Molecular Diagnosis, Prevalence and Importance of Zoonotic Vector-Borne Pathogens in Cuban Shelter Dogs—A Preliminary Study

• Published in: Pathogens (Basel) Vol. 9; no. 11; p. 901
• Main Authors: Díaz-Sánchez, Adrian Alberto, Corona-González, Belkis, Meli, Marina L., Roblejo-Arias, Lisset, Fonseca-Rodríguez, Osvaldo, Pérez Castillo, Anisleidy, Vega Cañizares, Ernesto, Lobo Rivero, Evelyn, Hofmann-Lehmann, Regina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28.10.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: 16S rRNA; Anaplasma phagocytophilum; Anaplasma platys; Anemia; Arachnids; assays; Bacteria; Blood; blood sampling; Borrelia burgdorferi; canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs); Canis; Cuba; Disease; Dogs; Ehrlichia canis; genes; Genetic diversity; genetic variation; Hematology; Hemoglobin; Infections; mixed infection; occurrence; Pathogens; Phylogeny; prevalence; Public health; real-time qPCR; Rhipicephalus sanguineus; Rickettsia felis; rRNA 16S; Samples; Serology; shelter dogs; Shelters; Statistical methods; strains; Thrombocytopenia; Ticks; Vectors (Biology); Zoonoses; Venezuela; Asia; North America; Europe; Cuba; Rickettsia felis; 16S rRNA; canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs); shelter dogs; Anaplasma platys; real-time qPCR; Ehrlichia canis
• ISSN: 2076-0817; 2076-0817
• DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9110901

The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of zoonotic vector-borne pathogens, including Anaplasma platys, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Ehrlichia canis and Rickettsia spp. in shelter dogs from Cuba. Blood samples were collected from 100 shelter dogs and examined by molecular methods. Overall, 85 (85%; 95% CI: 77.88–92.12) dogs tested positive for at least one vector-borne pathogen using species-specific qPCR assays. Among the positive samples, E. canis was the most prevalent 62% (95% CI: 52.32–71.68), followed by A. platys 40% (95% CI: 30.23–49.77) and Rickettsia felis 27% (95% CI: 18.15–35.85), whereas 36% (95% CI: 26.43–45.57) showed co-infections. All samples were negative for A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. The presence of 248 Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks collected from the dogs was not statistically associated with the occurrence of infections. Thrombocytopenia was the most frequent haematological alteration found in PCR-positive dogs; it was statistically associated with the presence of E. canis, as well as co-infections (p < 0.05). The phylogenetic analyses of A. platys and E. canis based on 16S rRNA, groEL and gltA genes showed a low genetic diversity between Cuban strains. The present study demonstrates the high prevalence of vector-borne pathogens with zoonotic potential in shelter dogs from Cuba.