The molecular prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi, Babesia spp., and Anaplasma spp. in shelter dogs of the Thrace Region in Turkey

Abstract

The study aimed to update the molecular prevalence of some tick-borne pathogens (Borrelia burgdorferi, Babesia spp., and Anaplasma spp.) in the shelter dogs of the Thrace Region, Turkey. The study was carried out on 450 dogs from 7 pet shelters. The individual data of the dogs were recorded, and blood samples were collected in tubes with anticoagulants (EDTA). Then, individual PCR protocols were applied to all samples for the three infective agents. PCR test results recorded for B. burgdorferi is 38.22% (n = 172), 24.22% (n = 109) for Babesia spp., and 21.6% (n = 97) for Anaplasma spp. The positivity of dogs with at least one pathogen was 56.22% (n = 253). Only one pathogen positivity rate was determined in positive samples as 56.92% (n = 144). The positivity was determined 33.99% (n = 86) for two pathogens and 9.09% (n = 23) for three pathogens. The coexistence of the two pathogens was statistically significant (p < 0.01). The effect of sex and age was not statistically significant in the agent positivity (p < 0.01, p < 0.05). Among tested three pathogens, only the positivity of B. burgdorferi (p = 0.155) was statistically significant compared with the prevalence of the others (p < 0.01). As a result, pathogens transmitted by ticks in shelter dogs of the Thrace region were simultaneously investigated and detected for the first time. Results revealed that shelter dogs pose a hidden risk for animal and human health in the region and so the necessity to plan systematic epidemiological studies about tick-borne zoonose pathogens more frequently.