RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Although many vector-borne diseases are important causes of morbidity and mortality in dogs in tropical areas and potential zoonoses, there is little information on these conditions in Central America. METHODS: Seven qPCRs for vector-borne pathogens were performed on a Roche LightCycler PCR Instrument to investigate their prevalence in a convenience sample of whole blood samples from apparently healthy dogs in Nicaragua. Also, a qPCR targeting the canine hydroxymethylbilane synthase (HMBS) gene was used as an endogenous internal control and verified the quality and quantity of DNA in the samples was appropriate for the study. RESULTS: We found DNA of Rickettsia felis (5%), Babesia spp. (26%), Hepatozoon canis (51%), Anaplasma platys (13%) and Ehrlichia canis (56%) in the 39 dogs studied. The qPCRs for Coxiella burnetii and Dirofilaria immitis were negative. Of the 30 (80%) dogs that were positive by qPCR, 12 (31%) were positive for one agent, 11 (28%) for two, 3 (8%) for three, and 4 (10%) for four agents. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of B. gibsoni in dogs from Central America and the first recording of vector-borne agents in dogs from Nicaragua. Dogs in Nicaragua are commonly infected with a variety of vector-borne pathogens, some of which may also infect people.
Assuntos
Babesia/isolamento & purificação , Babesiose/epidemiologia , DNA de Protozoário/sangue , Doenças do Cão/epidemiologia , Anaplasma/genética , Anaplasma/isolamento & purificação , Animais , Babesia/genética , Babesiose/parasitologia , Doenças do Cão/parasitologia , Cães , Ehrlichia/genética , Ehrlichia/isolamento & purificação , Eucoccidiida/genética , Eucoccidiida/isolamento & purificação , Dosagem de Genes , Hidroximetilbilano Sintase/genética , Nicarágua/epidemiologia , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase/veterinária , Prevalência , Proteínas de Protozoários/genética , Rickettsia/genética , Rickettsia/isolamento & purificaçãoRESUMO
Although vector-borne diseases are important causes of morbidity and mortality in dogs in tropical areas, there is little information on these conditions in Costa Rica. In PCRs of blood from dogs in Costa Rica, we did not detect DNAs of Rickettsia (R.) felis and Coxiella (C.) burnetii but we did find evidence of infection with Dirofilaria (D.) immitis (9/40, 22.5%), Hepatozoon (H.) canis (15/40, 37.5%), Babesia spp. (10/40, 25%; 2 with B. gibsoni and 8 with B. vogeli), Anaplasma (A.) platys (3/40, 7.5%) and Ehrlichia (E.) canis (20/40, 50%). Nine dogs (22.5%) were free of any vector-borne pathogens while 14 (35%) were infected with a single pathogen, 11 (27.5%) with two, 4 (10%) with three, 1 (2.5%) with four, and 1 (2.5%) with five pathogens. Dogs in Costa Rica are commonly infected with vector-borne agents.
Assuntos
Doenças do Cão/epidemiologia , Infecções por Bactérias Gram-Negativas/epidemiologia , Infecções por Bactérias Gram-Negativas/microbiologia , Técnicas de Diagnóstico Molecular/métodos , Doenças Parasitárias em Animais/epidemiologia , Doenças Parasitárias em Animais/parasitologia , Animais , Apicomplexa/classificação , Apicomplexa/isolamento & purificação , Bacteriemia/epidemiologia , Bacteriemia/microbiologia , Bacteriemia/veterinária , Costa Rica/epidemiologia , Dirofilaria immitis/classificação , Dirofilaria immitis/isolamento & purificação , Doenças do Cão/diagnóstico , Doenças do Cão/microbiologia , Doenças do Cão/parasitologia , Cães , Feminino , Bactérias Gram-Negativas/classificação , Bactérias Gram-Negativas/isolamento & purificação , Infecções por Bactérias Gram-Negativas/diagnóstico , Masculino , Parasitemia/epidemiologia , Parasitemia/parasitologia , Parasitemia/veterinária , Doenças Parasitárias em Animais/diagnóstico , Prevalência , Clima TropicalRESUMO
Salmonella spp. are gram-negative bacteria capable of causing diseases in a wide range of aquatic and terrestrial animals, including humans. Sea and terrestrial turtles have been recognized as carriers of this zoonotic pathogen. In this project, conventional and molecular diagnostic methods were combined to investigate the prevalence of Salmonella enterica in leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) that used the island of St. Kitts, West Indies as a nesting ground during 2011 (n = 21). Isolates obtained from selective media were screened and colonies suspected of being Salmonella spp. were confirmed by fluorescence resonance energy transfer polymerase chain reaction. The prevalence of S. enterica within this sample population during this period was found to be 14.2%. Moreover, due to the increasing risk of antibiotic resistance in enteric bacteria, antimicrobial susceptibility was investigated in all recovered Salmonella spp. isolates utilizing the broth microdilution method. All isolates were susceptible to the lowest concentration of kanamycin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, nalidixic acid, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole tested. Further research should be pursued to understand the interaction of this bacterial pathogen with the environment, host, and other microbial communities, and to further develop faster, more sensitive, and more specific diagnostic methods.
