TABLE 2.
Detection of pathogens in vectors based on health status of the host dog
| Health status (n = 109) | Number of dogs with positive vectors | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive for one or more bacteria | Rickettsia spp. | Rickettsia felis | Rickettsia asembonensis | Anaplasmataceae | Brucella spp. | Leptospira spp. | |
| Healthy a | 22/60 (36.7%) | 3 (5.0%) | 2 (3.3%) | 2 (3.3%) | 9 (15.0%) | 9 (15.0%) | 1 (1.7%) |
| General unwellness b | 6/16 (37.5%) | 3 (18.8%) | 1 (6.3%) | 1 (6.3%) | 2 (12.5%) | ||
| Abdominal pain/abscess | 2/12 (16.7%) | 2 (16.7%) | 1 (8.3%) | 1 (8.3%) | |||
| Infection | 3/3 (100%) | 2 (66.7%) | 1 (33.3%) | ||||
| Jaundice | 2/2 (100%) | 2 (100%) | |||||
| Rash | 2/2 (100%) | 1 (50%) | 1 (50%) | 1 (50%) | |||
| Still birth | 1/1 (100%) | 1 (100%) | |||||
| Other c | 8/13 (61.5%) | 3 (23.1%) | 3 (23.1%) | 1 (7.7%) | 1 (7.7%) | 1 (7.7%) | |
a
‘Healthy’ includes dogs brought in for grooming, boarding, routine vaccinations or who were pregnant, and who showed no signs of abnormal health.
b
‘General unwellness’ includes dogs appearing ‘sad,’ pale, coughing, fever and/or loss of appetite.
c
‘Other’ health status includes dogs who visited the veterinary surgeons for surgery, were injured or have been diagnosed with tumours, paraplegia or canine distemper virus (CDV).