Seroprevalence canine survey for selected vector-borne pathogens and its relationship with poverty in metropolitan Pereira, Colombia, 2020

Background: Tick-borne diseases (TBD) and dirofilariosis are currently not under surveillance in most Latin American countries. In addition, there is a significant lack of studies describing the current situation in most endemic areas, including Colombia. Therefore, seroprevalence studies are crucial for understanding the epidemiology of these vector-borne diseases. Methods: A serosurvey for TBD and dirofilariosis among 100 dogs was carried out in the municipality of Pereira, located in the Coffee-Triangle region, Colombia. Samples were tested using a rapid assay test system (SNAP® 4Dx®); based on an enzyme immunoassay technique‚ screening for antibodies to Anaplasma phagocytophilum/platys (sensitivity 99.1%)‚ Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. (98.8%), and Ehrlichia canis/ewingii (96.2%) by using specific antigens and checking for Dirofilaria immitis antigen based on specific antibodies (99.2%). Bivariate analyses were performed on Stata®14, significant p