Citation: D’Amico, G.; Ionic ˘ a, A.M.; Györke, A.; Dumitrache, M.O. Epidemiological Survey of the Main Tick-Borne Pathogens Infecting Dogs from the Republic of Moldova. Pathogens 2022, 11, 1267. https:// doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11111267 Academic Editors: Xuenan Xuan, Adrian P. Ybañez and Seung-Hun Lee Received: 9 October 2022 Accepted: 26 October 2022 Published: 30 October 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). pathogens Article Epidemiological Survey of the Main Tick-Borne Pathogens Infecting Dogs from the Republic of Moldova Gianluca D’Amico 1, * , Angela Monica Ionică 1,2 , Adriana Györke 1 and Mirabela Oana Dumitrache 1 1 Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania 2 Clinical Hospital of Infectious Diseases of Cluj-Napoca, 400348 Cluj-Napoca, Romania * Correspondence: gianluca.damico@usamvcluj.ro; Tel.: +40-755369153 Abstract: Despite the significant burden of tick-borne diseases (TBDs), epidemiologic studies are missing, and TBD awareness is low in the Republic of Moldova. Our study is the first to assess the prevalence of the main tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) infecting dogs in this country and associated risk factors. In this cross-sectional, multi-centre study (June 2018–July 2019), blood samples were collected from dogs presenting in veterinary clinics (Chi¸ sinău: N = 30) and hosted in public dog shelters (Cahul: N = 42; Chi¸ sinău: N = 48). TBPs were assessed by molecular techniques and risk factors by the logistic regression model. Hepatozoon canis was the most prevalent TBP (15.8% [19/120]), followed by Babesia canis (11.7% [14/120]), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (5.8% [7/120]), and Bartonella spp. (0.8% [1/120]). Blood samples tested negative for Borrelia spp., Rickettsia spp., Francisella tularensis, Anaplasma platys, and Ehrlichia canis. Dogs originating from the veterinary clinics had a higher prevalence of A. phagocytophilum infection than those from the shelters (16.6% versus 2.2%, respectively, p = 0.0292; OR: 27.0 [95%CI: 1.4–521.9]). Dogs from Chis , inău had a higher prevalence of Hepatozoon canis infection versus those from Cahul (19.2% versus 9.5%, respectively, p = 0.0295; OR: 3.9 [95%CI: 1.1–13.4]). We recommend routine use of acaricides and deworming of dogs to prevent or/and limit TBD spread. Further TBD surveillance studies are needed. Keywords: tick-borne diseases; tick-borne pathogens; dog; Republic of Moldova 1. Introduction Ticks, order Ixodida, are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites of mammals, birds, and reptiles, and some of them pose a great risk to both animal and public health [1]. Pathogens transmitted by ticks, such as bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, and protozoa, cause most of the vector-borne diseases reported in the temperate regions of Europe, North America, and Asia [2,3]. To date, growing evidence suggests that tick dissemination and tick-borne disease (TBD) transmission is expanding across European countries [4–7], becoming a significant issue due to individual and societal burdens (e.g., Lyme disease) [8], threats to animal health (both companion and livestock), and financial losses caused by debilitating or lethal TBDs, especially in developing countries (e.g., babesiosis) [2,9]. In the current context, disease surveillance, defined as the systematic collection, analy- sis, and dissemination of data on infections, plays a key role in planning and implementing suitable actions that can be taken to prevent or limit the spread of TBDs in a specific region [7]. Different studies have shown that Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) are the most common ixodid ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) found in dogs across central and eastern European countries [10,11]. Ixodes ricinus is a suit- able vector for zoonotic agents such as Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (B. burgdorferi s. l.), Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Francisella tularensis, tick-borne encephalitis virus, Babesia ca- nis, and Bartonella henselae, while D. reticulatus may transmit B. canis, Rickettsia spp. and Pathogens 2022, 11, 1267. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11111267 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pathogens