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Wright I, Whitfield V, Hanaghan R, Upjohn M, Boyden P. Analysis of exotic pathogens found in a large group of imported dogs following an animal welfare investigation. Vet Rec 2023; 193:e2996. [PMID: 37183184 DOI: 10.1002/vetr.2996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increased dog relocation can cause dissemination of pathogen and vector populations, and this is being recognised in countries across Northern Europe, including the UK. Data regarding the prevalence of exotic infections in dogs entering the UK would be beneficial to veterinarians to help assess pets entering the UK from abroad and to help calculate the risk of establishment of novel pathogens. This study reports the findings from a group of imported dogs that was seized as part of a Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)-led animal welfare investigation and subsequently blood tested for exotic pathogens. METHODS As part of the RSPCA investigation, 151 dogs were removed from the site. Blood tests were performed for Babesia canis, Ehrlichia canis, Hepatozoon canis and Leishmania infantum by PCR, Brucella canis by antibody serology and Dirofilaria immitis by blood antigen. In addition to pathogen screening, a serology titre for rabies was measured for each dog. A clinical examination was performed by a veterinary surgeon, and clinical signs were recorded. RESULTS Overall, 24% (32/133) of the dogs tested positive for an infection with one or more exotic pathogens. Two dogs were positive for Br. canis antibodies and had no clinical signs indicative of infection. Leishmania was identified in 10.5% (14/133) of dogs, and all but two of these were implanted with microchips of Romanian origin. H. canis was identified in 9.6% (10/104) of dogs, all of whom had a Romanian microchip. D. immitis was identified in 4.1% (5/121) of dogs, B. canis in 2.3% (3/129) of dogs and E. canis in only 1.5% (2/131) of dogs tested. Only four dogs were found to have co-infections. No significant association was found between the pathogens detected and presenting clinical signs. LIMITATIONS This was a group of rescued dogs that were tested for a range of pathogens. They were not randomly selected and as such do not represent the true prevalence of these pathogens in dogs imported into the UK. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates a range of exotic pathogens entering the UK, including Br. canis, and demonstrates the importance of screening imported dogs. The emphasis on early recognition of exotic pathogens in imported dogs has relied on screening based on relevant clinical signs and the country of origin. While these factors are useful, this study demonstrated no significant association between presenting clinical signs and the pathogens carried.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Wright
- The Mount Veterinary Practice, Fleetwood, UK
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Miró G, Wright I, Michael H, Burton W, Hegarty E, Rodón J, Buch J, Pantchev N, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G. Seropositivity of main vector-borne pathogens in dogs across Europe. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:189. [PMID: 35668469 PMCID: PMC9169295 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05316-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Canine vector-borne disease (CVBD) has been an area of increasing interest in Europe over the last few decades, and there have been changes in the prevalence and distribution of many of these diseases. Monitoring CVBD infections in Europe is often done by individual countries, but aggregated data for the European countries are helpful to understand the distribution of CVBDs. METHODS We used an extensive retrospective database of results from point-of-care rapid enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests on dogs across Europe to identify distribution and seropositivity in animals tested for selected CVBDs (Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi, Leishmania spp., and Dirofilaria immitis) from 2016 through 2020. Geographic distribution of positive tests and relative percent positive values were mapped by the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics classification for regions with sufficient test results for reporting. RESULTS A total of 404,617 samples corresponding to 1,134,648 canine results were available from dogs tested in 35 countries over the 5-year study period. Over this period the number of test results per year increased whereas test positivity decreased. Leishmania spp. had the largest increase in total test results from 25,000 results in 2016 to over 60,000 results in 2020. Test positivity for Leishmania spp. fell from 13.9% in 2016 to 9.4% in 2020. Test positivity fell for Anaplasma spp. (7.3 to 5.3%), Ehrlichia spp. (4.3 to 3.4%), and Borrelia burgdorferi (3.3 to 2.4%). Dirofilaria immitis test positivity trended down with a high of 2.7% in 2016 and low of 1.8% in 2018. Leishmania spp. test positivity was highest in endemic areas and in several non-endemic countries with low numbers of test results. Co-positivity rates were significantly higher than expected for all pathogen test positive pairs except for Ehrlichia spp. with Borrelia burgdorferi and D. immitis with Borrelia burgdorferi. CONCLUSIONS This study represents the largest data set on CVBD seropositivity in Europe to date. The increase in the number of test results and decreasing test positivity over the study period may reflect changes in testing behavior and increased screening of healthy animals. The Europe-wide mapping of CVBD provides expected test positivity that can help inform veterinarians' decisions on screening and improve prevention and identification of these important, sometimes zoonotic, diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guadalupe Miró
