First Molecular Evidence of Pathogens in Fleas Collected from Dogs in Northern Vietnam

Thom Do; Tawin Inpankaew; Duc Hieu Duong; Khanh Linh Bui

doi:10.3390/pathogens10091185

First Molecular Evidence of Pathogens in Fleas Collected from Dogs in Northern Vietnam

Pathogens. 2021 Sep 14;10(9):1185. doi: 10.3390/pathogens10091185.

Authors

Thom Do¹, Tawin Inpankaew¹, Duc Hieu Duong², Khanh Linh Bui²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand.
² Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Hanoi 12406, Vietnam.

Abstract

Fleas are considered as hosts for a wide range of pathogens that cause emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases worldwide. Data on fleas and flea-borne pathogens (FBPs) in the international literature are limited in Vietnam. This study aimed to investigate the species of fleas and the presence of pathogens of interest in fleas in northern Vietnam using PCR and sequence analysis. Out of 200 dogs enrolled in this study, 20% were infested by the flea species Ctenocephalides felis felis. In total, 62 fleas (35 females and 27 males) collected from domestic dogs were molecularly screened for the detection of pathogens. Out of the screened fleas, 39 were positive for Rickettsia felis (62.9%), 9 for Candidatus Mycoplasma hemobos (14.52%), and 6 for Mycoplasma wenyonii (9.68%). This study shows the first molecular detection of the above-mentioned pathogens in fleas collected from the studied areas and the potential risk of infection with examined FBPs in northern Vietnam.

Keywords: Vietnam; dogs; flea-borne pathogens; fleas.