Vet World   Vol.14   June-2021  Article-29

Molecular detection of tick-borne pathogens in infected dogs associated with Rhipicephalus sanguineus tick infestation in Thailand

Background and Aim: Tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) are of great concern having the potential to threaten canine health. Dogs infected with Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma platys, Babesia canis, and Hepatozoon canis are commonly found in Thailand; Rhipicephalus sanguineus tick is the most common vector of diseases. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of common TBPs in dogs and their ticks in Thailand using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing methods.

Materials and Methods: Forty-four blood samples were positively diagnosed with TBPs infection by microscopy. Samples were from animal hospitals in Maha Sarakham, Amnat Charoen, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Bangkok, Thailand, during January-June 2020. Five to six ticks were also taken from infected dogs, and then, both blood and tick were analyzed using PCR and DNA sequencing.

Results: PCR results showed that R. sanguineus was the only tick species detected in this study. The appearance of single infection with E. canis was the most common infection found in dogs and ticks (64% and 82%, respectively). Correlation of pathogen infection in hosts and their vector was performed by similarity detection of pathogens between blood and tick samples based on PCR analysis in 29 samples (66%) but there was no significant differentiation.

Conclusion: E. canis appears as the most common canine tick-borne pathogen in Thailand, which was detected in both healthy and sick dogs as well as in R. sanguineus. The findings show the relationships among host dogs, pathogens, and ticks. Veterinarians should be proactive in educating pet owners about the risks associated with ticks and their important pathogens and plan effective control strategies. Keywords: dog, polymerase chain reaction, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, tick-borne pathogens.

Keywords: dog, polymerase chain reaction, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, tick-borne pathogens.

How to cite this article: Juasook A, Siriporn B, Nopphakhun N, Phetpoang P, Khamyang S (2021) Molecular detection of tick-borne pathogens in infected dogs associated with Rhipicephalus sanguineus tick infestation in Thailand, Veterinary World, 14(6): 1631-1637.

Received: 09-02-2021  Accepted: 07-05-2021     Published online: 23-06-2021

Corresponding author: Amornrat Juasook   E-mail: amornrat.j@msu.ac.th

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2021.1631-1637

Copyright: Juasook, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.