Publications

mediterranean spotted fever: a rare non-endemic disease in the usa.	we report a case of a 43-year-old israeli male who presented with an intermittent fever associated with a gradual appearance of diffusely scattered erythematous non-pruritic maculopapular lesions, generalized body malaise, muscle aches, and distal extremity weakness. he works in the israeli military and has been exposed to dogs that are used to search for people in tunnels and claimed that he had removed ticks from the dogs. in the hospital, he presented with fever, a diffuse maculopapular rash, ...	2017	28191378
molecular characterization of babesia and theileria species in ticks collected in the outskirt of monte romano, lazio region, central italy.	in 2012-2013, an investigation was carried out in the viterbo province, lazio region, on ticks and tick-borne apicomplexan protozoa of the babesia and theileria genera. this followed the reporting of high density of ticks by soldiers operating in a military shooting range, and the signaling by owners and local veterinary authorities of several cases of babesiosis among cattle.	2017	28361802
serological and molecular prevalence of canine vector-borne diseases (cvbds) in korea.	previous surveys in dogs from korea indicated that dogs are exposed to a variety of vector- borne pathogens, but perception for a nation-wide canine vector-borne disease (cvbd) occurrence has been missing. we report here results of both serological and molecular prevalence studies for major cvbds of dogs from all over the south korean peninsula except for jeju island.	2017	28298245
bacterial pathogens and endosymbionts in ticks.	ticks collected from goats in northern greece were tested for the presence of tick-borne bacteria. among adult ticks, 37 (57.8%) were rhipicephalus bursa, 11 (17.2%) dermacentor marginatus, 10 (15.6%) ixodes ricinus, 3 (4.7%) rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato and 2 (3.1%) haemaphysalis parva; one (1.6%) rhipicephalus spp. tick was nymph. rickettsia monacensis, rickettsia massilae, anaplasma phagocytophilum and anaplasma platys were detected in i. ricinus and rh. bursa ticks. a variety of coxie ...	2017	27686386
association of ehrlichia canis, hemotropic mycoplasma spp. and anaplasma platys and severe anemia in dogs in thailand.	canine tick-borne bacteria; ehrlichia canis, hemotropic mycoplasma spp. and anaplasma spp., are organisms transmitted by rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks. however, only a few clinical studies evaluating dogs infected with these organisms and anemia condition have been published. in this study, the potential tick-borne bacteria linked to anemia were investigated in eighty-one blood samples selected from anemic dogs using a broad range nested-pcr of the 16s rrna gene. positive results were shown in ...	2017	28284610
species of ticks and carried pathogens in owned dogs in spain: results of a one-year national survey.	this study presents the results of a national survey in spain on the distribution of ticks on owned dogs, their phenology and the associated pathogens over one year. in the study, 1628 adult ticks were collected on 660 dogs presented to 26 veterinary practices, of which 507 dogs (76.8%) carried at least one adult tick. the primary species of ticks were rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. (53%), dermacentor reticulatus (9%), ixodes ricinus (9%), and i. hexagonus (4%). parasitism by two species of these ...	2017	28188085
first detection of tick-borne pathogens of dogs from malta.	the knowledge about the vector-borne infections in domestic dogs has been increasing worldwide. however no studies have been done on hard tick infestation and tick-borne pathogens (tbps) of dogs present in malta. therefore, a total of 99 dogs was selected and inspected between march and july 2013 in 18 urban and 17 rural areas on the islands of malta and gozo. all ticks were removed from the dogs and identified. blood samples were taken and tested for protozoa (babesia spp. and hepatozoon spp.) ...	2017	28143697
anaplasma platys in dogs from uruguay.	anaplasmataceae family members include vector-borne bacteria of veterinary importance that may also affect humans. ehrlichia canis and anaplasma platys are the main members of this family detected in dogs worldwide. in uruguay there are not many published studies on tick-borne pathogens affecting dogs, the only haemoparasite molecularly confirmed in dogs, is the piroplasm rangelia vitalii. the aim of the present work was to detect the presence of a. platys and e. canis in dogs and dogs-associate ...	2017	27908772
