Zahri Abderrahmane, Jimale Kassim Abdullahi, Bezerra-Santos Marcos Antônio, Fagundes-Moreira Renata, Sauer Felix Gregor, Allali Salma El, Allouch Abdelwahed, Dantas-Torres Filipe, Bourquia Maria, Otranto Domenico
Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases Unit, Department of Animal Pathology and Public Health, Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II, Rabat, Morocco.
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, 70010 Bari, Italy.
Acta Trop. 2025 Mar;263:107538. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2025.107538. Epub 2025 Feb 2.
Canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) are of major concern in veterinary medicine worldwide. Amongst the arthropods transmitting CVBD-causing pathogens, the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato) is an important vector of agents, such as Babesia vogeli, Cercopithifilaria spp., Ehrlichia canis, Hepatozoon canis, and Anaplasma platys. While data on CVBDs transmitted by Rh. sanguineus s.l. are limited in Morocco, Leishmania spp., transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies, are known to be endemic in several regions of the country. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) (i.e., Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., Ehrlichia spp., Hepatozoon spp., Rickettsia spp.), Leishmania spp. and filarioids in shelter dogs and their ticks in central Morocco. Blood samples were collected from 144 dogs, and 5,363 ticks were removed from 314 dogs of the same population. DNA samples extracted from blood and from 276 ticks (divided into 55 pools) were screened for selected pathogens by PCR and DNA sequencing. Ticks were morphologically identified as Rh. sanguineus s.l., and molecular analysis of 10 representative specimens confirmed them as Rh. sanguineus s.s. Out of 144 dogs tested, 78 (54.1 %) scored positive for at least one pathogen, with 15 (10.4 %) being co-infected. H. canis was the most prevalent pathogen (38.2 %, 55/144), followed by L. infantum (15.3 %; 22/144), A. platys (5.6 %; 8/144), B. vogeli and E. canis (2.8 %; 4/144). Tick DNA pools scored positive for H. canis (36.4 %; n = 20/55). All dogs tested negative for filarioids and Rickettsia spp. Data herein reported demonstrate a high overall prevalence of CVBD-causing pathogens in dogs from central Morocco, with the unprecedented report of H. canis in dogs and ticks in this country.
犬媒传播疾病（CVBDs）是全球兽医学领域主要关注的问题。在传播引起CVBDs病原体的节肢动物中，棕狗蜱（血红扇头蜱指名亚种）是多种病原体的重要传播媒介，如伯氏巴贝斯虫、猴丝状虫属、犬埃立克体、犬肝簇虫和血小板无形体。虽然关于摩洛哥境内血红扇头蜱指名亚种传播CVBDs的数据有限，但已知由白蛉传播的利什曼原虫属在该国多个地区呈地方流行。在本研究中，我们调查了摩洛哥中部庇护所犬及其蜱中蜱传病原体（TBPs）（即无形体属、巴贝斯虫属、埃立克体属、肝簇虫属、立克次体属）、利什曼原虫属和丝状虫的感染情况。从144只犬采集血液样本，并从同一群体的314只犬身上采集了5363只蜱。通过PCR和DNA测序对从血液和276只蜱（分为55组）中提取的DNA样本进行选定病原体筛查。蜱在形态上被鉴定为血红扇头蜱指名亚种，对10个代表性样本的分子分析证实它们为血红扇头蜱狭义亚种。在144只受试犬中，78只（54.1%）至少有一种病原体检测呈阳性，15只（10.4%）为混合感染。犬肝簇虫是最常见的病原体（38.2%，55/144），其次是婴儿利什曼原虫（15.3%；22/144）、血小板无形体（5.6%；8/144）、伯氏巴贝斯虫和犬埃立克体（2.8%；4/144）。蜱DNA组中犬肝簇虫检测呈阳性（36.4%；n = 20/55）。所有犬的丝状虫和立克次体属检测均为阴性。本文报告的数据表明摩洛哥中部犬中引起CVBDs的病原体总体感染率很高，该国犬和蜱中首次报告了犬肝簇虫。
