Detection of the co-infections with Borrelia, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species in dogs with babesiosis in North-Eastern Romania

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.