Prevalence of Babesia canis in Dermacentor reticulatus ticks in the Netherlands and Belgium

Abstract

Dermacentor reticulatus is an important vector of several pathogens, including Babesia canis. Currently, D. reticulatus ticks appear in the vegetation of the Netherlands and Belgium. Adult ticks were collected from the vegetation of three places including Panne, Belgium (n=208), the Dintelse Gorzen, the Netherlands (n=40) and Rozenburg, the Netherlands (n=40). The ticks were screened for the presence of Babesia canis and also for other Babesia and Theileria species, using Reverse Line Blot (RLB) and PCR techniques. D. reticulatus ticks were infected with Theileria equi-like (17.1%), Babesia sp. (6.8%) and Babesia canis (3.5%). We concluded that a broader spectrum of tick-borne pathogens is present in D. reticulatus ticks from the vegetation of the Netherlands and Belgium than previously thought.