I don't know, you have to ask Angela Flügge,  Raino Flügge ' s wife!

I'm sorry for all of those with sick dogs, how horrible. 

Question:  Would it be possible for these dogs to carry these ticks back to their respective countries and spread it there?

In answer to Red Sable, yes, and it's quite likely at least some of these dogs did exactly that.  The deciding factors as to whether or not the disease will then become established within a previously naive area are the number of infected ticks introduced, the stage of life those ticks are in, whether or not the native ticks are capable of serving as vectors for the disease, and whether the area is presently temperate enough to permit the ticks to reproduce.  Since most places are home to the brown dog tick, most places do have a native vector.

The bigger concern, IMO, is the fact that once infected, a dog that survives the illness remains a carrier for life.   http://www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/clerk/cleveland/

http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/2/S1/S4

That said, babesia has already been considered to be endemic in a number of countries, including the United States. Here's a link to an excellent site on the subject:

http://www.cvbd.org/4003.0.html
(contains maps for Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America)

If you look at the maps, you will see that canine babesiosis is considered to be endemic in nearly all of the European countries, with the exception of the UK, Ireland, the Scandinavian countries, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia and Bulgaria. 

The organism is already established in North America, too. 

http://www.capcvet.org/recommendations/babesia.html#

Years ago, I came across it while doing a routine blood workup for an adolescent Boxer that had never been out of New Jersey, let alone the country, which had been brought in to the vet for anorexia, lethargy and vomiting thought to have been caused by the dog ingesting a small amount of flea and tick dip a few days earlier.  The dog had been in a local boarding kennel for several weeks prior to the illness, and picked up several ticks while there (the kennel was located in a forest area).  Had we not routinely done manual examination of blood smears in addition to the automated readings, it is likely the infection would have been missed; fortunately for this pup, it was caught early, he was treated @ Univ of Pennsylvania and suffered no adverse effects. 

It is imperitive that owners check their dogs *daily* for external parasites, especially when travelling outside of the dog's usual home range; most tick-borne diseases require the insect be attached and feeding on the host for a time frame of 24-48 hours before it begins transmitting the infectious organism into the bloodstream of the dog. At present, there are no products approved for use on dogs that will repel ticks 100%, so a manual check of the dog must be done daily to prevent opportunity for infection.  It should not have come as a surprise to any of the handlers at the WUSV event that their dogs would be exposed to ticks, and thus tick-borne diseases; ticks are known to be active in the early fall, and the event was held outdoors, in fields and on grass where the insects thrive. Had the dogs been checked over by their handlers thoroughly at the end of each day, these illnesses would most likely been prevented. It is a shame that dogs have been lost to this disease, and that others were affected to various degrees, but it's even sadder that it could have been prevented.

hexe, thanks for taking the time to post all that information.

Yes, thanks so much hexe

This is one nasty cluster.. who will be held responsible for doing INTERNATIONAL event at a place that is KNOWN to couse deadly illness? Who the hell made that decision? Why were not the contestants passed sprays with a HUGE WARNING THAT THEY MUST spray their dogs or they could die? I wonder how many people would actually show up?!



Did they think that oh well lets just see how it goes?

 

The desease is treated in 3-7 days and is not deadly for animals. The case is other countries veterenarys have difficulties to make a diagnos. :(

So according to hexe and Lynx going by there posts
The fault lies with the owner of the Dogs if the dogs become ill because of owner neglect. SORRY the Country supporting the event should have made it priority that all the relevant Data about this could be problem be put on the FRONT page of there website and it was not.
That is simply not good enough to put the onus onto the owners of the dogs.
Had many known about it they would never have gone to the event. So as said if it had been front page on the website which i may add came out very shortly after the WUSV in Seville 2010, then many of these problems could have been averted and perhaps the event would have been much smaller in entries.
In future the governing body should stay well away from countries with similar problems. OR warn the would be entrants well in advance of the event.
Steve1

Steve1, with all due respect, did you look at the indicent map?

Babesia is also spread by breeding and can be transmitted by bites when dogs fight and transplacental. Also mosquitos can transmit this. This disease is very common in greyhounds  and pitbulls in the US are almost always infected. Cattle horses dogs and people get this disease . Came out of Africa. I have seen this very hard to clear this disease from a animal.