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Stray dogs of northern Jordan as reservoirs of ticks and tick-borne hemopathogens

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Abstract

Dogs are competent reservoir hosts of several hemopathogens including zoonotic agents and can serve as readily available source of nutrition for many blood-feeding arthropods. Three hemopathogens had been detected for the first time in Jordan. The PCR prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Hepatozoon canis, and piroplasmid DNA were 39.5%, 28.9%, and 7.9% (n = 38) respectively. Sequencing of amplicons of PCR with universal primers targeting the 18S rRNA gene of piroplasmids shows the highest similarity to equine piroplasmids species Theileria equi from two dogs and Babesia caballi from a single dog. Ticks of two genera Rhipicephalus and Haemaphysalis, were detected in this study (n = 268). The brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus was the most abundant species (95.1%, n = 255), followed by Haemaphysalis erinacei (3%, n = 8) and Haemaphysalis parva (1.9%, n = 5). The two Haemaphysalis species were detected for the first time from dogs in Jordan. Regarding its high prevalence, we expect R. sanguineus being a possible vector of detected pathogens.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the project “CEITEC—Central European Institute of Technology” (CZ.1.05/1.1.00/02.0068) from European Regional Development Fund. This work was supported by a grant from the Deanship of Academic Research, Jordan University of Science and Technology (159/2006). MK is holder of Brno PhD talent financial aid sponsored by Brno city municipality. The Work of MK and PŠ was supported by the grant of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (GAČR 524/09/0715). Study of host specificity of equine piroplasms in the horse population in Jordan is supported by grant GAČR 06/09/0927.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathology and Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Palackého 1-3, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic

    Moneeb Ahmad Qablan

  2. Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology, Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Palackého 1-3, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic

    Michaela Kubelová & Pavel Široký

  3. Faculty of Science and Art, Department of Applied Biology, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan

    Zuhair Sami Amr

  4. Central European Institute of Technology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic

    David Modrý

  5. Institute of Parasitology, Biology Center of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Branišovská 31, 37005, České Budéjovice, Czech Republic

    David Modrý

  6. Central European Institute of Technology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic

    Pavel Široký

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  1. Moneeb Ahmad Qablan
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  2. Michaela Kubelová
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Correspondence to Moneeb Ahmad Qablan.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806)

