Publikationsdatenbank

Seroprevalence of spotted fever group Rickettsiae in dogs in Germany (2015)

Art

Zeitschriftenartikel / wissenschaftlicher Beitrag

Autoren

Wächter, Miriam

Pfeffer, Martin

Schulz, Nicole (WE 17)

Balling, Anneliese

Chirek, Aleksandra (WE 20)

Bach, Jan-Peter

Moritz, Andreas

Kohn, Barbara (WE 20)

Pachnicke, Stefan

Silaghi, Cornelia

Quelle

Vector borne and zoonotic diseases

Bandzählung: 15

Heftzählung: 3

Seiten: 191 – 194

ISSN: 1530-3667

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2014.1715

Pubmed: 25793474

Kontakt

Klein- und Heimtierklinik

Oertzenweg 19 b
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 62422
kleintierklinik@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

Tick-transmitted spotted fever group Rickettsiae (SFGR) are considered emerging disease pathogens in Europe. To assess the situation in Germany, a seroepidemiologic survey of dogs (n=605, which have never left Germany) was conducted to determine the prevalence of antibodies to SFGR. For this purpose, a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test for all SFGR was used. A total of 78% of the dogs were positive for antibodies of the SFGR, and there was a positive correlation between age, tick-infestation, and seropositivity. There was no correlation between clinical state, location, and seropositivity, suggesting that infection with rickettsia is neither related to the health condition of the dogs nor to their abode in Germany. According to our results, all of Germany can be considered as an endemic area for SFGR. This should be taken into account when assessing the epidemiology of human rickettsioses and their impact on public health.