Current distribution of selected vector-borne diseases in domestic dogs from Bucharest, Romania
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) include various illnesses affecting dogs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of major CVBDs in domestic dogs in Bucharest, Romania's largest urban centre, which is situated along the Dâmbovița River in the southeastern region. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The present study included 317 dogs presented to a veterinary hospital for routine health examinations or specialised consultations between August 2020 and August 2024. Two rapid serological tests (SNAP 4Dx Plus and SNAP Leishmania) were used to assess infection rates. RESULTS: The findings revealed an overall seroprevalence of 8.8% for CVBDs, with Dirofilaria immitis exhibiting a prevalence of 12.62%. The seroprevalence of Ehrlichia spp. fluctuated over the years, peaking at 8.33% in 2022, resulting in an overall prevalence of 4.73%. An increase in Ehrlichia spp. seroprevalence during the 4 years was correlated with the presence of Rhipicephalus species in the region. Anaplasma spp. also showed a rising trend, with an overall prevalence of 4.42% and an increase from 2.94% in 2020 to 8.33% in 2024. In contrast, Borrelia burgdorferi exhibited low seroprevalence, and no positive cases for Leishmania spp. were detected. CONCLUSION: This study assesses Bucharest's status as an endemic area for ehrlichial diseases and dirofilariosis, highlighting significant public health concerns. Globalisation, tourism and climate change are factors that influence vector biology, and it is crucial to develop a strategic management plan for the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases.
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Age is not necessarily associated with a greater risk of infection per unit of time, but prevalence tends to increase with host age, most likely reflecting cumulative exposure over time in endemic areas.
“Likewise, although age is not necessarily associated with a greater risk of infection per unit of time, prevalence tends to increase with host age, most likely reflecting cumulative exposure over time in endemic areas (4, 5, 8–13).”
From Deciphering the socio-environmental factors associated with realized heartworm transmission risk in dogs from Portugal and Spain (2026) · cites this paper as [13]
The Discussion links higher D. immitis prevalence in older dogs to longer lifetime exposure to vectors, and Table 5 shows prevalence rising across age groups (7.69%, 12.82%, 17.71%). The age-group difference was not statistically significant (Results, Table 5; p = 0.1). The paper does not assess whether infection risk per unit of time changes with age, so that part of the attributed claim is unsupported. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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Vinnie-Siow, W. Y., Tan, T. K., Sam, S., Teoh, B., Lim, Y. A. L., & Low, V. L. (2025) · Veterinary Research Communications · doi:10.1007/s11259-025-10987-3 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
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“Likewise, although age is not necessarily associated with a greater risk of infection per unit of time, prevalence tends to increase with host age, most likely reflecting cumulative exposure over time in endemic areas (4, 5, 8–13).”
Impact of Climate Change on Vector-Borne Diseases
Agwu, E. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-17110-8_9
- Authors
- Sandu, I., Cristea, C. D., Ionică, A. M., & Deak, G.
- Affiliations
- University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest (RO)
- Pet Stuff Veterinary Hospital Bucharest Romania
- Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj‐Napoca Cluj‐Napoca Romania
- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca (RO)
- Corresponding author
- Sandu, Ioana
- Deak, Georgiana
- Venue
- Veterinary Medicine and Science
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2025-06-01
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- e70415-e70415
- ISSN
- 2053-1095 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC12126992
- OpenAlex
- W4410929407
- Cited by
- 4
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2
- FWCI
- 3.56
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Veterinary Medicine and Science (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Parasitology › Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Research on Leishmaniasis Studies
- Keywords
- canine vector-borne diseases, dogs, seroprevalence, Dirofilaria immitis, ehrlichiosis, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, Borrelia burgdorferi, Leishmania, Rhipicephalus, urban dogs, Bucharest, zoonoses
- MeSH terms
- Vector Borne Diseases, Anaplasmosis, Animals, Dirofilaria immitis, Dirofilariasis, Dog Diseases, Dogs, Female, Leishmaniasis, Male, Romania, Prevalence, Seroepidemiologic Studies, Ehrlichiosis
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