Tick Infestation Among Stray Dogs of Urban Chișinău, Moldova: Species Distribution and Pathogen Detection.

Abstract

We investigated tick infestations in stray dogs from Chi&#x219;in&#x103;u, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, focusing on tick species distribution, and pathogen infection rates. Ticks were collected from 232 stray dogs across six major urban parks in 2021-2022. A total of 443 ticks were collected, belonging to five species:(43.8%),(35.2%),(20.5%),s.l. andwith only 1 specimen. Notably, 92.5% of ticks were adults, while only 7% were nymphs and <1% were larvae. On average, 44.4% of stray dogs were infested with ticks, with an overall mean intensity of ~4.3 ticks per infested dog. Tick burden varied by location: dogs in large, less-maintained parks carried the most ticks. Tick pathogen screening revealed 24.4% of ticks (108/443) carried at least one pathogen. The most frequently detected werespp. in 12.2% of ticks,s.l. in 7.4%,spp. in 3.4%,spp. in 2.5%, andspp. in 0.5%; 4 ticks harbored co-infections. We discuss implications for public health and animal welfare and recommend control measures such as integrated stray-dog management and vegetation maintenance in urban parks.