Antibodies to spotted fever group rickettsiae in dogs in Croatia

The prevalence of IgG antibodies to spotted fever group rickettsiae was studied by the indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay in a sample of 194 canine sera from different parts of Croatia. Dogs (n = 141) from urban and suburban-semirural environs from the middle part of the eastern coast of Adriatic sea, and dogs (n = 53) from Zagreb, the capital of Croatia located in the northern continental part of Croatia, were tested. The total of 88 (62.4%) dogs from southern coastal Croatia had antibodies to Rickettsia conorii, with a significantly higher prevalence (69.9%) in suburban-semirural areas. The prevalence rate of antibodies to Rickettsia conorii in canine sera from urban environment in the north of Croatia was 20.7%. The results show that the members of spotted fever group rickettsiae are present in both coastal and continental Croatia.