Vector-borne Pathogens of Zoonotic Concern in Dogs from a Quilombola Community in Northeastern Brazil

Overview

Journal Parasitol Res

Specialty Parasitology

Date 2022 Sep 14

PMID 36102968

Authors

Lucia Oliveira de Macedo

Marcos Antonio Bezerra-Santos

Carlos Roberto Cruz Ubirajara Filho

Kamila Gaudencio da Silva Sales

Lucas C de Sousa-Paula

Lidiane Gomes Da Silva

Filipe Dantas-Torres

Rafael Antonio do Nascimento Ramos

Domenico Otranto

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Canine vector-borne pathogens (CVBPs) comprise a group of disease agents mainly transmitted by ticks, fleas, mosquitoes and sand flies. In this study, we assessed the presence of CVBPs in an Afro-descendent community (Quilombola) of northeastern, Brazil. Dog blood samples (n = 201) were collected and analyzed by rapid test for the detection of antibodies against Leishmania spp., Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), and antigens of Dirofilaria immitis. In addition, polymerase chain reactions were performed for Anaplasmataceae, Babesia spp., Hepatozoon spp., Rickettsia spp. and B. burgdorferi s.l. Overall, 66.7% of the dogs scored positive to at least one pathogen at serological and/or molecular methods. Antibodies against Ehrlichia spp. were the most frequently detected (57.2%; n = 115/201), followed by Anaplasma spp. (8.5%; n = 17/201), Leishmania spp. (8.5%; n = 17/201) and B. burgdorferi s.l. (0.5%; n = 1/201). For D. immitis, 11 out of 201 (5.5%) animals scored positive. At the molecular analysis, 10.4% (n = 21/201) of the samples scored positive for Babesia spp./Hepatozoon spp., followed by Anaplasmataceae (5.0%; n = 10/201) and Rickettsia spp. (3.0%; n = 6/201). All samples were negative for B. burgdorferi s.l. Our data demonstrated the presence of CVBPs in the studied population, with a high seropositivity for Ehrlichia spp. In addition, considering the detection of zoonotic pathogens in dogs and their relationship with people from Quilombola communities, effective control strategies are advocated for minimizing the risk of infection in this socially vulnerable human population and their pets.

Citing Articles

High seroprevalence of selected vector-borne pathogens in dogs from Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands.

Kelly M, Anderson K, Saleh M, Ramos R, Valeris-Chacin R, Budke C Parasit Vectors. 2025; 18(1):75.

PMID: 39994743 PMC: 11853585. DOI: 10.1186/s13071-025-06705-2.

Lyme borreliosis in Brazil: a critical review on the Baggio-Yoshinari syndrome (Brazilian Lyme-like disease).

Labruna M, Faccini-Martinez A, Munoz-Leal S, Szabo M, Angerami R Clin Microbiol Rev. 2024; 37(4):e0009724.

PMID: 39494872 PMC: 11629638. DOI: 10.1128/cmr.00097-24.

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and tick-borne agents associated with domestic dogs in an environmental protection area in Brazil, with molecular evidence of Rhipicephalus linnaei (Audouin, 1826).

Santos H, Flausino W, Martins T, Silito I, Luz H, de Azevedo Serpa M Rev Bras Parasitol Vet. 2024; 33(3):e008224.

PMID: 39383386 PMC: 11486457. DOI: 10.1590/S1984-29612024045.

The Distribution, Diversity, and Control of Dirofilariosis in Brazil: A Comprehensive Review.

Chocobar M, Schmidt E, Weir W, Panarese R Animals (Basel). 2024; 14(17).

PMID: 39272246 PMC: 11394567. DOI: 10.3390/ani14172462.

Filarial Nematodes in Dogs from the Northeast Region of Brazil.

Rocha D, Macedo L, Oliveira J, Silva S, Cleveland H, do Nascimento Ramos C Acta Parasitol. 2024; 69(2):1115-1121.

PMID: 38536612 DOI: 10.1007/s11686-024-00834-x.

References

Alhassan A, Hove P, Sharma B, Matthew-Belmar V, Karasek I, Lanza-Perea M . Molecular detection and characterization of Anaplasma platys and Ehrlichia canis in dogs from the Caribbean. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2021; 12(4):101727. PMC: 8171494. DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101727. View

Alvar J, Velez I, Bern C, Herrero M, Desjeux P, Cano J . Leishmaniasis worldwide and global estimates of its incidence. PLoS One. 2012; 7(5):e35671. PMC: 3365071. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035671. View

Banovic P, Diaz-Sanchez A, Galon C, Simin V, Mijatovic D, Obregon D . Humans infested with Ixodes ricinus are exposed to a diverse array of tick-borne pathogens in Serbia. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2020; 12(2):101609. DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101609. View

