Mapleview Animal Hospital, PC, Holland, MI, USA.
Academic Unit of Garanhuns, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Garanhuns, Brazil.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2020 Dec;22:100468. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2020.100468. Epub 2020 Sep 14.
Vector-borne pathogens (VBPs) of dogs have been extensively studied worldwide, though scientific information for some countries, as is the case for Guatemala, is almost nonexistent. From 2012 to 2015, 975 dogs residing in different departments of Guatemala were sampled and screened using a rapid ELISA for detecting antigen of Dirofilaria immitis and antibodies against Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi. Out of 975 samples analyzed, 46.4% (n = 452) scored positive for at least one pathogen, with D. immitis being the most prevalent (29.7%), followed by Ehrlichia spp. (11.5%) and Anaplasma spp. (5.1%). None of the dogs were positive to B. burgdorferi. Co-infections were observed in 18.1% (n = 176) of dogs, with the simultaneous detection of D. immitis and Ehrlichia spp. being most common. The frequency of VBPs was higher in the department of Santa Rosa (southeast coast of Guatemala), which has a tropical savanna climate. In this region, 59.7% of the dogs surveyed were infected with D. immitis. Our results suggest that the prevalence of VBPs in dogs in Guatemala may be affected by the climate, with dogs living in the southeast coast being at higher risk, as compared to other regions studied. Increased awareness regarding the risk of VBPs in dogs in Guatemala is advocated and the adoption of preventive strategies should be encouraged.
全球范围内对犬类的 Vector-borne 病原体（VBPs）进行了广泛研究，然而，对于某些国家（如危地马拉），科学信息几乎不存在。2012 年至 2015 年，对居住在危地马拉不同地区的 975 只犬进行了采样和快速 ELISA 检测，以检测犬恶丝虫抗原和抗嗜吞噬细胞无形体、埃立克体和伯氏疏螺旋体的抗体。在分析的 975 个样本中，有 46.4%（n=452）至少有一种病原体呈阳性，其中犬恶丝虫最为普遍（29.7%），其次是埃立克体（11.5%）和嗜吞噬细胞无形体（5.1%）。没有一只狗对伯氏疏螺旋体呈阳性。在 18.1%（n=176）的犬中观察到了混合感染，同时检测到犬恶丝虫和埃立克体的情况最为常见。VBPs 的频率在圣罗莎省（危地马拉东南沿海）较高，该地区属于热带稀树草原气候。在该地区，调查的犬中有 59.7%感染了犬恶丝虫。我们的研究结果表明，危地马拉犬 VBPs 的流行率可能受到气候的影响，与其他研究地区相比，生活在东南沿海的犬面临更高的风险。危地马拉应提高对犬 VBPs 风险的认识，并鼓励采取预防策略。
