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چکیده
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Despite widespread distribution of Trypanosoma evansi in camels and horses in Iran there are only few case reports of infection in dogs with. Considering the recent report of T. vivax from camels in Iran, we investigated the prevalence of trypanosomoses in apparently healthy sheltered (n = 415) and owned (n = 8) dogs from five Iranian provinces with different climates (i.e., Hamedan, Kermanshah, Mazandaran, Yazd and Khouzestan). Blood samples were screened by microscopical examination of smears and polymerase chain reaction for the detection of 1) Trypanosoma species ITS1 region of rDNA (KIN PCR), which discriminates simultaneously different Trypanosoma species (n = 423), 2) Trypanosoma vivax cathepsin L- like gene (TvCatL PCR) (n = 394). Serum samples were tested with CATT/T. evansi kit which detects circulating antibodies against surface antigens of the parasite. In KIN PCR 152 (35.93%) dogs scored positive for T. evansi (9.9–70.2% in five provinces), and 38 (8.9%) for T. vivax (0–22.7% in five provinces), whereas with in TvCatL PCR, 74.6% of dogs (45.2– 94.7% in five provinces) scored positive for T. vivax. Co-infection with T. evansi and T. vivax was recorded in 115 dogs. CATT/T.evansi results revealed seropositivity in 78/274 of tested dogs (28.5%). Trypomastigotes were not detected at microscopy. Data reported herein represent the first study of canine trypanosomosis in Iran and suggest that effective control strategies for owned and stray dogs are needed to minimize the risk of infection in animals and humans. High prevalence and low pathogenicity of circulating T. evansi and T. vivax strains in dogs of Iran is a unique and unexpected finding, which needs further investigations, including parasite isolation for characterization. Sanger sequencing of the PCR products is ongoing.
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