Barbosa C, Garcia J, Nasser Fava N, Pereira D, Rodrigues da Cunha M, Nachum-Biala Y . Babesiosis caused by Babesia vogeli in dogs from Uberlândia State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Parasitol Res. 2020; 119(3):1173-1176. DOI: 10.1007/s00436-019-06515-3. View

Belo V, Struchiner C, Werneck G, Barbosa D, de Oliveira R, Teixeira Neto R . A systematic review and meta-analysis of the factors associated with Leishmania infantum infection in dogs in Brazil. Vet Parasitol. 2013; 195(1-2):1-13. DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.03.010. View

Bendas A, Branco A, da Silva B, Paiva J, de Miranda M, Mendes-de-Almeida F . Mosquito abundance in a Dirofilaria immitis hotspot in the eastern state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2019; 18:100320. DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2019.100320. View

Bezerra-Santos M, Ramos R, Campos A, Dantas-Torres F, Otranto D . Didelphis spp. opossums and their parasites in the Americas: A One Health perspective. Parasitol Res. 2021; 120(12):4091-4111. PMC: 8599228. DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07072-4. View

Borges L, de Oliveira A, Fontoura Mateus N, Falcao de Oliveira E, Arrua A, Infran J . Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis in an Area of Sporadic Transmission in Brazil. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2021; 21(7):539-545. DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2020.2701. View

Camilo T, Mendonca L, Dos Santos D, Ramirez L, Senne N, Paulino P . Spatial distribution and molecular epidemiology of Babesia vogeli in household dogs from municipalities with different altitude gradients in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2021; 12(5):101785. DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101785. View

10.

Conde B, Aragaki S, Ticktin T, Surerus Fonseca A, Yazbek P, Sauini T . Evaluation of conservation status of plants in Brazil's Atlantic forest: An ethnoecological approach with Quilombola communities in Serra do Mar State Park. PLoS One. 2020; 15(9):e0238914. PMC: 7500697. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238914. View

11.

Dantas-Torres F . The role of dogs as reservoirs of Leishmania parasites, with emphasis on Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum and Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. Vet Parasitol. 2007; 149(3-4):139-46. DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2007.07.007. View

12.

Dantas-Torres F, Alexandre J, Miranda D, Figueredo L, Sales K, Sousa-Paula L . Molecular epidemiology and prevalence of babesial infections in dogs in two hyperendemic foci in Brazil. Parasitol Res. 2021; 120(7):2681-2687. DOI: 10.1007/s00436-021-07195-8. View

13.

Figueredo L, Sales K, Deuster K, Pollmeier M, Otranto D, Dantas-Torres F . Exposure to vector-borne pathogens in privately owned dogs living in different socioeconomic settings in Brazil. Vet Parasitol. 2017; 243:18-23. DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2017.05.020. View

14.

Fonseca A, Beserra de Oliveira L, Rodrigues Jorge F, Cavalcante R, Bevilaqua C, Pinto F . Occurrence of tick-borne pathogens in dogs in a coastal region of the state of Ceará, northeastern Brazil. Rev Bras Parasitol Vet. 2022; 31(1):e021321. PMC: 9901873. DOI: 10.1590/S1984-29612022010. View

15.

Horta M, Ogrzewalska M, Azevedo M, Costa F, Ferreira F, Labruna M . Rickettsia felis in Ctenocephalides felis felis from five geographic regions of Brazil. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2014; 91(1):96-100. PMC: 4080579. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.13-0699. View

16.

Labarthe N, Serrao M, Melo Y, de OLIVEIRA S, Lourenco-de-Oliveira R . Mosquito frequency and feeding habits in an enzootic canine dirofilariasis area in Niterói, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 1998; 93(2):145-54. DOI: 10.1590/s0074-02761998000200002. View

17.

Labruna M, Whitworth T, Horta M, Bouyer D, McBride J, Pinter A . Rickettsia species infecting Amblyomma cooperi ticks from an area in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, where Brazilian spotted fever is endemic. J Clin Microbiol. 2004; 42(1):90-8. PMC: 321730. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.42.1.90-98.2004. View

18.

Mendoza-Roldan J, Gabrielli S, Cascio A, Manoj R, Bezerra-Santos M, Benelli G . Zoonotic Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens infection in humans and an integrative approach to the diagnosis. Acta Trop. 2021; 223:106083. DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2021.106083. View

19.

ODwyer L, Lopes V, Rubini A, Paduan K, Ribolla P . Babesia spp. infection in dogs from rural areas of São Paulo State, Brazil. Rev Bras Parasitol Vet. 2009; 18(2):23-6. DOI: 10.4322/rbpv.01802005. View

20.

Oliveira J, Reckziegel G, do Nascimento Ramos C, Giannelli A, Alves L, de Carvalho G . Detection of Rickettsia felis in ectoparasites collected from domestic animals. Exp Appl Acarol. 2020; 81(2):255-264. DOI: 10.1007/s10493-020-00505-2. View