Introduction:

Vector-borne canine diseases are a serious danger to animal and human health. The objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence of zoonotic pathogens (Anaplasma platys, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Ehrlichia canis and Rickettsia spp. and non-zoonotic (Hepatozoon canis and Babesia spp.) in ownerless dogs from Havana, Cuba.

Methods:

Blood samples were collected from 100 dogs and the hematological profiles were studied and pathogens were detected by visualization of blood smears and real-time PCR. To determine the prevalence of infection by Hepatozoon canis, 80 dogs were studied by visualization of blood smears and real time PCR. For the detection of Babesia spp., 60 dogs were studied, using hematological examination, blood smear visualization and PCR.

Results:

Eighty-five dogs were positive for at least one pathogen, being E. canis the most prevalent, followed by A. platys and Rickettsia felis, and 36 % showed coinfections. All samples were negative for A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. These results constitute the first report of R. felis in dogs from Cuba, demonstrate the high prevalence of pathogens transmitted by ticks, with zoonotic potential, and constitute the first study where coinfections are analyzed. 38 % of the dogs were positive for H. canis by PCR and for the first-time molecular characterization of H. canis was carried out in Cuban ownerless dogs and 20 % were positive by PCR for Babesia spp., which constitutes the first molecular evidence of Babesia spp. in ownerless dogs from Cuba. Conclusions, these results are of great importance for the surveillance of vector-borne diseases in dogs, and demonstrate the need for studies on the prevention of transmission and spread of the diseases they cause.

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