The prevalence and geographic profile of Mycoplasma haemocanis in dogs across Russia

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

1 Institute Systematic and Ecology of Animals 630091 Frunze, 11 Novosibirsk, Russia

2 Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Saint-Petersburg State University of Veterinary Medicine”, Russia, Saint Petersburg

3 Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia

Abstract

Background: Hemotropic mycoplasmas are causative agents of anemia of varying severity in several mammals, including humans. Two hemoplasma species have been described in dogs: Mycoplasma haemocanis and Candidatus Mycoplasma haematoparvum. In Russia, no studies on the prevalence of canine hemotropic mycoplasmas have previously been conducted.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the global and national prevalence of Mycoplasma haemocanis in dogs.
Materials and Methods: A total of 1966 blood samples from eight federal districts and 77 cities were analyzed by PCR for the detection of M. haemocanis DNA.
Results: one hundred seventeen samples tested positive. Thus, the average prevalence of this infection among dogs in the country is 5.9%. Notably, the highest prevalence of M. haemocanis infection in dogs was found in the Northwestern federal district (11.1%, 43/387; 95% confidence interval: 8.3–14.6%) and the Central federal district (5.7%, 30/540; 95% confidence interval: 3.92–7.82%).
Conclusion: Routes of transmission of canine hemoplasma infection have not been reliably determined so far. Most authors assume an involvement of the tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus. However, R. sanguineus is not common in the regions with the highest infection rates. A clear interpretation of this prevalence pattern cannot be established until the vector of M. haemocanis is definitively identified.

Keywords

Iranian Journal of Veterinary Medicine

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 19 May 2026

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