Signature of weather conditions in the canine babesiosis spring peak in Belgrade, Serbia

Abstract

Background: Canine babesiosis, a tick-borne disease caused by Babesia canis, shows a seasonality whose relationship with local weather conditions has not been fully investigated. Objectives: Meteorological conditions can favour the tick-vector activity, and thus lead to an increased number of cases of canine babesiosis. Hence, our study looks into the link between the number of recorded cases, on the one hand, and temperature and relative humidity on the other with an aim to quantify their correlations. Material and Methods: Over 2013–2016, the data were collected in Belgrade, the capital of the Republic of Serbia. The meteorological parameters were obtained from the Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia. The analysis includes correlations with a time lag, given in number of weeks, which shifts corresponding correlation pairs and shows a delayed effect of weather conditions. The time lag ranges between 0 and 52. Results: Canine babesiosis occurrence shows a pronounced maximum in the spring and a less marked one in the autumn. For the spring period, statistically significant correlation coefficients imply that over one year prior to the disease spring peak, temperature is more strongly linked with the number of cases than relative humidity. Conclusion: Temperature and relative humidity, through their influence on population of infected ticks, seem to be important meteorological drivers of the spring maximum of canine babesios in Belgrade. Further understanding of this interplay can help better contain the disease, and project its possible spread to other regions prompted by climate change.