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Eamudomkarn C, Pitaksakulrat O, Boueroy P, Thanasuwan S, Watwiengkam N, Artchayasawat A, Boonmars T. Prevalence of Ehrlichia-, Babesia-, and Hepatozoon-infected brown dog ticks in Khon Kaen Province, Northeast Thailand. Vet World 2022; 15:1699-1705. [PMID: 36185514 PMCID: PMC9394127 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2022.1699-1705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Aim: The brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato, is the most common tick found on domestic dogs in Southeast Asia, including Thailand. Canine tick-borne pathogens are a public health concern worldwide. Tick-borne diseases are diagnosed by identifying pathogens based on the morphological or molecular analyses of dog blood samples. However, the collection of ticks, a non-invasive procedure, is easier than drawing blood. This study aimed to demonstrate the usefulness of collecting brown dog ticks for the diagnosis of tick-borne diseases and for estimating the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens among companion dogs in Khon Kaen, Northeast Thailand. Materials and Methods: Seventy brown dog ticks from 70 companion dogs in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand, were evaluated for molecular evidence of tick-borne pathogens, including Babesia spp., Ehrlichia canis, and Hepatozoon canis. Ticks were collected from dogs at a private animal hospital based on the presence of at least one of the three inclusion criteria: fever, anorexia, or lethargy. Molecular diagnosis was performed using conventional polymerase chain reaction for the detection of pathogens. Results: Of the 70 ticks collected from 70 sick dogs, 55 (78.57%) were positive for tick-borne pathogens. The most common infection was a single infection with H. canis (65.71%) followed by Babesia spp. (31.43%) and E. canis (30.00%). Coinfection was observed in 14 ticks (20.00%), and coinfection with Babesia spp. and E. canis was the most prevalent double infection (n = 6). The prevalence of coinfection was identical for H. canis mixed with Babesia spp. and H. canis mixed with E. canis (n = 4). Conclusion: The present study showed that tick-borne pathogens are highly prevalent among companion dogs in Khon Kaen Province. Therefore, we encourage an increase in tick control or the reduction and prevention of tick-borne diseases in this region. Furthermore, this study revealed that ticks are valuable samples for the molecular detection of tick-borne pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chatanun Eamudomkarn
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand; Cholangiocarcinoma Research Institute, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
| | - Opal Pitaksakulrat
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
| | - Parichart Boueroy
- Department of Community Health Faculty of Public Health, Kasetsart University Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus, Sakon Nakhon 47000, Thailand
| | - Sirikanda Thanasuwan
- Department of Veterinary Technology, Faculty of Agriculture Technology, Kalasin University, Kalasin 46000, Thailand
| | - Nattaya Watwiengkam
- Veterinary Clinic Research Unit, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Mahasarakham University, Maha Sarakham 44000, Thailand
| | - Atchara Artchayasawat
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand; Cholangiocarcinoma Research Institute, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
| | - Thidarut Boonmars
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand; Cholangiocarcinoma Research Institute, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
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Brandell EE, Becker DJ, Sampson L, Forbes KM. Demography, education, and research trends in the interdisciplinary field of disease ecology. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:17581-17592. [PMID: 35003624 PMCID: PMC8717357 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Micro- and macroparasites are a leading cause of mortality for humans, animals, and plants, and there is great need to understand their origins, transmission dynamics, and impacts. Disease ecology formed as an interdisciplinary field in the 1970s to fill this need and has recently rapidly grown in size and influence. Because interdisciplinary fields integrate diverse scientific expertise and training experiences, understanding their composition and research priorities is often difficult. Here, for the first time, we quantify the composition and educational experiences of a subset of disease ecology practitioners and identify topical trends in published research. We combined a large survey of self-declared disease ecologists with a literature synthesis involving machine-learning topic detection of over 18,500 disease ecology research articles. The number of graduate degrees earned by disease ecology practitioners has grown dramatically since the early 2000s. Similar to other science fields, we show that practitioners in disease ecology have diversified in the last decade in terms of gender identity and institution, with weaker diversification in race and ethnicity. Topic detection analysis revealed how the frequency of publications on certain topics has declined (e.g., HIV, serology), increased (e.g., the dilution effect, infectious disease in bats), remained relatively common (e.g., malaria ecology, influenza, vaccine research and development), or have consistently remained relatively infrequent (e.g., theoretical models, field experiments). Other topics, such as climate change, superspreading, emerging infectious diseases, and network analyses, have recently come to prominence. This study helps identify the major themes of disease ecology and demonstrates how publication frequency corresponds to emergent health and environmental threats. More broadly, our approach provides a framework to examine the composition and publication trends of other major research fields that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen E. Brandell
- Department of BiologyCenter for Infectious Disease DynamicsHuck Institute of the Life SciencesPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | | | - Laura Sampson
- Department of BiologyCenter for Infectious Disease DynamicsHuck Institute of the Life SciencesPennsylvania State UniversityUniversity ParkPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Kristian M. Forbes
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of ArkansasFayettevilleArkansasUSA
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The rise of ecological parasitology: twelve landmark advances that changed its history. Int J Parasitol 2021; 51:1073-1084. [PMID: 34390744 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2021.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In the five decades since the first publication of the International Journal for Parasitology, ecological parasitology has grown from modest beginnings to become a modern discipline with a strong theoretical foundation, a diverse toolkit, and a multidisciplinary approach. In this review, I highlight 12 advances in the field that have spurred its growth over the past 50 years. Where relevant, I identify pivotal contributions that have altered the course of research, as well as the influence of developments in other fields such as mainstream ecology and molecular biology. The 12 key advances discussed are in areas including parasite population dynamics and community assembly, the regulation of host population abundance and food web structure, parasites as agents of natural selection, the impacts of biodiversity and anthropogenic changes on host-parasite interactions, the biogeography of parasite diversity, and the evolutionary genetics of parasites. I conclude by identifying some challenges and opportunities lying ahead, which need to be met for the future growth of ecological research on host-parasite interactions.
