Aryal Somnath, Bhattarai Rebanta Kumar, Thapa Kamana
Faculty of Animal Science, Veterinary Science and Fisheries, Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, 44209, Chitwan, Nepal.
BMC Vet Res. 2025 May 2;21(1):309. doi: 10.1186/s12917-025-04777-x.
Ticks are responsible for the transmission of various viral, bacterial, and protozoal pathogens through their mouthparts while feeding on the blood of the host. Owing to the increasing trend of tick-borne diseases, they are considered major emerging public health issues throughout the globe. In South Asia, the major important canine tick-borne pathogens are Babesia spp., Hepatozoon canis, Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma platys, and Borrelia burgdorferi. Among various diagnostic tests, molecular techniques are considered the gold standard for the detection of tick-borne diseases. A total of 341 canine blood samples were collected from Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Chitwan, Nepal. The collected blood samples were subjected to hematological analysis, DNA extraction, and conventional polymerase chain reaction to detect the presence of tick-borne pathogens. Additionally, a total of 219 ticks were collected from the sampled dogs and identified via morphometry.
PCR assays revealed four tick-borne pathogens, Babesia spp., Ehrlichia canis, Hepatozoon canis, and Anaplasma platys, with prevalence rates of 26.09%, 5.87%, 3.52%, and 2.93%, respectively, and an overall prevalence of 31.09% (95% CI: 26.27-36.34%). However, this study could not identify the prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi. During the hematological analysis, anemia and thrombocytopenia in the sampled dogs were significantly associated with the presence of Babesia spp. (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively), lymphocytosis was significantly associated with Hepatozoon canis (p < 0.001), and thrombocytopenia was significantly associated with Ehrlichia canis (p < 0.05). Among the ticks infesting dogs at the study sites, the Rhipicephalus genus was the most prevalent, followed by Haemaphysalis and Dermacentor, with an overall tick infestation rate of 27.86%. Geographic location, type of dog (stray or pet), and body condition score were determined as potential risk factors by multiple logistic regression analysis (OR = 0.40, 2.16, 0.73; p < 0.01, p < 0.05, p < 0.05, respectively) for the presence of canine tick-borne pathogens.
This study identified at least four species of canine tick-borne pathogens and three genera in dogs from study area. Findings of this study highlights the importance of robust treatment, control and preventive measures to mitigate the transmission of these pathogens.
蜱虫在吸食宿主血液时，会通过口器传播各种病毒、细菌和原生动物病原体。由于蜱传疾病呈上升趋势，它们被视为全球主要的新兴公共卫生问题。在南亚，犬类主要的蜱传重要病原体有巴贝斯虫属、犬肝簇虫、犬埃立克体、血小板无浆体和伯氏疏螺旋体。在各种诊断测试中，分子技术被认为是检测蜱传疾病的金标准。从尼泊尔加德满都、博卡拉和奇特旺共采集了341份犬血样本。对采集的血样进行血液学分析、DNA提取和常规聚合酶链反应，以检测蜱传病原体的存在。此外，从采样的犬只身上共采集了219只蜱虫，并通过形态学进行鉴定。
PCR检测发现了四种蜱传病原体，即巴贝斯虫属、犬埃立克体、犬肝簇虫和血小板无浆体，其患病率分别为26.09%、5.87%、3.52%和2.93%，总体患病率为31.09%（95%置信区间：26.27 - 36.34%）。然而，本研究未能确定伯氏疏螺旋体的患病率。在血液学分析中，采样犬只的贫血和血小板减少与巴贝斯虫属的存在显著相关（分别为p < 0.01和p < 0.05），淋巴细胞增多与犬肝簇虫显著相关（p < 0.001），血小板减少与犬埃立克体显著相关（p < 0.05）。在研究地点感染犬只的蜱虫中，璃眼蜱属最为普遍，其次是血蜱属和革蜱属，总体蜱虫感染率为27.86%。通过多因素逻辑回归分析确定地理位置、犬的类型（流浪犬或宠物犬）和身体状况评分是犬蜱传病原体存在的潜在危险因素（优势比分别为0.40、2.16、0.73；p < 0.01、p < 0.05、p < 0.05）。
本研究在研究区域的犬只中鉴定出至少四种犬蜱传病原体和三个属。本研究结果强调了采取有力的治疗、控制和预防措施以减轻这些病原体传播的重要性。
