Prevalence of Zoonotic Pathogens by Molecular Detection in Stray Dogs in Central Taiwan

This study investigated the prevalence of zoonotic pathogens in stray dogs including toxoplasmosis, heartworm disease, Lyme disease, leptospirosis and Q fever in central Taiwan (Taichung, Changhua and Yunlin County) using nested, semi-nested or traditional polymerase chain reaction. Associations bet...

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Published inWētchasān sattawaphāet Vol. 44; no. 3; p. 363
Main Authors Chou, Chum-Hung, Yeh, Tsung-Ming, Lu, Yi-Ping, Shih, Wen-Ling, Chang, Ching-Dong, Chien, Chi-Hsien, Liu, Shyh-Shyan, Wu, Hung-Yi, Tsai, Feng-Jen, Huang, Han Hsiang, Liao, Ming-Hui
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Bangkok Chulalongkorn University, Faculty of Veterinary Science 01.09.2014
Subjects
Animals
Arachnids
Cysts
Dogs
Fever
Food contamination & poisoning
Infections
Leptospirosis
Lyme disease
Mortality
Public health
Rodents
Tropical diseases
Zoonoses
Taiwan
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Summary:This study investigated the prevalence of zoonotic pathogens in stray dogs including toxoplasmosis, heartworm disease, Lyme disease, leptospirosis and Q fever in central Taiwan (Taichung, Changhua and Yunlin County) using nested, semi-nested or traditional polymerase chain reaction. Associations between prevalence of the infections and demiographic data of stray dogs in central Taiwan were also analyzed. Blood samples were randomly collected from stray dogs every month from August 2009 to July 2011. Total DNA extracted from blood samples ranged from 0.8 to 1.5 μg as the sensitivity of PCR ranged from 10 fg to 100 pg. For the PCR primers no cross-reaction was found between the nucleic acids of interest and DNA extracted from Ehrlichia cani, Babesia canis and Babesia gibsoni. This study reveals the prevalence of toxoplasmosis, heartworm disease, Lyme disease, leptospirosis and Q fever in stray dogs in Taiwan, and provides crucial information for prevention and control of zoonotic diseases in Taiwan and neighboring areas and countries.
ISSN:0125-6491