Besides the environmental factors like temperature, humidity, and the presence of mosquitoes, age and shelter conditions also play significant roles in the development of D. immitis infections
9. As a result of the study conducted by Öncel and Vural
29 to determine the presence of antigens in the stray dogs of İstanbul, the prevalence of D. immitis was found as 1.52%, while the same researchers reported that no positivity was encountered in the stray dogs in İzmir. While no positivity was found by Civelek et al.
8 in their study in Bursa performed by native and modified Knott methods, their study which used the ELISA method reports 2% prevalence for D. immitis. Kozan et al.
30 conducted a study using the modified Knott method to determine the prevalence of Dirofilaria sp. in Afyonkarahisar and Eskişehir provinces, for which they determined positivities of 3.6% and 1.4%, respectively. In a study conducted in Diyarbakır with the ELISA method, D. immitis seroprevalence was reported as 2.4%
5 while the prevalance was 1.5% in Erzurum
31. The Rapid test method was used in a study in Antalya province, in which no D. immitis antigens were encountered
32.
Similar to the findings of researchers8,29,32, all samples in this study were found to be seronegative in terms of D. immitis. The efficient insecticide applications performed in the Siirt province might be the reason why the dogs had no infection with the disease.
Canine leishmaniasis represents a significant problem for both animal and human health due to its zoonotic nature33. In a study conducted in Manisa, the sera of 490 dogs were investigated with the IFAT method and the seroprevalence of the leishmaniasis was found as 5.3%34. In the study conducted by Voyvoda et al.35 in Antalya, the prevalence of L. infantum was determined as 3.63%, while the same researchers reported the prevalence of the disease for the province of İzmir as 2.5%. In a study conducted in Ankara by Aslantaş et al.36, 116 dog serum samples were analyzed with the IFAT, and the seroprevalence of the disease was reported as 2.58%. In the study conducted by Kilic et al.37 in Sivas, the sera of 50 dogs were analyzed with the IFAT and the seroprevalence of the disease was determined as 2%. Atasoy et al.38 conducted research that included the provinces of Aydın, Manisa, Muğla, and İzmir, and the seroprevalence of the disease were determined as 14.1%, 3.8%, 12%, and 4.6%, respectively.
A study was conducted by Handemir et al.39 in various locations of İstanbul, and the researchers reported that no seropositivity was encountered. Babür et al.40 conducted a study in Şanlıurfa, in which they reported all of the samples collected from 80 dogs were seronegative. In a study conducted by Ica et al.41 in Kayseri, all of the 300 dog serum samples were found to be seronegative. A study was performed by Tok et al.42 in Çanakkale, and all of the 27 dog serum samples were seronegative. Celik and Sekin17 used IFAT method in their research they conducted in the Dicle and Hani districts of the Diyarbakır province, in which they report no seropositivity was encountered in the 120 samples they inspected.
Similar to the findings and reports of researchers17,39-42, all samples in this study were seronegative in terms of L. infantum. Within the "cause network" that cause the development of Canine visceral leishmaniasis, the presence of Leishmania species, presence of the biting midges, biting midges stinging the infected host, a susceptible reservoir host being present nearby, the immune system reaction of the host, and environmental factors (humidity, air movements, light) are all present35. It is possible that all samples were found to be negative in this regard due to no leishmania species being present in the environment, or that the insecticide applications against the mosquitoes also affected the phlebotomus and caused a lack of vectors for the disease.
Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis is amongst the most infectious diseases of dogs worldwide43. It is reported that a Bull terrier breed dog brought to the Veterinary Faculty of the Istanbul University was diagnosed with ehrlichiosis using the IFAT method 15. In the study conducted by Icen et al.5 in Diyarbakır using the ELISA, the prevalence of E. canis was found as 4.8%. In a study conducted by Güneş et al.44 in the Sinop province using the ELISA, the seroprevalence of E. canis was reported as 18.28%. Sari et al.45 conducted a study in the Iğdır province, in which they reported the seroprevalence of 1% for E. canis. Elitok and Ungur46, on the other hand, conducted a study in Uşak and reported a prevalence of 7% for E. canis.
All the samples analyzed in the present study were found to be seronegative in terms of E. canis. The seropositivity rates of Ehrlichia infection can be dependent on the target population, climate, and the diagnosis method used47. On the other hand, the number of dogs infected with the parasite is reported to be higher in summer and spring months, compared to winter periods48. It is possible that no seropositivity was encountered in this study for the reasons specified by Ansari-Mood et al.47, or the fact that the disease is less frequently encountered in the period the study was conducted, or that the presence of the vector for the disease (Rhipicephalus sanguineas) in the region was not reported in any literature study.
Anaplasma phagocytophilum and A. platys are the species that cause Anaplasmosis in dogs49. In a study conducted in Erzurum, the rate of Anaplasma spp. antibodies obtained was reported as 0.8%4. The seropositivity of A. phagocytophilum was determined as 30.1% in Sinop50, 7.8% in Kayseri51, and as 7.49% in a study that involved different provinces in the Aegean region52.
In the current study, seropositivity was detected in five dogs (10%) against Anaplasma spp. It has been reported that the results of studies performed to determine the seroprevalence of Anaplasma spp. in dogs might be dependent on the number of samples used, the analysis method, and the density of the ticks in the region53,54. The seropositivity rate determined in the present study is in line with the studies conducted in Kayseri 51 and the Aegean region52.
As a result, this is the first study that investigated the seroprevalence of Dirofilariasis, Ehrlichiasis, Leishmaniasis, and Anaplasmosis in the dogs in Siirt province. it was concluded that protection and control measures regarding anaplasmosis should be taken and more detailed studies on vector-borne infections are needed.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.