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Tracy AM, Pielmeier ML, Yoshioka RM, Heron SF, Harvell CD. Increases and decreases in marine disease reports in an era of global change. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191718. [PMID: 31594507 PMCID: PMC6790777 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Outbreaks of marine infectious diseases have caused widespread mass mortalities, but the lack of baseline data has precluded evaluating whether disease is increasing or decreasing in the ocean. We use an established literature proxy method from Ward and Lafferty (Ward and Lafferty 2004 PLoS Biology2, e120 (doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0020120)) to analyse a 44-year global record of normalized disease reports from 1970 to 2013. Major marine hosts are combined into nine taxonomic groups, from seagrasses to marine mammals, to assess disease swings, defined as positive or negative multi-decadal shifts in disease reports across related hosts. Normalized disease reports increased significantly between 1970 and 2013 in corals and urchins, indicating positive disease swings in these environmentally sensitive ectotherms. Coral disease reports in the Caribbean correlated with increasing temperature anomalies, supporting the hypothesis that warming oceans drive infectious coral diseases. Meanwhile, disease risk may also decrease in a changing ocean. Disease reports decreased significantly in fishes and elasmobranchs, which have experienced steep human-induced population declines and diminishing population density that, while concerning, may reduce disease. The increases and decreases in disease reports across the 44-year record transcend short-term fluctuations and regional variation. Our results show that long-term changes in disease reports coincide with recent decades of widespread environmental change in the ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M. Tracy
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Madeline L. Pielmeier
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Reyn M. Yoshioka
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, University of Oregon, Charleston, OR 97420, USA
| | - Scott F. Heron
- Marine Geophysical Laboratory, Physics Department, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
- NOAA Coral Reef Watch, NESDIS Center for Satellite Applications and Research, College Park, MD 20740, USA
| | - C. Drew Harvell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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Kofer J, Hofer H, Hartmann S. Next-Generation Parasitologists: Structured Training Programs Meet Educational Challenges. Trends Parasitol 2017; 33:423-425. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2017.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Sures B, Nachev M, Pahl M, Grabner D, Selbach C. Parasites as drivers of key processes in aquatic ecosystems: Facts and future directions. Exp Parasitol 2017; 180:141-147. [PMID: 28456692 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2017.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Revised: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/25/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Despite the advances in our understanding of the ecological importance of parasites that we have made in recent years, we are still far away from having a complete picture of the ecological implications connected to parasitism. In the present paper we highlight key issues that illustrate (1) important contributions of parasites to biodiversity, (2) their integral role in ecosystems, (3) as well as their ecological effects as keystone species (4) and in biological invasion processes. By using selected examples from aquatic ecosystems we want to provide an insight and generate interest into the topic, and want to show directions for future research in the field of ecological parasitology. This may help to convince more parasitologists and ecologists contributing and advancing our understanding of the complex and fascinating interplay of parasites, hosts and ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Sures
- Aquatic Ecology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, D-45141 Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, D-45141 Essen, Germany; Department of Zoology, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - M Nachev
- Aquatic Ecology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, D-45141 Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, D-45141 Essen, Germany
| | - M Pahl
- Aquatic Ecology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, D-45141 Essen, Germany
| | - D Grabner
- Aquatic Ecology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, D-45141 Essen, Germany; Centre for Water and Environmental Research, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstr. 5, D-45141 Essen, Germany
| | - C Selbach
- Water Research Group, Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
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