Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
PLoS One. 2023 Feb 2;18(2):e0281192. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281192. eCollection 2023.
Due to recent climatic and land use changes, Canada has experienced changes in tick populations, leading to an increased risk of tick bites and tick-borne pathogen exposure, especially in eastern Canada. Preventative recommendations for companion animals from veterinary professionals include regular use of tick prevention products and tick checks. Tick checks, specifically, should target regions of an animal's body which are deemed to be high risk for tick attachment. However, tick species-specific infestation patterns on dogs and cats are largely understudied, and additional research is needed to help guide targeted tick checks. The objective of this study was to identify tick species-specific infestation patterns on dogs and cats. Ticks were collected for one year (April 2019 -March 2020) from 94 veterinary clinics across Canada as part of the Canadian Pet Tick Survey. All ticks were identified to species, and data on the location of tick attachment were ascertained with each submission. To examine the association between location of attachment (outcome) and tick species (explanatory variable), specifically Ixodes scapularis and Dermacentor variabilis, mixed effects univariable models were built. Two thousand three hundred and six submissions were received from 1925 dogs and 381 cats across Canada. Of these submissions, 1377 comprised Ixodes scapularis, and 620 comprised Dermacentor variabilis. Clear tick species-specific infestation patterns for dogs were present, with I. scapularis being significantly more likely to be found on the shoulders, and D. variabilis more likely to be found on the ears and neck. Dermacentor variabilis was more likely to be found on the cranial aspect of cats' limbs, compared to I. scapularis. Up-to-date information on infestation patterns can be used to inform veterinary professionals and pet owners of common attachment sites based on established ticks in their region and thus conduct targeted tick checks.
由于最近的气候和土地利用变化，加拿大的蜱种群发生了变化，导致蜱叮咬和蜱传播病原体暴露的风险增加，尤其是在加拿大东部。兽医专业人员为宠物提供的预防建议包括定期使用蜱预防产品和蜱检查。具体来说，蜱检查应针对被认为是蜱附着高风险的动物身体区域。然而，狗和猫的特定蜱种感染模式在很大程度上仍未得到充分研究，需要进一步研究来帮助指导有针对性的蜱检查。本研究的目的是确定狗和猫的特定蜱种感染模式。作为加拿大宠物蜱调查的一部分，在加拿大 94 家兽医诊所收集了一年（2019 年 4 月至 2020 年 3 月）的蜱。所有蜱均被鉴定为特定物种，并在每次提交时确定蜱附着的位置。为了研究附着位置（结果）与蜱种（解释变量）之间的关联，特别是扁虱和硬蜱，建立了混合效应单变量模型。从加拿大各地的 1925 只狗和 381 只猫收到了 2306 份提交的样本。其中 1377 份包含扁虱，620 份包含硬蜱。狗的蜱种特异性感染模式明显，扁虱更有可能在肩部发现，硬蜱更有可能在耳朵和颈部发现。与扁虱相比，硬蜱更有可能在猫四肢的颅侧发现。最新的感染模式信息可用于根据其所在地区的既定蜱种告知兽医专业人员和宠物主人常见的附着部位，从而进行有针对性的蜱检查。
