• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.79-88
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• 2017

The study of canine vector-borne diseases in the Philippines started in the 1970s but only gained interest in the past decade. Characterization of such diseases in the Philippines remains incomplete, thus, it is necessary to obtain additional information on the prevalence and diversity of canine tick-borne diseases in the country. In this study, blood samples were obtained at two veterinary clinics in Metro Manila, Philippines from 114 dogs suspected of having canine tick-borne pathogens. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on whole blood DNA extracts followed by sequencing, and the following pathogens were detected: Hepatozoon (H.) canis (5.26%), Babesia (B.) vogeli (5.26%), Ehrlichia (E.) canis (4.39%), and Anaplasma platys (3.51%). Additionally, a set of multiplex PCR primers were developed to detect H. canis, Babesia spp. (B. canis and B. vogeli), and E. canis in canine blood. Multiplex and conventional single-reaction PCR results for the 114 dog blood samples were similar, except for one H. canis sample. Multiplex PCR is, therefore, a useful tool in screening infected dogs in veterinary clinics. This study's results, together with those of previous studies in the country, show that canine vector-borne pathogens are an emerging veterinary concern in the Philippines.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.145-152
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• 2019

Canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) are transmitted by different groups of hematophagous arthropod vectors that are distributed worldwide and can cause significant health problems for dogs. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the prevalence of selected CVBD pathogens in rural outdoor dogs based on prevention status. Between June 2017 and February 2019, blood samples were collected from 343 clinically healthy rural dogs composing two different groups: systematically managed dogs (SMD; n=92) and personally managed dogs (PMD; n=251). Vaccination and preventive medications were applied strictly following the programmed schedule for the SMD group; in contrast, in the PMD group, they were applied only when requested by the dog owners. Serological and molecular assessments showed that significantly more dogs in the PMD group were infected with B. gibsoni (P<0.001) and D. immitis (P=0.001) than those in the SMD group. These findings suggest that the regular use of preventive medications and environmental controlling efforts contribute to reducing the prevalence of CVBD pathogen infections. In addition, dogs infected with certain kinds of CVBD pathogens could remain asymptomatic, suggesting that continuous monitoring and periodic preventive treatment should be conducted even for clinically healthy dogs.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.15-18
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• 2020

Canine heartworm disease is a vector-borne disease that is transmitted from dog to dog by mosquitoes. It causes epidemics that disrupt the health environments of dogs and are burdensome for many dog owners. Recent trends of changing temperatures and weather conditions in South Korea may have an impact on the population of mosquitoes, and it affects the population of dogs at risk of heartworm infection. Mathematical modeling has become an important measure for analyzing the epidemiological characteristics of infectious diseases. However, canine heartworm infection transmission has not been reported yet through mathematical modeling. We develop a mathematical model of canine heartworm infection to predict the population of infected dogs depending on the vector (mosquito) population using a susceptible, exposed, infected, and recovered model. Simulation results show that after 1 year, 3,289 dogs out of 73,602 (about 4.5%) are exposed and 134 (about 0.2%) are infected. Only 0.2% of susceptible dogs become infected after 1 year. However, if all exposed dogs are maintained in the same circumstances without any treatment, then the number of infected subjects will increase over time. This may increase the possibility of other dogs, especially dogs that live outside, being infected.