Epidemiological Surveillance of Babesia gibsoni in Slovakia: Transmission Routes and Modelling Risk in High-Risk Dog Breeds

Introduction: Babesia gibsoni is an emerging protozoan parasite increasingly spreading in Central Europe through the international movement of dogs from endemic areas, direct dog bites, and transplacental transmission, primarily threatening high-risk breeds. This study focused on molecular surveillance and precise epidemiological categorization of transmission routes within high-risk dog populations in Slovakia to improve future predictive risk models.

Methods: American Pit Bull Terriers (n = 102) from nine distinct kennels in eastern Slovakia were screened for B. gibsoni using PCR (18S rRNA) and subsequent DNA sequencing. Comprehensive anamnestic analysis was performed on all positive individuals in order to accurately trace the origin, specific mode of infection, and overall epidemiological categorization.

Results: Based on PCR screening, 30 dogs tested positive for B. gibsoni, representing a high prevalence of 29.4% across eight affected kennels, while only one kennel remained completely unaffected. Epidemiological tracing categorized the 30 positive cases into four pathways: foreign importation accounted for 11 cases (36.7%), dog bites and aggressive blood-to-blood contact caused 6 cases (20.0%), and vertical transplacental transmission from dams to puppies represented 5 cases (16.6%). Finally, 8 cases (26.7%) were attributed to unknown causes.

Conclusion: This research confirms a nearly 30% prevalence of B. gibsoni in eastern Slovakia among high-risk dog populations, highlighting that non-vector routes, including importation, are major drivers of infection. These findings underscore the urgent need for stricter veterinary monitoring of imported dogs and the integration of multi-route transmission dynamics into future epidemiological predictive models.

Funding: This research was supported by the grant VEGA 2/0016/26.