title: Epidemiological aspects on vector-borne infections in stray and pet dogs from Romania and Hungary with focus on Babesia spp.
abstract: Canine arthropod-borne infections are of major interest in small animal practice and have been widely investigated in Central and Western Europe. However, only limited epidemiological data are available from South-Eastern European countries, although diseases including babesiosis or dirofilariosis are widely recognised as important canine infections in these countries. A steadily increasing number of dogs imported from South-Eastern Europe into Germany require particular attention by small animal practitioners. In this study, a total of 216 dogs [29 local Romanian pet dogs presented at Salvavet Veterinary Clinic in Bucharest, Romania, and 187 imported stray dogs from Romania (n = 109) and Hungary (n = 78) into Germany] were screened by molecular biological, serological and haematological methods for canine arthropod-borne infections. Eleven different parasitic and bacterial vector-borne pathogens-Babesia canis canis, Babesia canis vogeli, Babesia gibsoni, Babesia felis-like, Hepatozoon canis, Leishmania spp., Dirofilaria immitis, Dirofilaria repens, Acanthocheilonema reconditum, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Mycoplasma haemocanis-were detected. Fifty-six percent of the dogs were positive by direct methods. B. canis canis was the most prevalent pathogen in dogs imported to Germany (42.8%) and dogs submitted for clinical consultation in Bucharest (44.8%). Our data strongly suggest the introduction of an adjusted screening panel in dogs from South-East Europe in view of increasing importation of dogs into Germany.
authors.affiliation: Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Leopoldstraße 5, 80802 Munich, Germany. dietmar.hamel@tropa.vetmed.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hamel
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Silaghi
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lescai
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pfister
mesh_terms: D000709:Anaplasma / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D000818:Animals; D001403:Babesia / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004153:Dipetalonema / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004183:Dirofilaria immitis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D007891:Leishmania / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D008297:Male; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D010273:Parasitic Diseases, Animal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA