AKC Canine Health Foundation - 24

Dogs as Sentinels of Emerging Tick-borne Pathogens: More
Than Just Man's Best Friend!
Barb Qurollo, MS, DVM
North Carolina State University
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Barbara Qurollo is a research associate professor at North
Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine and
Co-Director of the Vector-borne Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. She received her DVM from
Colorado State University and completed an internship in Emergency Medicine and Critical
Care in Milwaukee, WI. During her three years as a postdoctoral research scholar at NC State,
she developed a strong interest in vector-borne diseases in companion animals, leading to her
current research efforts aimed at advancing our understanding of the epidemiological and
clinicopathological effects of vector-borne infections. Her research focuses primarily on
Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, and Leishmania organisms, with a particular emphasis on the surveillance
and discovery of zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases. To this end, Dr. Qurollo's ongoing
projects include developing improved techniques to detect vector-borne pathogens in clinical
samples and vectors.
PRESENTATION ABSTRACT
Dogs bear the brunt of high tick exposure and can serve as sentinels of novel, zoonotic tickborne
pathogens before they are detected in humans. Veterinarians frequently test dogs for tickborne
pathogens through point-of-care diagnostic screening and more comprehensive vectorborne
disease panels from specialized diagnostics laboratories. At NC State's Vector-borne
Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, we employ PCR tests that broadly detect a wide range of tickborne
pathogens, leading to the discovery of previously undocumented and emerging
pathogens in dogs. In this presentation, we will discuss the detection of new and emerging tickborne
pathogens in dogs, including a novel pathogenic spotted fever group Rickettsia (SFGR)
species identified in 9 clinically ill dogs in the southern United States, and we will discuss other
SFGR species that infect dogs and humans. Through our expanded detection and
characterization of emerging SFGR species in dogs, we aim to provide new insights to medical
and scientific communities about this highly prevalent group of tick-transmitted organisms in the
US.
CURRENT CHF GRANTS
02983: Enhanced Detection and Characterization of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia Species in
Dogs and Ticks with Focus on a Novel Rickettsia Species Infecting Clinically Ill Dogs in the U.S.
2023 National Parent Club Canine Health Conference
Presented by the AKC Canine Health Foundation and Nestlé Purina PetCare

AKC Canine Health Foundation

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