Material

♀1 & ♂2 nearby Jordan University of Science and Technology J.U.S.T (32° 29′ N, 35° 59′ E), 7.2. 2006; ♀2 & ♂1 Ar. Ramtha (32° 34′ N, 36° 00′ E), 8.2. 2006; ♀6 & ♂14 Shallalah At Tahta (32° 35′ N, 35° 57′ E) 8.2. 2006; ♀2 & ♂5 Ya'mun (32° 24′ N, 35° 55′ E), 10.2. 2006; ♀1 & ♂2 Ya’mun (32° 24′ N, 35° 55′ E), 9.2. 2006; ♀2 & ♂2 Al'al (32° 38′ N, 35° 54′ E), 15.3. 2006; ♀1 & ♂3 Al’al (32° 38′ N, 35° 54′ E), 15.3. 2006; ♀1 & ♂2 Balila (32° 23′ N, 35° 56′ E) (32° 23′ N, 35° 56′ E), 18.3. 2006; ♀1 & ♂5 Balila (32° 23′ N, 35° 56′ E), 18.3. 2006; ♀1 & ♂1 Ya'mun (32° 24′ N, 35° 55′ E), 18.3. 2006; ♂2 Bayt Ra's (32° 36′ N, 35° 51′ E), 19.3. 2006; ♂4 Bayt Ra's (32° 36′ N, 35° 51′ E), 19.3. 2006; ♂2 Bayt Ra’s (32° 36′ N, 35° 51′ E), 19.3. 2006; ♀3 & ♂3 Bayt Ra's (32° 36′ N, 35° 51′ E), 19.3. 2006; ♀2 & ♂3 Bayt Ra's (32° 36′ N, 35° 51′ E), 19.3. 2006; ♀4 & ♂2 Kufer Jayez (32° 37′ N, 35° 49′ E), 20.3. 2006; ♀1 & ♂1 Shallalah At Tahta (32° 35′ N, 35° 57′ E) 22.3. 2006; ♂3 J.U.S.T (32° 29′ N, 35° 59′ E), 22.3. 2006; ♀2 & ♂4 As.Sarih (32° 30′ N, 35° 54′ E), 25.3. 2006; ♀9 & ♂5 As.Sarih (32° 30′ N, 35° 54′ E), 25.3. 2006; ♀1 & ♂8 As.Sarih (32° 30′ N, 35° 54′ E), 26.3. 2006; ♀6 & ♂3 As.Sarih (32° 30′ N, 35° 54′ E), 26.3. 2006; ♀1 & ♂4 As.Sarih (32° 30′ N, 35° 54′ E), 26.3. 2006; ♂3 As.Sarih (32° 30′ N, 35° 54′ E), 26.3. 2006; ♀2 & ♂2 As.Sarih (32° 30′ N, 35° 54′ E), 26.3. 2006; ♀2 & ♂3 As.Sarih (32° 30′ N, 35° 54′ E), 26.3. 2006; ♀2 & ♂2 Mafraq (32° 21′ N, 36° 12′ E), 15.4. 2006; ♀3 & ♂4 J.U.S.T (32° 29′ N, 35° 59′ E), 15.4. 2006; ♀5 & ♂9 J.U.S.T (32° 29′ N, 35° 59′ E), 15.4. 2006; ♀6 & ♂4 Tuqbul (32° 36′ N, 35° 49′ E), 16.4. 2006; ♀4 & ♂5 Tuqbul (32° 36′ N, 35° 49′ E), 16.4. 2006; ♀1 J.U.S.T (32° 29′ N, 35° 59′ E), 19.4. 2006; ♂4 J.U.S.T (32° 29′ N, 35° 59′ E), 19.4. 2006; ♀4 & ♂3 nearby J.U.S.T (32° 29′ N, 35° 59′ E), 19.4. 2006; ♀2 & ♂3 Kufer Jayez (32° 37′ N, 35° 49′ E), 20.4. 2006; ♀4 & ♂4 J.U.S.T (32° 29′ N, 35° 59′ E), 20.4.2006; ♀3 & ♂1 J.U.S.T (32° 29′ N, 35° 59′ E), 20.4. 2006; ♀4 & ♂8 As.Sarih (32° 30′ N, 35° 54′ E), 22.4. 2006; ♀2 & ♂5 As.Sarih (32° 30′ N, 35° 54′ E), 22.4. 2006; ♀1 & ♂6 As-Sarih (32° 30′ N, 35° 54′ E), 22.4. 2006; ♀3 & ♂15 As.Sarih (32° 30′ N, 35° 54′ E), 22.4.2006.

Haemaphysalis parva Neumann, 1897

Material

♂1 Al'al (32° 38′ N, 35° 54′ E), 15.3. 2006; ♂1 Balila (32° 23′ N, 35° 56′ E), 18.3. 2006; ♂1 Ya'mun (32° 24′ N, 35° 55′ E), 18.3. 2006; ♂2 Bayt Ra's (32° 36′ N, 35° 51′ E), 19.3. 2006.

Haemaphysalis erinacei Pavesi, 1884

Material

♀1 & ♂1 Shallalah At Tahta (32° 35′ N, 35° 57′ E) 8.2. 2006; ♂2 Ya'mun (32° 24′ N, 35° 55′ E), 10.2. 2006; ♂1 Shallalah At Tahta (32° 35′ N, 35° 57′ E) 22.3. 2006; ♂1 As.Sarih (32° 30′ N, 35° 54′ E), 26.3. 2006; ♂1 J.U.S.T (32° 29′ N, 35° 59′ E), 19.4. 2006.

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Qablan, M.A., Kubelová, M., Široký, P. et al. Stray dogs of northern Jordan as reservoirs of ticks and tick-borne hemopathogens. Parasitol Res 111, 301–307 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-012-2839-4

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