Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30909936›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2019

The role of healthy dog carriers of Babesia microti-like piroplasms.

Rocío Checa, Luis Eusebio Fidalgo, Ana Montoya, Ana María López, Juan Pedro Barrera, Rosa Gálvez, Sara Sánchez de la Nieta, Valentina Marino, Juliana Sarquis, Guadalupe Miró

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Parasites & vectors, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed
3.6field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 31 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Case report: First autochthonousFrontiers in veterinary science · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Rocío ChecaDepartment of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Luis Eusebio FidalgoDepartment of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Veterinary Faculty, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain.
Ana MontoyaDepartment of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Ana María LópezDepartment of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Veterinary Faculty, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain.
Juan Pedro BarreraDepartment of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Rosa GálvezDepartment of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Sara Sánchez de la NietaDepartment of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Valentina MarinoDepartment of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Juliana SarquisDepartment of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Guadalupe MiróDepartment of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. gmiro@ucm.es.
Universidad Complutense de Madrid · ESUniversidade de Santiago de Compostela · ESDepartment of Animal Health · VN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWhile in Europe Babesia canis has been traditionally held responsible for canine piroplasmosis, Babesia microti-like piroplasm (Bml) infection is being ever more observed in dogs, with the first clinical cases reported in northwestern Spain. This study examines the epidemiological role of healthy dogs living in endemic areas of Bml infection in Spain. The data obtained were used to describe the clinical status and map the geographical distribution of Bml infection in healthy dogs in northwestern Spain.

resultsBlood samples and ticks were taken from 756 healthy dogs representatively across the whole Galicia region (northwestern Spain): stray (n = 211), hunting dogs (n = 333) and pets (n = 212). Blood samples were tested by microscopy parasite observation, nested PCR-RFLP and sequencing. Piroplasm infection prevalences in healthy dogs from northwestern Spain were 17.1% (129/756) by PCR and 3.4% (26/756) by microscopy observation. The species found by PCR were: 2.2% (17/756) for B. canis and 15.1% (114/756) for Bml. Co-infection with B. canis and Bml was noted in 2 dogs. The higher prevalences detected were Bml in hunting dogs (25.5%; 85/333) and B. canis in stray dogs (6.6%; 14/211). In fox-hunting dogs from any area and dogs from the A Coruña Province, significantly higher prevalences of Bml infection were detected (P < 0.001). Upon physical examination, tick infestation was observed: 130 ticks in 18 hunting and three pet dogs. These were subsequently identified as Rhipicephalus sanguineus (s.l.) (49.2%), Ixodes hexagonus (38.5%), Ixodes ricinus (6.9%) and Dermacentor reticulatus (5.4%). Among the more prevalent ticks infesting healthy carrier dogs were I. hexagonus, followed by D. reticulatus and I. ricinus.

conclusionsBabesia canis and Bml were the only piroplasm species found infecting healthy dogs in Galicia, the prevalence of Bml being higher than of B. canis. Factors correlated with a higher Bml infection risk were being a hunting dog and living in the A Coruña Province. Healthy dogs travelling to other countries could act as carriers and probably contribute to the spread of Bml infection in dogs and wild carnivores throughout Europe.

Indexed as

Babesia microtiAnimalsBabesiosisCarrier StateDog DiseasesDogsFemaleMaleMolecular TypingPrevalenceSpainTick InfestationsTicksBabesia canisBabesia microti-like piroplasmCanine piroplasmosisHealthy dog carriersNorthwestern Spain

Identifiers

PMID30909936
PMCPMC6434893
OpenAlexW2943255161

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.