Ticks and Tick-Borne Infections of Dogs in Two Jordanian Shelters

Abstract

Shelters in Jordan accommodate a huge number of dogs, which are rescued as stray dogs from different cities of the country, but their health receives almost no attention. The aim of this study was to examine tick infestation as well as tick-borne protozoa and bacteria of 80 randomly sampled dogs in two Jordanian shelters. Ticks identified as Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato were found on 14 out of 27 animals in a shelter. No ticks were found on dogs in the other shelter. A total of 42 (52.5% [95% confidence interval: 41.7-63.1]) dogs were infected with one or two pathogens. The DNA of three protozoal (Hepatozoon canis, Babesia vogeli, and Babesia negevi) and two bacterial (Anaplasma platys and Candidatus Bartonella merieuxii) species were detected in the blood samples. To the best of the authors' knowledge, except for H. canis, these species are reported for the first time from Jordan.