Gerber, K., Picard, J.A., Elliman, J., Joone, C.J., and Constantinoiu, C.C. (2025) Prevalence of vector-borne pathogens Ehrlichia canis, Babesia spp. and Dirofilaria immitis in dogs in Townsville, far north Queensland. Australian Veterinary Journal, 103 (7). pp. 430-432.

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Abstract

Ehrlichia canis, Babesia spp. and Dirofilaria immitis are blood-borne pathogens transmitted to dogs by arthropods. The aim of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of E. canis, Babesia spp. and D. immitis in domestic dogs, aged 6 months or older, in Townsville, in far north Queensland, Australia. Dogs were recruited through convenience sampling, with the assistance of local veterinary clinics and James Cook University staff and students. Up to 3 ml of blood was collected per dog, into EDTA vacutainer tubes. Testing for E. canis and Babesia spp. was performed through qPCR, with a second PCR used to identify the species in Babesia-positive cases. Testing for D. immitis was performed using a commercial antigen detection kit and the modified Knott's test (MKT); microfilariae identity was confirmed by morphological features and qPCR. Of 301 dogs sampled, none tested positive for E. canis, whereas 9 (3.0%, 95% CI 1.1–4.9%) tested positive for Babesia vogeli, and 15 (5.0%; 95% CI 2.5–7.5%) tested positive for D. immitis, based on the combined antigen and MKT results.

Item ID:	88903
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1751-0813
Copyright Information:	© 2025 The Author(s). Australian Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Veterinary Association. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
Date Deposited:	21 Oct 2025 04:15
FoR Codes:	30 AGRICULTURAL, VETERINARY AND FOOD SCIENCES > 3009 Veterinary sciences > 300909 Veterinary parasitology @ 100%
SEO Codes:	20 HEALTH > 2099 Other health > 209999 Other health not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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