DETEC O MOLECULAR DE Babesia canis vogeli EM C ES E EM Rhipicephalus sanguineus NA MESORREGI O DO OESTE MARANHENSE, NORDESTE BRASILEIRO

The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence of Babesia canis vogeli in dogs and in the tick vector from urban and rural environment of the microregion of Imperatriz, middle-west of Maranh o, evaluating risk factors associated with infection by this agent. Samples were collected from blood and tick specimens from 300 dogs from urban and rural areas of the microregion of Imperatriz. DNA was extracted from blood samples and ticks, and tested by polymerase chain reaction assays using subspecies-specific initiating oligonucleotides for B. c. vogeli. PCR from the blood revealed that 3.33% (10/300) of dogs were positive for B. c. vogeli, and that 1.0% (3/300) came from urban and 2.33% (7/300) from rural area. No association was verified in relation to the environment, race group, sex and tick control; however young animals were more frequently positive to the infection. Ticks collected were identified as Rhipicephalus sanguineus, and six (2.56%) were positive for B. c. vogeli, of which 1.28% (3/235) were collected in the urban area and 1.28% (3/235) from dogs in rural areas. This study confirmed the presence of B. c. vogeli in dogs and in R. sanguineus in urban and rural microregion of Imperatriz-MA.