Abstract:
Vector-borne diseases are an important threat to
animals and human health, due to their zoonotic potential, increasing the global prevalence. In this study, we
collected blood samples from dogs confirmed with canine babesiosis, and the ticks attached were removed
and stored until morphological identification and DNA
extraction. The aim of this study was the screening for
the possible co-infections with bacterial tick-borne pathogens, using PCR protocols to detect: Borrelia spp.,
Anaplasma spp., and Ehrlichia spp. in blood and tick
samples. Of the 66 dogs, 15 (22.7%) were positive for
Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., 0 for Anaplasma spp./Ehrlichia
spp. and 2 (3.03%) for Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii. 2 dogs (3.03%) were co-infected with Borrelia
burgdorferi s.l. and Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii. Morphologically we identified a total of 99 ticks as
Ixodes ricinus (48.5%) and Dermacentor reticulatus
(51.5%), which were distributed in pools according to
the following criteria: canine patient, species, and developmental stage (gender). The most common pathogen species detected in ticks was Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii (25.8%) without clinical significance,
followed by Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. (12.9%) and co-infection Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. + Candidatus Midichloria mitochondrii (6.5%). The results of this study show
the importance of identifying co-infections in tick-infested dogs and the need for prevention protocols of ticks
infestations in dogs.