Assuntos
Salmonelose Animal/microbiologia , Salmonella enterica/isolamento & purificação , Tartarugas , Animais , Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Cloaca/microbiologia , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana , Salmonelose Animal/epidemiologia , Salmonella enterica/efeitos dos fármacos , Índias Ocidentais/epidemiologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Although tick-borne diseases are important causes of morbidity and mortality in dogs in tropical areas, there is little information on the agents causing these infections in the Caribbean. METHODOLOGY: We used PCRs to test blood from a cross-section of dogs on St Kitts for Ehrlichia (E.) canis, Babesia (B.) spp., Anaplasma (A.) spp. and Hepatozoon (H.) spp. Antibodies against E. canis and A. phagocytophilum/platys were detected using commercial immunochromatography tests. Records of the dogs were examined retrospectively to obtain clinical and laboratory data. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: There was serological and/or PCR evidence of infections of dogs with E. canis (27%; 46/170), Babesia spp. (24%; 90/372) including B. canis vogeli (12%; 43/372) and B. gibsoni (10%; 36/372), A. platys (11%; 17/157) and H. canis (6%; 15/266). We could not identify the Babesia sp. detected in nine dogs. There was evidence of multiple infections with dual infections with E. canis and B. canis vogeli (8%; 14/179) or B. gibsoni (7%; 11/170) being the most common. There was agreement between immunochromatography and PCR test results for E. canis for 87% of dogs. Only 13% of exposed dogs had signs of a tick-borne disease and 38% had laboratory abnormalities. All 10 dogs presenting for a recheck after treatment of E. canis with doxycycline were apparently healthy although all remained seropositive and six still had laboratory abnormalities despite an average of two treatments with the most recent being around 12 months previously. Infections with Babesia spp. were also mainly subclinical with only 6% (4/67) showing clinical signs and 13% (9/67) having laboratory abnormalities. Similarly, animals with evidence of infections with A. platys and H. canis were largely apparently healthy with only occasional laboratory abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: Dogs are commonly infected with tick-borne pathogens in the Caribbean with most having no clinical signs or laboratory abnormalities.
Assuntos
Anaplasmose , Babesiose/veterinária , Doenças do Cão/diagnóstico , Doenças do Cão/epidemiologia , Ehrlichiose/veterinária , Doenças Transmitidas por Carrapatos/veterinária , Anaplasma/genética , Anaplasma/imunologia , Animais , Babesia/genética , Babesia/imunologia , Cromatografia de Afinidade , Cães , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , Prevalência , Índias Ocidentais/epidemiologiaRESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Although antibodies to the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) have been detected by SNAP assay in cats from St. Kitts, there have been no molecular studies to further confirm the infection and determine the FIV subtypes present. METHODOLOGY: Total nucleic acids were extracted from EDTA whole blood specimens from 35 cats, followed by quantitative fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) PCR under a six-channel LightCycler 2.0 Instrument with Software version 4.1. RESULTS: Four of 11 stray cats (36 %) but none of 24 owned cats were FIV positive by real-time PCR. High-resolution melting curve analysis indicated that all four positive cats were infected with FIV subtype-B. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first molecular characterization of FIV subtypes on St. Kitts and the results confirm the high prevalence of FIV infection in stray cats on the island.