ferritin 1 silencing effect in rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (acari: ixodidae) during experimental infection with ehrlichia canis.	rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (s.l.) is a very common ectoparasite of domestic dogs able to transmit several pathogens of human and veterinary importance. tick infestations and tick-borne diseases (tbds) remain a serious and persistent problem, due to the lack of efficient control measures. it is therefore vital that novel approaches to control are pursued. whilst vaccination is recognised as a potential control method to reduce tick infestation, no anti-r. sanguineus vaccine is available. ...	2017	27825659
first detection and molecular identification of babesia gibsoni from rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks.	babesia gibsoni was firstly identified in rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks infested on dogs in asia. a total of 1195 ticks collected from veterinary practitioners and pet clinics were examined for babesia by nested-polymerase chain reaction assay based on the 18s small subunit ribosomal rna (ssrrna) gene. babesia infection was detected in nymph, male and female ticks with an infection rate of 2.42%, 0.98% and 1.97%, respectively. sequence and phylogenetic analysis revealed that these babesia spp. ...	2017	27686959
retrospective molecular study on canine hepatozoonosis in slovakia - does infection risk for dogs really exist?	this study provides the very first evidence of hepatozoon canis infection in dogs from slovakia, a rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato free area. in total, 297 red foxes (vulpes vulpes) and 293 dogs, from three regions of slovakia, were screened for the presence of h. canis using a conventional 18s rrna polymerase chain reaction (pcr). genomic dna of this blood parasite was detected in 51 (17.1%) foxes from all sampling regions in slovakia, whereas the overall prevalence in examined dogs was sig ...	2017	28366618
detection of rickettsia hoogstraalii, rickettsia helvetica, rickettsia massiliae, rickettsia slovaca and rickettsia aeschlimannii in ticks from sardinia, italy.	tick-borne diseases represent a large proportion of infectious diseases that have become a world health concern. the presence of rickettsia spp. was evaluated by standard pcr and sequencing in 123 ticks collected from several mammals and vegetation in sardinia, italy. this study provides the first evidence of the presence of rickettsia hoogstralii in haemaphysalis punctata and haemaphysalis sulcata ticks from mouflon and rickettsia helvetica in ixodes festai ticks from hedgehog. in addition, ric ...	2017	28110915
heat-stressed metarhizium anisopliae: viability (in vitro) and virulence (in vivo) assessments against the tick rhipicephalus sanguineus.	the current study investigated the thermotolerance of metarhizium anisopliae s.l. conidia from the commercial products metarril® sp organic and metarril® wp. the efficacy of these m. anisopliae formulations against the tick rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. was studied in laboratory under optimum or heat-stress conditions. the products were prepared in water [tween® 80, 0.01 % (v/v)] or pure mineral oil. conidia from metarril® sp organic suspended in water presented markedly delayed germination afte ...	2017	27704216
detection and molecular identification of hepatozoon canis and babesia vogeli from domestic dogs in palestine.	dogs serve as hosts for a great number of parasites, which may affect their health and wellbeing. this study aimed to observe tick borne pathogens in dogs from palestine including hepatozoon canis and babesia species. the prevalence of both h. canis and babesia species infections in apparently healthy dogs, from ten districts of the west bank was surveyed. dna was extracted from blood samples obtained from dogs (n = 362) and ticks (n = 213) collected from dogs (n = 77). a primer set that amplifi ...	2017	27938422
feline and canine leishmaniosis and other vector-borne diseases in the aeolian islands: pathogen and vector circulation in a confined environment.	vector-borne diseases (vbds) are prevalently investigated in dogs. studies on feline vbds are scant, though feline leishmaniosis (fel) is increasingly recognised as a disease of cats in endemic areas. comprehensive investigations on the distribution of vbds in populations of cats and dogs living in relatively small geographical areas, such as islands, are currently lacking. in this study the prevalence of leishmania infantum and other vbd pathogens was assessed in cohorts of cats and dogs living ...	2017	28288759
