Serological survey of canine vector-borne diseases in two animal shelters in central Peninsular Malaysia
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2021
Abstract
Canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) are increasingly becoming a cause for global concern because of their high morbidity and mortality rates in dogs. However, information on their occurrence in Malaysia is still scanty. In this study, a total of 103 dog blood samples were collected from two animal shelters in central Peninsular Malaysia and tested for the antibodies against Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Borrelia burgdorferi, and the antigen of Dirofilaria immitis. Of the 103 tested dogs, 44.7% (46) were found to be seropositive for Ehrlichia spp., 30.1% (31) for Anaplasma spp. and 13.6% (14) for D. immitis. Co-infections of Anaplasma spp. + Ehrlichia spp. (18.5%, 19) were most prevalent, followed by Anaplasma spp. + D. immitis (1.9%; two) and D. immitis + Ehrlichia spp. (1.0%; one). Furthermore, three dogs (2.9%) were also found to have triple infection, testing seropositive for Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp. and D. immitis. The dogs which were found to be seropositive with at least one pathogen were 66.7% (32/51) at shelter A, and 55.8% (29/52) at shelter B. Serological evidence showed that the exposure of major vector-borne diseases in dogs in shelters was relatively high in the surveyed areas. Routine detection and control of vector-borne diseases are of paramount importance for reducing the risk of CVBDs transmission in dogs and humans. © 2021, Malaysian Society for Parasitology. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Dirofilariasis, Infectious diseases, Malaysia, Tick-borne diseases
Divisions
fac_med,InstituteofBiologicalSciences,tidrec
Funders
University of Malaya research grant (PG098-2016A),Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE) program (MO002-2019)
Publication Title
Tropical Biomedicine
Volume
38
Issue
1
Publisher
Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine