Detection of canine babesiosis causative agent Babesia canis indetrmacentor reticulatus ticks in Lithuania and Central Europe

Abstract

Dermacentor reticulatus ticks are considered as an important vector of different viruses, bacteria, protozoa, which causes a variety of diseases in animals and humans. D. reticulatus is the most important vector of Babesia canis protozoan. B. canis, also known as large canine Babesia, can cause severe disease in infected dogs. The most frequent causative agent of canine babesiosis in Central Europe is B. canis canis. Recently, many new endemic foci of this disease have been reported from European countries. Growing incidence of canine babesiosis was recorded also in Lithuania during the last decade. Information on prevalence of babesia pathogens is scarce, especially in Lithuania, where the large-scale investigation of babesia pathogen in D. reticulatus tick never has been done before. The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence of B. canis in D. reticulatus ticks collected in 34 locations in Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Latvia and Ukraine by using molecular methods. A total of 1331 ticks were collected during April – May of 2013, and examined for the presence of Babesia DNA. For pathogen detection, nested PCR with external (BTF1, BTR1) and internal (BTF2, BTR2) primers, which amplify partial region of the 18S rRNA gene of Babesia species, was carried out. In total 0.95 % of all tested samples were positive for B. canis. In Lithuania prevalence of B.canis ranged from 0 to 6.7% in different locations. In Poland, B.canis pathogens were detected with prevalence ranged in different locations from 0% to 2.7%. No positive samples were found in investigated locations of Latvia, Slovakia and Ukraina. Sequence analysis showed that all Babesia isolates from ticks belonged to B. canis canis subspecies. Analysed 18S rRNA gene sequences were 98–100% similar to the sequences of B. c. canis isolated from ticks in other European countries.