Vector-borne pathogen evaluation and phylogenetic analysis in working K9 dogs in Iraq: implications for canine and public health.

Canine (K9) units are essential in law enforcement and military operations; they are often at higher risk of vector-borne infections due to their working and kennel environments. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of vector-borne pathogens, including Babesia sp. and Mycoplasma spp., in military/police K9 dogs which visited the Adan veterinary hospital in Baghdad/Iraq in 2016-2017. 61 blood samples were collected on Whatman FTA cards and sent to the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria where they were tested with specific PCRs to get a better understanding about epidemiological situation of these vector-borne pathogens in K9s in Iraq. Two dogs tested positive, one with Babesia sp. and one with Mycoplasma haemocanis, making the prevalence 1.6% (1/61; 95% CI: 0.04-8.8%) for each parasite, the isolates were sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis was done to confirm their lineage with other sequences from the GenBank. This is the first study on vector-borne pathogens in K9s in Iraq and the first molecular record of infection with M. haemocanis in K9s.