Completing the Puzzle: A Cluster of Hunting Dogs with Tick-Borne Illness from a Fishing Community in Tobago, West Indies

Completing the Puzzle: A Cluster of Hunting Dogs with Tick-Borne Illness from a Fishing Community in Tobago, West Indies

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Eight hunting dogs were visited by a state veterinarian on the island of Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, as owners reported anorexia and paralysis in five of their dogs.The veterinarian observed a combination of clinical signs consistent with tick-borne illness, including fever, anorexia, anaemia, lethargy and paralysis.Blood and ticks were collected from each dog and submitted to a diagnostic laboratory for analysis.Microscopic analysis revealed a mixed natio glide on eyeshadow stick infection of intracytoplasmic organisms consistent with Babesia spp.(erythrocyte) and Ehrlichia spp.

(monocyte), respectively, from one dog, while a complete blood count indicated a regenerative anaemia (n = 1; 12.5%), non-regenerative anaemia (n = 4; 50%), neutrophilia (n = 3; 37.5%), lymphocytosis (n = 2; 25%), thrombocytopaenia (n = 3; 37.5%) and pancytopaenia (n = 1; 12.5%).

DNA isolated from the eight blood samples and 20 ticks (16 Rhipicephalus sanguineus and 4 Amblyomma ovale) were subjected to conventional PCR and next-generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA gene for Anaplasma/Ehrlichia and Babesia/Theileria/Hepatozoon, respectively.The DNA of Ehrlichia spp., closely related to Ehrlichia canis, was detected in the blood of three dogs (37.5%), Anaplasma spp., closely related to Anaplasma marginale, in two (25%), Babesia vogeli in one dog (12.

5%) and seven ticks (35%) and Hepatozoon canis and Anaplasma spp., in one tick (5%), respectively.These findings highlight the need to test both the vector deva curl arc angel and host for the presence of tick-borne pathogens when undertaking diagnostic investigations.Further studies are also warranted to elucidate the susceptibility of canids to Anaplasma marginale.