The Occurrence and Detection of Tick-borne Pathogens in Dogs on Aruba

Bc. Martina Čelakovská

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Research on tick-borne diseases in the Caribbean is very scarce. On Aruba, the Dutch Caribbean, in particular, some research reports were issued by the Utrecht Center of Tick-borne Diseases. However, there is no scientific publication in a peer-reviewed journal with impact factor on the presence of different tick species and the prevalence of tick-borne diseases. For example, the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato has not been studied at all. The aim of this thesis was hence to provide information about local tick species and tick-borne pathogens to the local Public Health Department. Samples of ticks collected between 2019 and 2020 from different locations on the island were morphologically identified and subsequently screened for presence of Anaplasma platys and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato using 16S rRNA and flagellin PCR tests, respectively. Additionally, important information about dogs, from which the ticks were collected, was recorded and thereafter statistically analyzed. Morphological identification distinguished three different species of the genus Rhipicephalus among 300 screened ticks. 168 ticks were identified as Rhipicephalus sanguineus species, 111 ticks as Rhipicephalus turanicus, and 21 ticks as Rhipicephalus appendiculatus. A total of 325 ticks were screened for Anaplasma platys with 0 % prevalence and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato with a prevalence of 8.9 %. Morphological identification of tick species and differentiation of particular borrelia species found should be confirmed by genetic sequencing in the future. The results of this thesis suggest that street dogs and crossbreed dogs were the most susceptible to tick infestation and thus also borrelia infection compared to pet and purebred dogs. Those findings should cause concern about the possible transmission of this pathogen to humans or other animals on the island.

Keywords

vector-borne disease, tick, zoonotic disease, Anaplasma, Borrelia, Caribbean, PCR

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 22. 4. 2022

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: RNDr. Jiří Černý, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Master programme / specializace:
Wildlife and Livestock Production, Management and Conservation / Wildlife Management and Conservation