Prevalence of tick infestation in dogs from Iasi area (Romania)

Abstract

Dogs and cats play an important role in the spread of tick species and in the transmission of pathogens. Dermacentor reticulatus occurs in areas by varied types of climate, vegetation and a high availability of potential hosts, while Ixodes ricinus follows a similar seasonal pattern each year. This study was carried out between 2017 and 2021, where we examined 189 canine patients of different breeds, aged between 2 months and 18 years. We collected 435 ticks which were placed individually according to the animal in eppendorf tubes in ethyl alcohol and numbered, until morphological identification. The collected ticks were predominantly adults with different feeding status, belonging to the species: Ixodes ricinus (41.6%), Dermacentor reticulatus (57.7%) and Rhipicephalus sanguineus complex (0.69%). Dermacentor reticulatus was predominant, with two peaks of activity in spring and autumn. We also found 2 specimens of D. reticulatus males, in January, outside the normal period of activity. The second species identified, Ixodes ricinus, shows three peaks of activity, having the most intense period of activity in the spring months. The second peak is observed in summer, and the third in autumn. The prevalence of the species Rhipicephalus sanguineus complex is low, of only 0.69% of the total ticks collected from dogs.The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of tick infestations collected from canine patients, in order to assess a possible change in the activity periods of the species.