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Seroprevalence of canine babesiosis in Hungary suggesting breed predisposition

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Abstract

Six hundred fifty-one blood samples were collected from urban and rural dogs in various parts of Hungary to measure antibody levels to Babesia canis with indirect fluorescent antibody test. Thirty-seven (5.7%) of the sera showed positivity with titers between 1:80 and 1:10,240. Seroconverted dogs were found in 13 locations of the country. It is concluded that canine babesiosis is becoming more prevalent in Eastern Hungary. Seropositivity increased then declined with age, reaching a maximum in case of 3.1- to 5-year-old dogs. Prevalence of antibodies to B. canis was significantly higher among german shepherds and komondors. This suggests a genetic predisposition of german shepherd dogs to chronic babesiosis (carrier status) with long-term maintenance of their seropositivity. On the other hand, heavy-coated komondors are phenotypically more suitable for repeated exposure to ticks, potentially infected with B. canis. This is the first report on the seroprevalence of canine babesiosis in Hungary.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the indispensable contribution of Prof. Dr. Anja Joachim (Institute of Parasitology and Zoology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria) to the present studies. We also would like to thank the help of Dr. É. Fok, Dr. T. Kozma, Dr. K. Berta, Dr. P. Fejes, Dr. A. Répási, Dr. F. Szaniszló, the clinicians of the Department and Clinic of Internal Medicine (Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary), Dr. I. Hajtós, Dr. T. Juhász, Dr. L. Mármarosi, Dr. K. Renner, Dr. Cs. Csürke, E. Odor, and last but not least, the participation of M. Kovalcsik in registering data. This work was partly supported by a national grant (NKB 2005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Parasitology and Zoology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Szent István University, István u. 2., Budapest, 1078, Hungary

    Sándor Hornok & R. Farkas

  2. Institute of Parasitology and Zoology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinaerplatz 1, Vienna, 1210, Austria

    R. Edelhofer

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  1. Sándor Hornok
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  2. R. Edelhofer
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  3. R. Farkas
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Correspondence to Sándor Hornok.

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Hornok, S., Edelhofer, R. & Farkas, R. Seroprevalence of canine babesiosis in Hungary suggesting breed predisposition. Parasitol Res 99, 638–642 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-006-0218-8

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