Prevalence and Genomic Characterization of <i>Brucella canis</i> Strains Isolated from Kennels, Household, and Stray Dogs in Chile

• Main Authors: Nicolás Galarce, Beatriz Escobar, Eduard Martínez, Natalia Alvarado, Gabriela Peralta, Phillip Dettleff, Jessica Dorner, Víctor Martínez, Consuelo Borie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-11-01
• Series: Animals
• Subjects: <i>Brucella canis</i>; canine brucellosis; canine infertility; qPCR; whole-genomic sequencing; zoonosis
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/11/2073

Canine brucellosis caused by <i>Brucella canis</i> is a zoonotic disease that causes reproductive alterations in dogs, such as infertility, abortion, and epididymitis. This pathogen is especially prevalent in South America, and due to the lack of official control programs and the growing trend of adopting dogs it constitutes a public health risk that must be addressed. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of <i>B. canis</i> infection in kennel, shelter, and household dogs and to characterize the genomic properties of circulating strains, including <i>ure</i> and <i>vir</i>B operons and <i>omp</i>25/31 genes. Samples from 771 dogs were obtained, and the infection was detected by blood culture and/or serology in 7.0% of the animals. The complete <i>ure</i> and <i>vir</i>B operons and the <i>omp</i>25/31 genes were detected. Interestingly, we found different single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in some of the analyzed genes, which could mean a change in the fitness or virulence of these strains. This study provides further evidence about dogs as a source of <i>B. canis</i> strains that can infect people. This also highlights the need to implement official control programs, including the mandatory testing of dogs, especially stray dogs, before adoption.