1. Survey of selected tick-borne diseases in dogs in Finland
- Author
-
Cristina Pérez Vera, Suvi Kapiainen, Sami Junnikkala, Kirsi Aaltonen, Thomas Spillmann, and Olli Vapalahti
- Subjects
Anaplasmosis ,Borreliosis ,Bartonella ,Dogs ,Epidemiology ,Infectious and parasitic diseases ,RC109-216 - Abstract
Abstract Background Due to climate changes during the last decades, ticks have progressively spread into higher latitudes in northern Europe. Although some tick borne diseases are known to be endemic in Finland, to date there is limited information with regard to the prevalence of these infections in companion animals. We determined the antibody and DNA prevalence of the following organisms in randomly selected client-owned and clinically healthy hunting dogs living in Finland: Ehrlichia canis (Ec), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap), Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) and Bartonella. Methods Anti-Ap, −Bb and –Ec antibodies were determined in 340 Finnish pet dogs and 50 healthy hunting dogs using the 4DX Snap®Test (IDEXX Laboratories). In addition, PCRs for the detection of Ap and Bartonella DNA were performed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors associated with seropositivity to a vector borne agent. Results The overall seroprevalence was highest for Ap (5.3%), followed by Bb (2.9%), and Ec (0.3%). Seropositivities to Ap and Bb were significantly higher in the Åland Islands (p
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF