Detection of Rickettsia conorii strains in Portuguese dogs (Canis familiaris).

This study reports a serological and molecular survey on the spotted fever group Rickettsia found in a group of 51 dogs with suspected tick-borne illness from the south of Portugal. Additionally, a prevalence of IgG antibodies to R. conorii was also estimated in a group of 400 healthy dogs from the same region.

The hard-tick fauna of mainland Portugal (Acari: Ixodidae): an update on geographical distribution and known associations with hosts and pathogens.

This work is an updated revision of the available information on Portuguese ixodid tick species. It includes data on tick biology, ecology, taxonomy and host/pathogen-associations. The current list of Portuguese ixodid ticks comprises twenty species: Dermacentor marginatus (Sulzer, 1776), Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794), Haemaphysalis hispanica Gil Collado, 1938, Haemaphysalis inermis Birula, 1895, Haemaphysalis punctata Canestrini & Fanzago, 1878, Hyalomma lusitanicum Koch, 1844, Hyalomma marginatum Koch, 1844, Ixodes acuminatus Neumann, 1901, Ixodes bivari Dias, 1990, Ixodes canisuga Johnston, 1849, Ixodes frontalis (Panzer, 1798), Ixodes hexagonus Leach, 1815, Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus, 1758), Ixodes simplex Neumann, 1906, Ixodes ventalloi Gil Collado, 1936, Ixodes vespertilionis Koch, 1844, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus (Say, 1821), Rhipicephalus bursa Canestrini & Fanzago, 1878, Rhipicephalus pusillus Gil Collado, 1938, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806).

Serological and molecular survey of Anaplasma species infection in dogs with suspected tickborne disease in Portugal.

Fifty-five dogs with suspected tickborne disease were tested by immunofluorescence assay and PCR for Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection. Thirty (54.5 per cent) of the dogs were seropositive and five of them fulfilled the serological criteria for an active infection, with either seroconversion or a fourfold increase in antibody titres.