Serological survey of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Ehrlichia canis infections in rural and urban dogs in Central Italy
Journal Title: Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine - Year 2014, Vol 21, Issue 4
Abstract
[b]Introduction[i][/i][/b][i]. Borrelia burgdorferi [/i]sensu lato (s.l.) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum are well known zoonotic pathogens, whereas[i] Ehrlichia canis[/i] is usually considered to be of veterinary concern, although on the basis of recent reports it also seems to be able to infect humans. [b]objective[/b]. The aim of the study was to determine the seroprevalence of [i]B. burgdorferi [/i]s.l., A. phagocytophilum and [i]E. canis[/i] in an Italian canine population, and to verify if there are differences between dogs living in urban areas and those from a rural environment. [b]materials and method.[/b] Blood sera of 1,965 dogs, 1,235 from cities and 730 from rural areas, were tested by indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFAT). [b]results[/b]. The overall seroprevalence was highest for E. canis (7.07%), followed by [i]A. phagocytophilum[/i] (4.68%), and [i]B. burgdorferi[/i] s.l. (1.47%). Rural dogs showed the highest seroprevalence to [i]B. burgdorferi[/i] s.l. and [i]A. phagocytophilum[/i]. No significant differences were observed between rural and urban [i]E. canis[/i]-positive dogs. A low percentage (1.32%) of dogs with dual seropositivity was detected, and no triple positive reactions were observed. No significant differences were detected in the seroprevalence of the three agents in relationship to the age and gender of the dogs. Seroprevalence in the five years considered were not statistically different, except for the lowest rate for [i]E. canis[/i] observed in 2012. [b]conclusions[/b]. The results confirm the presence of [i]B. burgdorferi[/i] s.l., [i]A. phagocytophilum[/i] and [i]E. canis[/i] in Italian dogs in both urban and rural areas. Monitoring pet dogs, which share the same environment with their owners, is useful for identifying the presence of tick-borne disease agents of both veterinary and public health significance
Authors and Affiliations
Valentina Virginia Ebani, Fabrizio Bertelloni, Beatrice Torracca, Domenico Cerri
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP80857
- DOI -
- Views 167
- Downloads 0
Volatile profiles of toxigenic and non-toxigenic Aspergillus flavus using SPME for solid phase extraction.
Toxigenic and atoxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus were grown on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and wetted (23% moisture) sterile, cracked corn for 14 and 21 days, respectively. Volatile compounds produced by A. flavus,...
Occurrence of enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus in food.
Gastroenteritis is one of the most frequent microbial diseases, which is caused by the ingestion of food contaminated with staphylococcal enterotoxins. In our study, the production of staphylococcal enterotoxins A, B (SE...
Application of advanced data collection and quality assurance methods in open prospective study – a case study of PONS project
Introduction: Large-scale epidemiologic studies can assess health indicators differentiating social groups and important health outcomes of the incidence and mortality of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and others, to es...
Multilevel analysis of the impact of environmental factors and agricultural practices on the concentration in hay of microorganisms responsible for farmer's lung disease.
Farmer's lung disease (FLD) is common in eastern France. It is the main form of occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis, caused by chronic inhalation of microorganisms (antigens) from mouldy hay, straw, or grain. The p...
Determining the scale of designer drugs (DD) abuse and risk to public health in Poland through an epidemiological study in adolescents
Since 2008, it has been recognised by most health authorities worldwide that the abuse of newly-emerging psychoactive drugs, (‘designer drugs’/‘legal highs’; DD), in youth is a rapidly increasing problem, especially in t...