Molecular and serological prevalence of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia sp. among stray dogs in East Malaysia.

Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species are important bacterial pathogens of various animal species including dogs and humans. They constitute a major health problem worldwide, especially in the tropics and sub-tropics. In order to identify the prevalence of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia sp. from dogs in the selected area, a total of 100 randomly selected clinically healthy rescued dogs from animal shelters in Sarawak and Sabah, East Malaysia (50 dogs per State) were used for this study. Whole blood was collected from these dogs and screened for presence of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia spp. using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and commercial ELISA test (SNAP 4Dx® Plus) for detection of antigen and antibody against the two pathogens respectively. 27% (A. platys) and 33% (E. canis) of the sampled population were positive using PCR; while the serological prevalence was 29% for Anaplasma sp. and 55% for Ehrlichia sp. The results of this investigation revealed that stray dogs are potential reservoir hosts of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia sp. infection with a high prevalence in the area. The high prevalence rates detected highlights the urgent need to address the growing population of possible vectors and reservoirs for transmission in the region and also to look into the public health aspect of the disease.

Tick fauna of Malaysian red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) in Bangi, Malaysia.

AIM: The red jungle fowl is generally considered as one of the endangered Asian wild Galleopheasants due to man-made encroachment of their habitats, coupled with the effect of disease and disease causing organisms like ticks and tick-borne infections. This study aimed to determine the tick fauna of the red jungle fowl and their predilection sites based on developmental stages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 33 jungle fowls were sampled for this study from Bangi area of Selangor State, Peninsular Malaysian. The birds were captured using a locally made trap made-up of loops and bites. Ticks present on their bodies were detached using fine forceps and identified morphologically under a dissecting microscope. RESULTS: 91% of the jungle fowls were infested with ticks, all of which belongs to the species Haemaphysalis wellingtoni. The ear region appeared to be the most common predilection site (63%) for all the developmental stages in which the larval stages are solely restricted to that region. Nymphal and adult stages were distributed on the comb, wattle, and facial region in addition to the ear region. CONCLUSION: This study was the first in its kind and showed a high prevalence of tick infestation among jungle fowls. H. wellingtoni was known to be a vector in transmission of many tick-borne pathogens. Therefore, there is the need for further investigation to identify the various pathogens associated with this tick.