title: Molecular detection of vector-borne agents in dogs from ten provinces of China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although many vector-borne agents are potential zoonoses and cause substantial morbidity and mortality in dogs worldwide, there are limited data on these organisms in dogs of China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative PCRs for vector-borne agents were performed to investigate their prevalences in convenience whole blood samples obtained from 1114 dogs from 21 veterinary clinics and a commercial dog breeding facility in ten provinces of China. In addition, the PCRs were performed on 146 Rhipicephalus sanguineus senso lato and 37 Linognathus setosus collected from dogs in the commercial dog breeding facility.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DNAs of Babesia gibsoni and B. vogeli (1.2 %), Ehrlichia canis (1.3 %), Hepatozoon canis (1.8 %) and Theileria orientalis (0.1 %) or a closely related organism were detected in the bloods of the dogs studied, and Babesia vogeli (3.4 %) and Ehrlichia canis (4.1 %) in R. sanguineus senso lato. The qPCRs for Anaplasma spp., Dirofilaria immitis and Leishmania spp. were negative for all blood samples, ticks and lice. At least one vector-borne agent was found in dogs from 5 of the 10 provinces investigated in this study. Overall, 4.4 % (49/1117) of the dogs studied were positive for at least one vector-borne agent with the prevalence being highest in the commercial breeding colony (24/97; 24.7 %).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study confirms that B. vogeli, B. gibsoni, H. canis, and E. canis occur in China. Also, we present evidence that T. orientalis or a closely related organism can infect dogs.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, P. R. China. xuda910502@163.com.
authors.forename: Da
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, P. R. China. zhangjilei0103@163.com.
authors.forename: Jilei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: China Agricultural University College of Veterinary Medicine, Beijing, 100083, China. ndvet@126.com.
authors.forename: Zhengsheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Yunnan Agricultural University College of Animal Science & Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, 650201, China. 466569879@qq.com.
authors.forename: Chunlian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Agri-animal Husbandry Vocational College, Taizhou, Jiangsu, China. 7657088@qq.com.
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Xinjiang Agricultural University College of Veterinary Medicine, Urumchi, Xinjiang, 830052, China. 79235792@qq.com.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Inner Mongolia Agricultural University College of Veterinary Medicine, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, 010018, China. yongqinghao1960@yahoo.com.cn.
authors.forename: Yongqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: Henan Agricultural University College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan, 45002, China. dongju0528@163.com.
authors.forename: Haiju
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, P. R. China. weilanjing@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Lanjing
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, P. R. China. dr_ba1012_2@hotmail.com.|Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, 41522, Egypt. dr_ba1012_2@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Heba S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: El-Mahallawy
authors.affiliation: Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts & Nevis, West Indies. pkelly@rossvet.edu.kn.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, P. R. China. 1416573129@qq.com.
authors.forename: Wenbin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, P. R. China. wh@yzu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, P. R. China. yzjili@163.com.
authors.forename: Jianji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, P. R. China. zhangxj@yzu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xinjun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, P. R. China. jhgu2005@163.com.
authors.forename: Jianhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, 225009, P. R. China. wangcm@yzu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Chengming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000709:Anaplasma / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001403:Babesia / Q000235:genetics; D001404:Babesiosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004183:Dirofilaria immitis; D004184:Dirofilariasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D004285:Dogs; D041061:Ehrlichia canis; D016873:Ehrlichiosis / Q000662:veterinary; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D048508:Rhipicephalus sanguineus
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D016054:DNA, Protozoan