Diakou Anastasia, Sofroniou Dimitra, Paoletti Barbara, Tamvakis Androniki, Kolencik Stanislav, Dimzas Dimitris, Morelli Simone, Grillini Marika, Traversa Donato
Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Independent Researcher, 25088 Lemesos, Cyprus.
Pathogens. 2022 Nov 23;11(12):1403. doi: 10.3390/pathogens11121403.
Ticks and fleas are blood-sucking ectoparasites that cause irritation and anaemia to their hosts and act as vectors of pathogens (vector-borne pathogens, VBPs) of relevance for animal and human health. In the present study, tick and flea species in dogs and cats from Cyprus were recorded and VBPs were detected in the collected specimens. Ectoparasites were collected from 220 animals (161 dogs and 59 cats), and a questionnaire including demographic, clinical, and other information was filled out for each animal. The ectoparasites were morphologically identified and the detection of VBPs was performed by PCR-coupled sequencing. sensu lato was found on 108 dogs and 13 cats, and on 2 dogs. was the predominant flea species (on 62 dogs and 45 cats), while one dog and one cat were infested by and , respectively. The VBPs in ticks were , , , , and , while , sp., , , and were recorded in fleas. Statistical analysis (chi-square test and multiple univariate generalized linear model) showed that animals up to 6 months of age were less likely to be infested with ticks than older animals, but more likely to be infested with fleas. Ticks were more prevalent in sheltered than in owned animals, while the odds ratio of flea presence was higher in owned animals than those living in shelters. The present study is the first investigation on the occurrence of ticks and fleas in dogs and cats from Cyprus, showing the presence of different VBPs in these important ectoparasites. The results point out the importance of systematic ectoparasite control in dogs and cats.
蜱虫和跳蚤是吸血性体外寄生虫，会对宿主造成刺激并导致贫血，同时作为与动物和人类健康相关的病原体（媒介传播病原体，VBPs）的传播媒介。在本研究中，记录了塞浦路斯犬猫身上的蜱虫和跳蚤种类，并在采集的样本中检测了VBPs。从220只动物（161只狗和59只猫）身上采集了体外寄生虫，并为每只动物填写了一份包括人口统计学、临床和其他信息的问卷。通过形态学鉴定体外寄生虫，并通过聚合酶链反应（PCR）结合测序进行VBPs检测。在108只狗和13只猫身上发现了广义上的 ，在2只狗身上发现了 。 是主要的跳蚤种类（在62只狗和45只猫身上），而一只狗和一只猫分别感染了 和 。蜱虫中的VBPs有 、 、 、 、 和 ，而在跳蚤中记录到了 、 、 、 、 和 。统计分析（卡方检验和多元单变量广义线性模型）表明，6个月龄以下的动物比年龄较大的动物感染蜱虫的可能性更小，但感染跳蚤的可能性更大。蜱虫在收容所动物中比在自有动物中更普遍，而自有动物中跳蚤存在的优势比高于生活在收容所的动物。本研究是对塞浦路斯犬猫身上蜱虫和跳蚤发生情况的首次调查，表明这些重要的体外寄生虫中存在不同的VBPs。结果指出了对犬猫进行系统性体外寄生虫控制的重要性。
