Detection of tick-borne pathogens in ticks from dogs and cats in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, 2018

Abstract

Companion animals can become infected with tick-borne diseases (TBDs) and can become hosts of transmission to humans, thereby damaging human health. To clarify whether companion animals are infested by ticks harboring TBD pathogens in humans, we detected TBD pathogens in ticks collected from dogs and cats brought to animal hospitals in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Investigation of 164 adult ticks collected from 88 dogs and 41 cats during March–July 2018 revealed the predominant tick species as Ixodes ovatus (n = 95, 57.9%), followed by Ixodes nipponensis (37, 22.6%) and Haemaphysalis flava (10, 6.1%). The results of our genetic tests targeting spotted fever group rickettsiae, Lyme disease borreliae, relapsing fever borreliae, tick-borne encephalitis virus, and Huaiyangshan banyangvirus (formerly SFTS virus) indicated that Borrelia miyamotoi, which cause emerging relapsing fever, was detected from two I. ovatus ticks. Furthermore, Rickettsia monacensis and Rickettsia helvetica, which cause rickettsiosis, were frequently detected mainly from I. nipponensis and Ixodes persulcatus, respectively. Our study results suggest that dogs and cats, along with veterinary professionals and pet owners, have potential risk of TBD exposure in Yamagata. Continuous monitoring of the occurrence of TBD, including TBDs that are unrecognized in Japan, is necessary for companion animals and humans.