):191-8. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.09.038. Epub 2009 Sep 26.
Vector-borne infections constitute increasing health problem in dogs worldwide, including sled dogs, dramatically decreasing the fitness of working dogs and even leading to death. In the period 2006-2008 eighty-two blood samples were collected from eight sled dog kennels in Central Poland. The prevalence of four vector-borne infections (Babesia canis, Bartonella sp., Anaplasma/Ehrlichia and Borrelia burgdorferi) was estimated in 82 sled dogs using PCR and nested PCR for diagnosis and the same methods were used to identify the vector-borne pathogens in 26 dogs presenting at veterinary clinics with symptoms of vector-borne diseases. None of four studied vector-borne pathogens was detected in samples originating from veterinary clinics. Among the remaining 82 dogs B. canis infections were confirmed in three dogs undergoing treatment for babesiosis. The DNA of tick-borne pathogens was also found among 22 (27.8%) of the 79 apparently healthy dogs, including 20 cases of B. canis infection (25.3%), one case of B. burgdorferi s.l. infection and one case of Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection. No evidence of Bartonella spp. and Ehrlichia canis infections were found in this set of samples. Sequencing of a Babesia fragment of 18S rDNA amplified from acute (n=5) and asymptomatic (n=5) cases revealed that all isolates were identical to the Babesia canis canis sequence, originally isolated from Dermacentor reticulatus ticks in Poland. A range of factors was shown to affect the distribution of babesiosis in sled dogs. The data are also discussed in respect to the health risk factors generated by asymptomatic B. canis infections and the efficiency of chemoprophylaxis measures taken by sled dog owners.
全球范围内，犬类的 Vector-borne infections（虫媒传染病）已成为日益严重的健康问题，包括雪橇犬。这些疾病严重降低了工作犬的健康水平，甚至导致犬只死亡。在 2006 年至 2008 年期间，从波兰中部的 8 个雪橇犬养殖场采集了 82 份血液样本。采用 PCR 和巢式 PCR 方法对 82 只雪橇犬进行了 4 种 Vector-borne infections（犬巴贝斯虫病、巴尔通体病、无形体/埃立克体病和莱姆病）的检测，兽医诊所中患有 Vector-borne diseases（虫媒传染病）症状的 26 只犬只也采用相同的方法进行了病原体检测。在所检测的样本中，均未检测到这 4 种研究的 Vector-borne pathogens（虫媒传染病病原体）。在兽医诊所就诊的其余 82 只犬中，有 3 只正在接受 babesiosis（巴贝斯虫病）治疗的犬被确诊患有 B. canis 感染。在 79 只看似健康的犬中，有 22 只（27.8%）的犬 tick-borne pathogens（蜱传病原体）的 DNA 检测结果为阳性，包括 20 例 B. canis 感染（25.3%）、1 例 B. burgdorferi s.l. 感染和 1 例 Anaplasma phagocytophilum 感染。在这组样本中未发现 Bartonella spp.（巴尔通体属）和 Ehrlichia canis（犬埃立克体病）感染的证据。从急性（n=5）和无症状（n=5）病例中扩增的 18S rDNA 的 Babesia 片段测序表明，所有分离株与最初从波兰的 Dermacentor reticulatus 蜱中分离出的 B. canis canis 序列完全相同。一系列因素被证明会影响雪橇犬巴贝斯虫病的分布。这些数据还讨论了无症状 B. canis 感染产生的健康风险因素以及雪橇犬主人采取的化学预防措施的效率。