molecular investigation into the presence of a coxiella sp. in rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks in australia.	q fever is an infectious disease with a global distribution caused by the intracellular bacterium, coxiella burnetii, which has been detected in a large number of tick species worldwide, including the brown dog tick, rhipicephalus sanguineus. recent reports of a high seroprevalance of c. burnetii in australian dogs, along with the identification of additional coxiella species within r. sanguineus ticks, has prompted an investigation into the presence and identification of coxiella species in r. ...	2017	28284601
genetic characterization of spotted fever group rickettsiae in questing ixodid ticks collected in israel and environmental risk factors for their infection.	this study aimed to genetically characterize spotted fever group rickettsiae (sfgr) in questing ixodid ticks from israel and to identify risk factors associated with sfgr-positive ticks using molecular techniques and geographic information systems (gis) analysis. 1039 ticks from the genus rhipicephalus were collected during 2014. 109/1039 (10·49%) carried sfgr-dna of either rickettsia massiliae (95), 'candidatus rickettsia barbariae' (8) or rickettsia conorii (6). higher prevalence of sfgr was f ...	2017	28330517
transmission of leishmania infantum by rhipicephalus sanguineus (acari: ixodidae) in dogs.	rhipicephalus sanguineus is the most widely distributed tick in the world, which is partly due to its biological flexibility and the global distribution of its major host, the domestic dog. in mediterranean region it could be principal reservoir host for leishmania infantum, usually transmitted by the phlebotomine sand flies. in this study, we evaluated the vector potential of r. sanguineus in transmitting l. infantum to uninfected dogs.	2018	29317872
rickettsia spp. among wild mammals and their respective ectoparasites in pantanal wetland, brazil.	the genus rickettsia comprises obligatory intracellular bacteria, well known to cause zoonotic diseases around the world. the present work aimed to investigate the occurrence of rickettsia spp. in wild animals, domestic dogs and their respective ectoparasites in southern pantanal region, central-western brazil, by molecular and serological techniques. between august 2013 and march 2015, serum, whole blood and/or spleen samples were collected from 31 coatis, 78 crab-eating foxes, seven ocelots, 4 ...	2018	29111373
contributions to the knowledge of hard ticks (acari: ixodidae) in colombia.	the known tick fauna of colombia includes 58 species (15 argasidae and 43 ixodidae). to add to the knowledge of the biology of ticks in colombia, hard ticks (ixodidae) were collected from domestic animals or vegetation during 2014-2016 in 10 of colombia's departments. ticks were identified to species through morphological examinations. taxonomic identification was confirmed for some specimens by molecular methods, including phylogenetic analyses inferred from three tick genes (cytochrome c oxida ...	2018	29055642
a molecular survey of tick-borne pathogens from ticks collected in central queensland, australia.	central queensland (cq) is a large and isolated, low population density, remote tropical region of australia with a varied environment. the region has a diverse fauna and several species of ticks that feed upon that fauna. this study examined 518 individual ticks: 177 rhipicephalus sanguineus (brown dog tick), 123 haemaphysalis bancrofti (wallaby tick), 102 rhipicephalus australis (australian cattle tick), 47 amblyomma triguttatum (ornate kangaroo tick), 57 ixodes holocyclus (paralysis tick), 9 ...	2018	29336689
tick-borne infections in dogs and horses in the state of espírito santo, southeast brazil.	this work aims to identify and quantify the percentage of rickettsia spp., ehrlichia spp., babesia spp. and hepatozoon spp. positive pet dogs, and to identify ticks collected on these animals in the state of espírito santo, in the southeast region of brazil. the study included 378 dogs, 226 females and 152 males, of various breeds and ages (mean age of 4.1 years). all animals were examined for ticks, and whole blood was collected and processed by conventional pcr protocols for babesia spp., anap ...	2018	29279085
potential risk posed by the importation of ticks into the uk on animals: records from the tick surveillance scheme.	in order to monitor important tick vectors in the uk, public health england's tick surveillance scheme (tss) receives specimens from across the country for identification. in recent years, an increasing number of these specimens have been removed from animals with a recent history of travel outside the uk. this paper presents all data collated by the tss on ticks entering the country on recently travelled or imported animals since surveillance commenced in 2005. ten different tick species repres ...	2018	29217768
rhipicephalus sanguineus in an imported dog.		2018	29305477