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Saarbrücken / Freiburg (dpa / lrs) - A type of tick that is currently spreading in parts of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland is causing fears among dog owners.
It is the alluvial forest tick (Dermacentor reticulatus).
It can transmit what is known as babesiosis, also known as dog malaria.
The causative agents of this infectious disease are blood parasites that destroy the red blood cells.
If the disease is not treated quickly, it is usually fatal.
"This year it is particularly serious," said Dieter Barutzki, specialist veterinarian for parasitology and head of the Freiburg veterinary laboratory, which examines blood samples nationwide.
"We already have such a high number of positive cases that we haven't seen for a long time - maybe even like never before."
Above all, he blames climate change, the arrival of sick dogs from abroad and the proximity to France.
At the Arz veterinary clinic in Saarbrücken alone, over 20 infected dogs have been treated in the past few weeks.
"Acute babesiosis is a very serious disease in dogs," said Elke Reinking from the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health.
But it is not transferable to humans.
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© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210405-99-87489 / 2
RKI: Answers to questions about ticks
"Zecken.de" information portal
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