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. 2024 Feb 20;110(4):779–794. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0410

Table 6.

Analyses of relationships between dogs being Rickettsia spp. seropositive and potential risk factors stratified by age during a survey for proposed risk factors for brown dog tick infestation and Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Tijuana, México

Univariable Predictors Juvenile Dogs Adult Dogs
No. (%) Testing Seropositive/Total OR or t-Test 95% CI P-Value No. (%) Testing Seropositive/Total OR 95% CI P-Value
Univariable models
House variables
 Case/control
  Case 3/6 (50.0) 1.94 0.20–19.46 0.64 32/35 (91.4) 2.81 0.68–11.60 0.15
  Control 6/18 (33.3) Reference 77/96 (80.2) Reference
 Marginalization
  Medium 3/7 (42.9) Reference 37/45 (82.2) Reference
  High 3/13 (23.1) 0.42 0.04–2.55 0.61 44/56 (78.6) 0.78 0.26–2.34 0.65
  Very high 3/4 (75.0) 3.52 0.17–260.91 0.55 28/30 (93.3) 3.18 0.56–18.03 0.19
 Debris
  None 2/5 (40.0) Reference 24/29 (82.8) Reference
  A little 4/11 (36.4) 0.87 0.06–14.66 1 53/65 (81.5) 0.9 0.26–3.06 0.86
  A lot 2/7 (28.6) 0.63 0.03–13.19 1 28/31 (90.3) 1.89 0.37–9.62 0.44
 On a hill
  No 4/9 (44.4) Reference 51/64 (79.7) Reference
  Yes 5/15 (33.3) 0.64 0.09–4.78 0.68 56/65 (86.2) 1.68 0.59–4.78 0.33
 On a dirt road
  No 2/7 (28.6) Reference 39/46 (84.8) Reference
  Yes 7/17 (41.2) 1.71 0.20–22.94 0.67 70/85 (82.4) 0.86 0.28–2.63 0.79
 Near a canal
  No 9/23 (39.1) Reference 92/111 (82.9) Reference
  Yes 0/1 (0) 0 0–64.94 1 15/18 (83.3) 1.05 0.22–5.02 0.95
 Cement t(10) = −1.29 0.23 1.01 0.99–1.02 0.38
  Mean ± SD among IFA-pos 49.00 ± 48.87 35.47 ± 42.22
  Mean ± SD among IFA-neg 21.67 ± 40.69 26.5 ± 35.02
 No. of ticks seen at house t(6) = −0.92 0.39 1.02 0.91–1.16 0.69
  Mean ± SD among IFA-pos 4.57 ± 2.33 2.37 ± 6.60
  Mean ± SD among IFA-neg 0.67 ± 1.41 1.25 ± 3.19
 No. of dogs living at house t(17) = 0.07 0.95 1.32 0.97–1.78 0.07
  Mean ± SD among IFA-pos 2.56 ± 1.59 3.44 ± 2.39
  Mean ± SD among IFA-neg 2.60 ± 1.55 2.46 ± 1.47
 Total No. of dogs seen t(12) = 0.41 0.69 1.5 1.11–2.02 0.008
  Mean ± SD among IFA-pos 3.78 ± 2.33 4.89 ± 3.11
  Mean ± SD among IFA-neg 4.13 ± 1.41 3.09 ± 1.34
 Some dogs at the house allowed to go inside
  No 5/14 (35.7) Reference 51/65 (78.5) Reference
  Yes 4/10 (40.0) 1.19 0.16–8.5 1 58/66 (87.9) 2.06 0.75–5.71 0.16
 House infested with ticks (self-reported)
  No 6/15 (40.0) Reference 60/72 (83.3) Reference
  Yes 3/9 (33.3) 0.76 0.09–5.53 1 49/59 (83.1) 0.95 0.35–2.6 0.93
 Frequency of treating house with acaricide
  Rare to never 5/10 (50.0) Reference 24/30 (80.0) Reference
  Once or twice/year 3/9 (33.3) 0.36 0.01–6.48 0.58 52/64 (81.0) 1.07 0.33–3.45 0.91
  Multiple times/year 1/4 (25.0) 0.52 0.05–4.43 0.65 29/33 (88.0) 1.75 0.41–7.49 0.45
 Frequency of treating dogs with acaricide
  Rare to never 2/6 (33.3) Reference 18/24 (75.0) Reference
  Once or twice/year 1/5 (20.0) 0.53 0.01–14.52 1 42/54 (78.0) 1.19 0.35–4.03 0.77
  Multiple times/year 5/10 (50.0) 1.92 0.17–30.82 0.63 40/44 (91.0) 3.45 0.79–15.04 0.10
Dog variables
 Allowed to roam
  No 4/16 (25.0) Reference 49/61 (80.3) Reference
  Yes 4/7 (57.1) 3.74 0.43–38.72 0.18 54/59 (91.5) 2.86 0.84–9.67 0.09
 Body mass (kg)
  <10 3/12 (25.0) Reference 47/57 (82.5) Reference
  10–20 3/8 (37.5) 1.75 0.17–18.79 0.64 36/44 (81.8) 1.02 0.34–3.02 0.98
  >20 3/4 (75.0) 7.64 0.43–521.09 0.12 25/29 (86.2) 1.37 0.36–5.16 0.64
 Sex
  Female 4/12 (33.3) Reference 56/66 (84.9) Reference
  Male 5/12 (41.7) 1.41 0.20–10.36 1 52/64 (81.3) 0.75 0.28–1.97 0.56
 Ticks on dog
  No ticks 4/10 (40.0) Reference 35/45 (77.8) Reference
  1–10 ticks 37/47 (78.7) 1.1 0.38–3.17 0.86
  >10 ticks (any ticks present, juvenile) 5/13 (38.5) 0.94 0.13–7.06 1 35/37 (94.6) 5.48 1.04–28.93 0.05
 Body condition
  Normal (2–3) 7/21 (33.3) Reference 82/104 (78.9)
  Unhealthy (<2 or >3) 2/3 (66.7) 3.76 0.17–251.98 0.53 24/24 (100)
Multivariable Models (adults only)
Multivariable predictors Predictor OR 95% CI P-Value
Model 1 (Intercept) 0.85 0.26–2.70 0.78
Total No. of dogs seen 1.50 1.10–2.05 0.01
Ticks on dog (>10) 4.52 0.90–22.82 0.07
Model 2 (Intercept) 0.97 0.26–3.68 0.96
Total No. of dogs seen 1.44 1.03–2.01 0.03
Ticks on dog (>10) 2.75 0.53–14.43 0.23
Dog allowed to roam (yes) 2.10 0.59–7.57 0.25

IFA-neg = immunofluorescence antibody assay–negative; IFA-pos = immunofluorescence antibody assay–positive; OR = odds ratio.