Zeyneb Gharbi, Ahmed Ouni, Ghofrane Balti, Ali Bouattour, Ahmed Chabchoub, Youmna M'ghirbi
{"title":"First Evidence of <i>Rickettsia conorii</i> Infection in Dogs in Northern Tunisia.","authors":"Zeyneb Gharbi, Ahmed Ouni, Ghofrane Balti, Ali Bouattour, Ahmed Chabchoub, Youmna M'ghirbi","doi":"10.3390/vetsci11090402","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A cross-sectional study was carried out, between April 2021 and June 2022, to understand the role of dogs in the circulation of rickettsiosis in Tunisia. The presence of specific IgG antibodies against <i>Rickettsia conorii</i> was analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence test. By qPCR, blood and ticks were collected from 136 dogs examined at the Canine Department of National School for Veterinary Medicine of Tunisia. These dogs were also analyzed to detect <i>Rickettsia</i> DNA. The rate of <i>Rickettsia</i> seropositivity in 136 dogs was 55.14%. A total of 51 (53%) seropositive dogs showed clinical and biological signs such as fever and anorexia as well as thrombocytopenia and anemia. By qPCR, targeting the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, no <i>Rickettsia</i> DNA was detected in the blood. On the other hand, qPCR followed by sequencing revealed the presence of <i>R. conorii</i> subsp. <i>raoultii</i> in 7 tick pools of the 51 pools composed of the 227 ticks collected. A One Health approach to raise the awareness of dog owners to control tick infestations is imperative, given the dangers of canine zoonoses.</p>","PeriodicalId":23694,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11435778/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Veterinary Sciences","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11090402","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"VETERINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
A cross-sectional study was carried out, between April 2021 and June 2022, to understand the role of dogs in the circulation of rickettsiosis in Tunisia. The presence of specific IgG antibodies against Rickettsia conorii was analyzed by indirect immunofluorescence test. By qPCR, blood and ticks were collected from 136 dogs examined at the Canine Department of National School for Veterinary Medicine of Tunisia. These dogs were also analyzed to detect Rickettsia DNA. The rate of Rickettsia seropositivity in 136 dogs was 55.14%. A total of 51 (53%) seropositive dogs showed clinical and biological signs such as fever and anorexia as well as thrombocytopenia and anemia. By qPCR, targeting the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, no Rickettsia DNA was detected in the blood. On the other hand, qPCR followed by sequencing revealed the presence of R. conorii subsp. raoultii in 7 tick pools of the 51 pools composed of the 227 ticks collected. A One Health approach to raise the awareness of dog owners to control tick infestations is imperative, given the dangers of canine zoonoses.
期刊介绍:
Veterinary Sciences is an international and interdisciplinary scholarly open access journal. It publishes original that are relevant to any field of veterinary sciences, including prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in animals. This journal covers almost all topics related to animal health and veterinary medicine. Research fields of interest include but are not limited to: anaesthesiology anatomy bacteriology biochemistry cardiology dentistry dermatology embryology endocrinology epidemiology genetics histology immunology microbiology molecular biology mycology neurobiology oncology ophthalmology parasitology pathology pharmacology physiology radiology surgery theriogenology toxicology virology.