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Introduction/objectives: Risk factors for severe disease in boxer dogs with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) are not well understood. This study's objective was to determine whether Striatin genotype or canine vector-borne pathogen (CVBP) exposure/infection in boxer dogs with ARVC was associated with disease severity or survival., Animals: Sixty-four client-owned, adult boxer dogs with ARVC were included in the study., Materials and Methods: This was a prospective descriptive study. Disease severity was determined by echocardiography and Holter monitoring. Potential risk factors included CVBP exposure/infection (Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., Bartonella spp., Borrelia burgdorferi, Dirofilaria immitis, Ehrlichia spp., and Rickettsia spp.) and Striatin genotype., Results: The median survival time after enrollment was 270 days (95% confidence interval [CI]: 226-798 days), and the median age at the time of death or censoring was 11 years (95% CI: 10.3-11.7 years). Striatin mutation genotype results included 31 homozygous-negative, 26 heterozygous-positive, and seven homozygous-positive boxer dogs. Ten boxer dogs had exposure to Bartonella spp., four to Rickettsia, two to Ehrlichia spp., and one to Anaplasma spp. Striatin homozygous-positive boxer dogs had a shorter median survival time (93 days vs. 373 days for heterozygous [P=0.010] and 214 days for homozygous negative [P=0.036]). Exposure/infection to CVBP was not associated with median survival time or age at the time of death., Discussion: Striatin homozygous positive boxer dogs with ARVC had shorter survival times and were younger at the time of death. Exposure or infection with CVBP did not appear to influence survival time., Study Limitations: Selection bias for more severe disease limited the ability to assess the relationship between CVBP infection/exposure and disease severity, and overall small sample size limited statistical power. Extracardiac disease and treatment protocols were not controlled., Conclusions: Striatin genotype screening can be considered for prognostic information. Exposure/infection to CVBP appears unlikely to influence survival time for boxer dogs with ARVC., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Statement In conjunction with Dr. S. Sontakke and North Carolina State University, Edward B. Breitschwerdt holds US Patent No. 7,115,385 Media and Methods for Cultivation of Microorganisms, which was issued on October 3rd, 2006. He is a cofounder, shareholder, and Chief Scientific Officer for Galaxy Diagnostics, a company that provides advanced diagnostic testing for the detection of Bartonella spp. infections. Ricardo Maggi is a cofounder and the Chief Technical Officer for Galaxy Diagnostics Inc. All other authors claim they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The objective of this work was to determine the prevalence of Borrelia and Bartonella species in Ixodes spp. ticks collected from 16 USA states. Genus PCR amplification and sequence analysis of Bartonella and Borrelia 16SsRNA-23SsRNA intergenic regions were performed on DNA extracted from 929 questing adult ticks (671 Ixodes scapularis, 155 Ixodes affinis, and 103 Ixodes pacificus). Overall, 129/929 (13.9%) Ixodes ticks were PCR positive for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, 48/929 for B. bissettiae whereas 23/929 (2.5%) were PCR positive for a Bartonella henselae. Borrelia bissettiae or B. burgdorferi s.s. and B. henselae co-infections were found in I. affinis from North Carolina at a rate of 4.5%; in a single I. scapularis from Minnesota, but not in I. pacificus. For both bacterial genera, PCR positive rates were highly variable depending on geographic location and tick species, with Ixodes affinis (n = 155) collected from North Carolina, being the tick species with the highest prevalence's for both Borrelia spp. (63.2%) and B. henselae (10.3%). Based on the results of this and other published studies, improved understanding of the enzootic cycle, transmission dynamics, and vector competence of Ixodes species (especially I. affinis) for transmission of Borrelia spp. and B. henselae should be a public health research priority., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

Salp15, a 15-kDa salivary gland protein plays an important role in tick blood-feeding and transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis. The comparative studies reveal that Salp15 is a genetically conserved protein across various Ixodes species. In this study, we have identified a Salp15 homolog, designated as Iaff15, from Ixodes affinis ticks that are the principal enzootic vectors of B. burgdorferi sensu stricto in the southeastern part of the United States. Comparison of the annotated amino acid sequences showed that Iaff15 share 81% homology with I. sinensis Salp15 homolog and 64% homology with I. scapularis Salp15. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Iaff15 come within the same clade with I. sinensis, I. scapularis, and I. pacificus Salp15 homologs. The bioinformatics analysis of the posttranslational modifications prediction revealed that all the Salp15 family members contain glycosylation sites. In addition, Iaff15 carried a higher number of Casein Kinase II phosphorylation sites in comparison to the other Salp15 family members. Collectively, high sequence conservation distributed over the entire amino acids sequence not only suggests an important role for Iaff15 in I. affinis blood feeding and vector-pathogen interactions but may also lead to the development of an anti-vector vaccine against this group of ticks., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Canine cutaneous histiocytoma (CCH) is a common, benign neoplastic proliferation of histiocytes of Langerhans cell origin that often ulcerate, become secondarily infected and regress spontaneously. Bartonella is a fastidious genus of facultative intracellular pathogens that can be transmitted through arthropod bites and epidermal animal scratches and has been identified previously in the cytoplasm of histiocytes within granulomatous lesions and in skin biopsy samples of inflammatory pustules and papules. Based on the established inflammatory and oncogenic properties of Bartonella, we hypothesized that Bartonella spp. DNA could be amplified from CCH more often than from non-lesional skin and bacteria could be localized within skin tumours using indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). Paraffin wax-embedded surgical biopsy samples from dogs with CCH and non-neoplastic skin adjacent to osteosarcomas (control group selected due to wide surgical margins) were retrieved from the archive of the pathology service of North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. DNA was extracted and regions of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the pap31 and gltA genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using Bartonella-specific primers. IIF was performed using a primary Bartonella henselae monoclonal antibody to localize B. henselae in tissues of PCR-positive dogs. Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii was amplified from 1/17 (5.8%) control tissues and B. henselae was amplified from 4/29 (13.8%) CCH tissues. The prevalence of B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii (P = 0.37) or B. henselae (P = 0.28) did not vary statistically between study groups. B. henselae could be visualized in 2/4 (50.0%) CCH tissues using IIF. Based on this study, Bartonella spp. are unlikely to cause CCH., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In his homage to Lucretius ('Georgica'), Vergil is credited with stating: 'Felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas' ('Fortunate is he who knows the causes of things'). Based on numerous commentaries and publications it is obvious that clinicians, diagnosticians and biomedical research scientists continue to struggle with disease causation, particularly in the assessment of the pathogenic role of 'stealth pathogens' that produce persistent infections in the host. Bartonella species, because of their evolutionary ability to induce persistent intravascular infections, present substantial challenges for researchers attempting to clarify the ability of these stealth bacteria to cause disease. By studying the comparative biological and pathological behaviour of microbes across mammalian genera, researchers might be able more rapidly to advance medical science and, subsequently, patient care by undertaking focused research efforts involving a single mammalian species or by attempting to recapitulate a complex disease in an rodent model. Therefore, in an effort to further assist in the establishment of disease causation by stealth pathogens, we use recent research observations involving the genus Bartonella to propose an additional postulate of comparative infectious disease causation to Koch's postulates., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Ixodes affinis and I. scapularis are tick species that are widely distributed in the coastal plain region of North Carolina. Both tick species are considered enzootic vectors for spirochetal bacteria of the genus Borrelia and specifically for B. burgdorferi s.s., the pathogen most often attributed as the cause of Lyme disease in the USA. Laboratory testing of individual I. affinis and I. scapularis ticks for the presence of Borrelia DNA was accomplished by PCR, targeting 2 regions of the 16S-23S intergenic spacer. In I. affinis, Borrelia DNA was detected in 63.2% of 155 individual ticks. B. burgdorferi s.s. and B. bissettii were identified by DNA sequencing in 33.5% and 27.9% I. affinis, respectively. Statistical differences were found for sex distribution of Borrelia DNA between I. affinis females (76.8%) and I. affinis males (55.6%) where B. burgdorferi s.s. was more prevalent in females (44.6%) than in males (27.3%). In I. scapularis, 298 individually tested ticks yielded no Borrelia PCR-positive results. This study found a higher incidence of Borrelia spp. in I. affinis collected in coastal North Carolina as compared to previous reports for this tick species in other Southern states, highlighting the potential importance of I. affinis in the maintenance of the enzootic transmission cycle of B. burgdorferi s.l. in North Carolina. The lack of Borrelia DNA in I. scapularis highlights the need for additional studies to better define the transmission cycle for B. burgdorferi s.s. in the southeastern USA and specifically in the state of North Carolina., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) are highly prevalent and increasing in distribution worldwide. A longitudinal study was conducted in southern Italy to determine the incidence of and protection against CVBD-causing pathogens in dogs treated with a combination of imidacloprid 10% and permethrin 50% (ImPer). One hundred eleven autochthonous young dogs were divided into group A (n=63) and group B (n=48), both groups containing dogs positive and negative for one or more CVBD-causing pathogens. Additionally, 10 naïve male beagles were introduced in each group in May 2008. Group A was treated with ImPer on day 0 and every 21+/-2 days whereas group B was left untreated. Blood and skin samples were collected at baseline (March-April 2008) and at the first, second and third follow-up times (July and October 2008 and April 2009). Bone marrow was sampled at baseline and at the third follow-up. Serological, cytological and molecular tests were performed to detect Anaplasma platys, Babesia spp., Bartonella spp., Dirofilaria immitis, Ehrlichia canis, Hepatozoon canis and Leishmania infantum. Ectoparasites (fleas, ticks, and sand flies) were monitored throughout the study. The baseline prevalence of CVBDs was 39.6% with 44 dogs positive for at least one pathogen. A. platys (27.5%) and Babesia spp. (15.6%) were the most prevalent species and co-infections with up to two pathogens were detected in 16 (14.7%) individuals. At the end of the evaluation period, there was a 90.7% reduction in overall CVBD incidence density rate (IDR) in group A, as following: 100% reduction in L. infantum; 94.6% in E. canis; 94.4% in Babesia spp.; and 81.8% in A. platys. Initially positive treated dogs showed significantly lower pathogen prevalence at the third follow-up than untreated ones. At the end of the evaluation period, 8 of the 10 untreated beagles were infected with at least one pathogen whereas one of the treated beagles was A. platys positive at a single time point (second follow-up). Overall efficacy against ticks was 97.9%. In October 2009, samples were collected from the remaining 83 dogs (44 from group A and 39 from group B) to investigate the annual incidence of CVBDs in the same, at this time untreated, dog population. A high year incidence for tick-borne diseases (78.1%) and for L. infantum (13.6%) was detected in dogs from group A, seven months after the treatment had been withdrawn. The results demonstrate that ImPer preventive treatment against arthropods protects autochthonous and naïve beagle dogs against CVBD-causing pathogens.