Asia Serological Survey of Canine Tick-Borne Disease Based on In-Clinic SNAP® 4Dx® Plus Test Results, 2013–2017
J. Braff1; L.W. Chang2; R. Chandrashekar1; J.S. Buch1
Introduction
Tick-borne diseases (TBD) are known to occur in dogs throughout Asia, and multi-analyte rapid tests are well suited to identify canine patients with antibodies to TBD-causing pathogens. Patients may be infected with multiple pathogens, and patterns of co-infection can be useful indicators of vector distribution and subsequent exposure risk for both canines and humans.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to assess Asian geographic variation in the proportion of canine patients exposed to Ehrlichia spp. (EC), Anaplasma spp. (AP), and Borrelia burgdorferi (BB) and examine co-infection patterns between 2013 and 2017.
Methods
TBD antibody test results were obtained from an international database of in-clinic SNAP® 4Dx® Plus Test results. Eleven countries representing at least 122 reporting locations were included.
Results
Table 1. TBD seropositive results by country
|
Country
|
Test count
|
AP Pos % (95% CI)
|
EC Pos % (95% CI)
|
BB Pos % (95% CI)
|
Co Pos % (95% CI)
|
|
China
|
390
|
6.4(4.2–9.3)
|
6.9(4.6–9.9)
|
1.0(0.3–2.6)
|
3.1(1.6–5.3)
|
|
Hong Kong
|
25,466
|
3.5(3.3–3.7)
|
7.2(6.9–7.5)
|
0.4(0.3–0.4)
|
1.7(1.6–1.9)
|
|
India
|
1,645
|
23.0(21.0–25.1)
|
51.9(49.5–54.4)
|
0.6(0.3–1.1)
|
11.8(10.3–13.5)
|
|
Japan
|
122
|
1.6(0.2–5.8)
|
0.8(0.0–4.5)
|
0.0(0.0–3.0)
|
0.0(0.0–3.0)
|
|
Malaysia
|
4,733
|
17.2(16.2–18.3)
|
32.6(31.3–34.0)
|
0.5(0.3–0.8)
|
10.3(9.5–11.2)
|
|
Myanmar
|
433
|
4.6(2.8–7.0)
|
12.2(9.3–15.7)
|
0.2(0.0–1.3)
|
0.7(0.1–2.0)
|
|
Philippines
|
525
|
25.7(22.0–29.7)
|
53.5(49.2–57.9)
|
0.8(0.2–1.9)
|
16.0(13.0–19.4)
|
|
Singapore
|
15,885
|
3.5(3.2–3.8)
|
9.5(9.1–10.0)
|
0.3(0.2–0.4)
|
1.6(1.4–1.8)
|
|
South Korea
|
6,447
|
3.0(2.6–3.4)
|
2.9(2.5–3.3)
|
0.8(0.6–1.0)
|
0.7(0.5–0.9)
|
|
Taiwan
|
120,212
|
3.2(3.1–3.3)
|
7.4(7.3–7.6)
|
0.2(0.2–0.3)
|
1.1(1.1–1.2)
|
|
Thailand
|
14,647
|
29.9(29.2–30.7)
|
61.2(60.4–62.0)
|
0.3(0.2–0.4)
|
22.2(21.6–22.9)
|
|
TOTAL
|
190,505
|
5.9(5.8–6.0)
|
12.7(12.5–12.8)
|
0.3(0.3–0.3)
|
3.2(3.1–3.3)
|
Conclusions
This study shows that exposure to TBD is common in dogs throughout Asia. In cases of co-infection, patients most often had antibodies to both AP and EC.