First Report on Molecular Diagnosis and Phylogenetic Analysis of Hepatozoon canis in Naturally Infected Domesticated and Stray Dogs from Jhang, Pakistan

Canine diseases, particularly caused by tick-borne hepatozoons are responsible for high morbidity and mortality and are the reason for attracting significant focus. The current study was aimed to survey the occurrence of H. canis in domesticated and stray dogs of Jhang city (Punjab) with its molecular identification. For this, blood samples from 300 dogs (n=200 domesticated; n=100 stray) were collected and assayed through PCR for the detection of H. canis supported by sequencing analysis. The results demonstrated, 15.66% (47/300) of samples positive for H. canis. A significantly (P<0.05) higher occurrence of H. canis was observed in stray dogs (27%) than domesticated dogs (10%). Evaluation of the various risk factors showed that the age, sex, breed, dog category (domestic or stray), body coat, environmental settings (rural or urban) and ectoparasitic infestation were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with the occurrence of infection. The phylogenetic analysis of the PCR confirmed specimens revealed a very close homology of the detected strains with the ones diagnosed earlier in China and Malta. It was concluded that present moderate prevalence of H. canis among the dog populations in the area of Jhang may rise with stray dogs being most vulnerable hosts and potential source of vectors spread. © 2021 Friends Science Publishers