Hodo Carolyn L, Rodriguez Jessica Y, Curtis-Robles Rachel, Zecca Italo B, Snowden Karen F, Cummings Kevin J, Hamer Sarah A
Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.
J Vet Intern Med. 2019 Jan;33(1):158-166. doi: 10.1111/jvim.15352. Epub 2018 Nov 29.
Vector-borne diseases have an adverse impact on health of dogs, and infected dogs can be sentinels for human infection. Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi, an agent of Chagas disease, causes fatal heart disease in dogs across the southern United States but has been neglected from wide-scale prevalence studies.
To determine the prevalence of exposure to T. cruzi, Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Borrelia burgdorferi, and infection with Dirofilaria immitis among dogs in shelters across Texas and to identify risk factors for T. cruzi seropositivity.
Six hundred and eight dogs.
This repeated cross-sectional study was performed by collecting blood from ~30 dogs during each of the 3 visits to 7 shelters. We tested serum for antibodies to T. cruzi using 2 tests in series and for antibodies to Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., and B. burgdorferi and D. immitis antigen using the IDEXX SNAP 4DX Plus point-of-care test. DNA was extracted from blood clots and tested for T. cruzi DNA and strain type via quantitative polymerase chain reactions (qPCR). We used logistic regression to assess risk factors.
One hundred ten (18.1%) of 608 dogs were seropositive for T. cruzi. Prevalence of exposure to the other vector-borne agents was: Ehrlichia spp. 3.6%; Anaplasma spp. 6.9%; B. burgdorferi 0.2%; and D. immitis infection 16.0%. Six of 559 (1.1%) dogs were qPCR-positive for T. cruzi.
T. cruzi seroprevalence was comparable to D. immitis prevalence and higher than seroprevalence of the tick-borne pathogens. T. cruzi is an underrecognized health threat to dogs across Texas and possibly other southern states where triatomine vectors are endemic.
媒介传播疾病对犬类健康有不利影响，受感染的犬类可能成为人类感染的哨兵。克氏锥虫是恰加斯病的病原体，其感染在美国南部各地的犬类中会引发致命的心脏病，但在大规模患病率研究中一直被忽视。
确定得克萨斯州各动物收容所犬类中克氏锥虫、埃立克体属、无形体属、伯氏疏螺旋体的暴露率以及犬恶丝虫感染率，并确定克氏锥虫血清阳性的风险因素。
608只犬。
本重复横断面研究通过在对7个动物收容所的3次走访中，每次采集约30只犬的血液来进行。我们使用两种串联检测方法检测血清中克氏锥虫抗体，使用IDEXX SNAP 4DX Plus即时检验法检测埃立克体属、无形体属、伯氏疏螺旋体抗体以及犬恶丝虫抗原。从血凝块中提取DNA，通过定量聚合酶链反应（qPCR）检测克氏锥虫DNA和菌株类型。我们使用逻辑回归评估风险因素。
608只犬中有110只（18.1%）克氏锥虫血清呈阳性。其他媒介传播病原体的暴露率为：埃立克体属3.6%；无形体属6.9%；伯氏疏螺旋体0.2%；犬恶丝虫感染16.0%。559只犬中有6只（1.1%）克氏锥虫qPCR呈阳性。
克氏锥虫血清阳性率与犬恶丝虫感染率相当，高于蜱传病原体的血清阳性率。克氏锥虫对得克萨斯州以及可能存在锥蝽媒介的其他南部州的犬类来说，是一种未得到充分认识的健康威胁。
