title: Bacterial and protozoal agents of canine vector-borne diseases in the blood of domestic and stray dogs from southern Portugal.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The so-called canine vector-borne diseases (CVBD) are caused by a wide range of pathogens transmitted by arthropods. In addition to their veterinary importance, many of these canine vector-borne pathogens can also affect the human population due to their zoonotic potential, a situation that requires a One Health approach. As the prevalence of vector-borne pathogens in cats from southern Portugal has been recently evaluated, the aim of the present study was to assess if the same agents were present in dogs living in the same area, and to assess positivity-associated risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  One thousand and ten dogs (521 domestic and 489 stray) from veterinary medical centres and animal shelters in southern Portugal were enrolled. Anaplasma spp./Ehrlichia spp., Bartonella spp., Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Babesia spp., Hepatozoon spp. and Leishmania infantum infections were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays in blood samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-eight (6.7%) dogs were PCR-positive to at least one of the tested CVBD agent species, genera or complex, including one dog found positive to two different genera. Nineteen (1.9%) dogs were positive to Anaplasma spp./Ehrlichia spp., eight (0.8%) to B. burgdorferi s.l., 31 (3.1%) to Hepatozoon spp. and 11 (1.1%) to L. infantum. Anaplasma platys, Ehrlichia canis, B. burgdorferis.l. and Hepatozoon canis were identified by DNA sequencing, including one animal confirmed with both A. platys and H. canis. Furthermore, Wolbachia spp. was amplified in blood from four dogs. None of the tested dogs was positive by PCR for Bartonella spp. or Babesia spp.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The molecular identification of CVBD agents in southern Portugal, some of them with zoonotic concern, reinforces the importance to alert the veterinary community, owners and public health authorities to prevent the risk of transmission of vector-borne pathogens among dogs and to other vertebrate hosts including humans. The prevalence of the selected pathogens was lower than that previously found in cats from the same region, probably because veterinarians and owners are more aware of them in the canine population and control measures are used more often.
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Parasitologia Médica, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal. carlamaia@ihmt.unl.pt.|Global Health and Tropical Medicine, IHMT-UNL, Lisbon, Portugal. carlamaia@ihmt.unl.pt.|Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisbon, Portugal. carlamaia@ihmt.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maia
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisbon, Portugal. bruno4almeida@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Clínica Veterinária Porto Seguro, Olhão, Portugal. cvetps@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coimbra
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisbon, Portugal. maria.catarina89@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Maria Catarina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Parasitologia Médica, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal. jcristovao@ihmt.unl.pt.|Global Health and Tropical Medicine, IHMT-UNL, Lisbon, Portugal. jcristovao@ihmt.unl.pt.
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cristóvão
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Parasitologia Médica, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal. claudia.pgramos@sapo.pt.
authors.forename: Cláudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.affiliation: Hospital Veterinário da Arrábida, Azeitão, Portugal. vetarrabida.lda@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ângela
authors.initials: Â
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Nyctea Lda., Lisbon, Portugal. martinhfilipe@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Filipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martinho
authors.affiliation: Vetévora, Évora, Portugal. pmccsilva@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Clube Animal, Beja, Portugal. nunoneves_clubeanimal@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Nuno
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Neves
authors.affiliation: Global Health and Tropical Medicine, IHMT-UNL, Lisbon, Portugal. monican@ihmt.unl.pt.|Unidade de Microbiologia Médica, IHMT-UNL, Lisbon, Portugal. monican@ihmt.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.affiliation: Global Health and Tropical Medicine, IHMT-UNL, Lisbon, Portugal. vieira@ihmt.unl.pt.|Unidade de Microbiologia Médica, IHMT-UNL, Lisbon, Portugal. vieira@ihmt.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Maria Luísa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal. lcardoso@utad.pt.
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.affiliation: Unidade de Parasitologia Médica, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Lisbon, Portugal. lcampino@ihmt.unl.pt.|Global Health and Tropical Medicine, IHMT-UNL, Lisbon, Portugal. lcampino@ihmt.unl.pt.|Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal. lcampino@ihmt.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Lenea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Campino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; D010271:Parasites / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D011529:Protozoan Infections, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000635:transmission