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Cited by 44Parasitic Diseases Research and TreatmentVector-borne infectious diseasesHelminth infection and control

Vector-borne pathogens in dogs and red foxes from the federal state of Brandenburg, Germany

Liesner, Jana M., Krücken, Jürgen, Schaper, Roland, Pachnicke, Stefan, Kohn, Barbara, Müller, Elisabeth, Schulze, Christoph, von Samson-Himmelstjerna, Georg·2016·Veterinary Parasitology
DOI 10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.05.012
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Abstract

Dirofilaria repens is endemic in eastern and southern European regions but was recently found in Germany in dogs, mosquitoes and one human patient. Since some of the positive dog and mosquito samples were collected in Brandenburg, it was aimed to systematically assess the prevalence of D. repens and other canine vector-borne pathogens in Brandenburg. Dog owners also received a questionnaire and were asked to provide more information about the dogs including travel history. In total, 1023 dog blood samples as well as 195 fox spleen and 179 fox blood samples were collected. DNA was analysed by PCR for the presence of filariae, piroplasms, anaplasmataceae and Rickettsia spp. Filariae were detected in six dogs (0.6%), two were positive for DNA from D. repens, two from Dirofilaria immitis and two from Acanthocheilonema reconditum. One of the D. repens positive dogs originated from an animal shelter in Brandenburg, but the origin of the other one remained unknown. Interestingly, both D. repens ITS-1 sequences showed 100% identity to a D. repens sample obtained from a Japanese woman that travelled in Europe and were 97% identical to a newly proposed species Dirofilaria sp. 'hongkongensis' described from Hong Kong. However, identity to other D. repens sequences from Thailand was considerably lower (81%). Identity of 12S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase I to D. repens samples from southern Europe was 99%. Due to the low number of Dirofilaria spp. positive dogs and since the origin of these was unknown, endemic occurrence of Dirofilaria in Brandenburg could not be confirmed. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was found in 15 dogs (1.5%), Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis in three dogs (0.3%) and E. canis in one dog (0.1%), which was co-infected with D. repens. Rickettsia spp. were detected in 8 dogs (0.8%), seven were Rickettsia raoultii and one was Rickettsia felis. To the author's knowledge, R. raoultii DNA was detected for the first time in dogs in Germany in this study and Candidatus N. mikurensis for the second time. In spleen samples of red foxes with 47.5% a high prevalence of piroplasms was found. Sequencing of 11 samples identified 10 as Theileria annae. Despite the high prevalence of this pathogen in its reservoir host, it was absent in dog samples. In one dog (0.1%), Babesia canis was detected but there was no further information about the dog's origin. Evaluation of the questionnaire identified a high proportion of dogs (74.2%, n=233) which was not protected by ectoparasiticides. Moreover, 21.2% (n=236) of the dogs originated from inland or abroad shelters, and therefore might potentially come from areas endemic for dirofilariosis or babesiosis.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.05.012

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  • Clinical cases in animals induced by R. raoultii have not been described so far, but in dogs in Germany R. raoultii DNA was detected in 0.68% of samples and a seroprevalence of 2.8% was reported.

    “Clinical cases in animals induced by R. raoultii have not been described so far, however, in dogs in Germany R. raoultii DNA was detected in 0.68% of samples and a seroprevalence of 2.8% was reported [29, 30].”

    From Tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected from dogs, Latvia, 2011–2016 (2019) · cites this paper as [30]

  • In Germany, an increase in the number of D. immitis infections has been observed in dogs that travelled or came from endemic countries, but also in dogs that presumably have not travelled outside the country.

    “Germany faces a similar scenario, since it has been observed an increase in the number of infections in dogs that have travelled or came from endemic countries, but also in dogs that presumably have not travelled outside the country.”

    From What has happened to heartworm disease in Europe in the last 10 years? (2022) · cites this paper as [52]

  • In Brandenburg, Germany, canine heartworm prevalence was 0.2%.

    “Another study reported a prevalence of 0.2% in the federal state of Brandenburg, in the centre of the country [52].”

    From What has happened to heartworm disease in Europe in the last 10 years? (2022) · cites this paper as [52]

  • Wild animals in which Dirofilaria infections were identified were predominantly canids like red foxes, golden jackals, and grey wolves.

    “Furthermore, there are some wild animals in which Dirofilaria infections were identified, predominantly in canids like red foxes [4, 5, 51–62], golden jackals [52–55, 63, 64], and grey wolves [2, 3, 51, 52, 55, 65, 66].”

    From Vectors, host range, and spatial distribution of Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens in Europe: a systematic review (2025) · cites this paper as [5]

  • Screening of 122 red-fox and 13 raccoon-dog lung samples from 2009, and of 1023 dog-blood, 179 red-fox-blood, and 195 red-fox-spleen samples from 2013 and 2014 did not provide evidence of endemic occurrence of Dirofilaria in Brandenburg.

    “However, the screening of 122 red-fox and 13 raccoon-dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) lung samples from 2009 [107], and of 1023 dog-blood, 179 red-fox-blood, and 195 red-fox-spleen samples from 2013 and 2014 [108] did not provide evidence of endemic occurrence of Dirofilaria in Brandenburg”

    From Dirofilaria spp. and Angiostrongylus vasorum: current risk of spreading in Central and Northern Europe. (2021) · cites this paper as [108]

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Authors
Liesner, J. M., Krücken, J., Schaper, R., Pachnicke, S., Kohn, B., Müller, E., Schulze, C., & von Samson-Himmelstjerna, G.
Affiliations
  • Freie Universität Berlin (DE)
  • Elanco Animal Health (Germany) (DE)
  • Bayer (Germany) (DE)
  • Laboklin (Germany) (DE)
ORCID
Venue
Veterinary Parasitology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2016-07
Volume
224
Pages
44-51
ISSN
0304-4017 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.05.012
OpenAlex
W2359680669
Cited by
44
References
59
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 1
FWCI
5.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Veterinary Parasitology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Bayer Animal Health GmbH
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Parasitic Diseases Research and Treatment
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Parasitology › Vector-borne infectious diseases
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Helminth infection and control
Keywords
Dirofilaria repens, red fox, Dirofilaria immitis, Acanthocheilonema reconditum, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Ehrlichia canis, Rickettsia raoultii, Rickettsia felis, piroplasms, Anaplasmataceae, filarial nematodes, co-infection, 12S rRNA, mitochondrial COI
MeSH terms
Anaplasmataceae, Animals, Arthropod Vectors, Babesia, Babesiosis, Electron Transport Complex IV, Dog Diseases, Dogs, Filariasis, Filarioidea, Foxes, Germany, Humans, Surveys and Questionnaires, Rickettsia, RNA, Ribosomal, Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid, Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections, DNA, Ribosomal Spacer

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