- Department of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Ian Wright
- Mount Veterinary Practice, Fleetwood, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Jesse Buch
- IDEXX Laboratories, Inc, Westbrook, ME, USA
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Gradoni L, Ferroglio E, Zanet S, Mignone W, Venco L, Bongiorno G, Fiorentino E, Cassini R, Grillini M, Simonato G, Michelutti A, Montarsi F, Natale A, Gizzarelli M, Foglia Manzillo V, Solari Basano F, Nazzari R, Melideo O, Gatti D, Oliva G. Monitoring and detection of new endemic foci of canine leishmaniosis in northern continental Italy: An update from a study involving five regions (2018-2019). Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2022; 27:100676. [PMID: 35012715 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2021.100676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is an emerging zoonosis caused by Leishmania infantum and transmitted in southern Europe by phlebotomine sand flies of the subgenus Phlebotomus (Larroussius). Endemic foci of CanL have been recorded in northern continental Italy since early 1990s and attributed to the northward expansion of vector populations due to climatic changes in association with travelling/relocated infected dogs from the southern Mediterranean littoral. In this study, further spread of endemic Leishmania foci was monitored during 2018-2019 in five regions (Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia), with focus to territories where investigations were not performed, or they have been inconclusive. Clinical cases of CanL identified by local veterinary practitioners and confirmed by reference diagnosis centers were regarded as autochthonous if their origin from, or travel to, areas endemic for CanL were excluded in the previous ≥2 years. Around these index cases, i) serosurveys for L infantum were carried out where indicated, ii) sampling from potential autochthonous cases in healthy or clinically-suspected resident dogs was intensified by collaborating veterinary practitioners, and iii) suitable sites were investigated for the presence of competent phlebotomine vectors. Fifty-seven municipalities whose enzootic status of CanL was unreported before 2018, were identified as endemic. The stability of 27 foci recorded over the past decade, was also confirmed. Competent phlebotomine vectors, mainly Phlebotomus perniciosus, were collected for the first time in 23 municipalities. The newly recorded endemic municipalities appear to be distributed over a west-to-east decreasing gradient: 30 in Piedmont, 21 in Lombardy, 4 in Veneto and 2 in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. As regards Veneto, it should be noted that a relatively restricted territory was investigated as several municipalities of the region had already been surveyed and detected as endemic for CanL in the past. Cold climate conditions of the easternmost region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia bordering non-endemic territories of Slovenia, are probably less favorable to L infantum transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luigi Gradoni
- Unit of Vector-borne Diseases, Istituto superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy.
| | - Ezio Ferroglio
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie dell'Università degli Studi di Torino, Grugliasco, Torino, Italy
| | - Stefania Zanet
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie dell'Università degli Studi di Torino, Grugliasco, Torino, Italy
| | - Walter Mignone
- Istituto Zooprofilattico sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Sezione di Imperia, Italy
| | - Luigi Venco
- Veterinary practitioner, Santa Giuletta, Pavia, Italy
| | - Gioia Bongiorno
- Unit of Vector-borne Diseases, Istituto superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy
| | | | - Rudi Cassini
- Dipartimento di Medicina Animale, Produzioni e Salute, Università degli Studi di Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Marika Grillini
- Dipartimento di Medicina Animale, Produzioni e Salute, Università degli Studi di Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Giulia Simonato
- Dipartimento di Medicina Animale, Produzioni e Salute, Università degli Studi di Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Alice Michelutti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Montarsi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Alda Natale
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Manuela Gizzarelli
- Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria e Produzioni Animali, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Valentina Foglia Manzillo
- Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria e Produzioni Animali, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Diego Gatti
- Elanco Italia S.p.A., Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy
| | - Gaetano Oliva
- Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria e Produzioni Animali, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy
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Wright I, Jongejan F, Marcondes M, Peregrine A, Baneth G, Bourdeau P, Bowman DD, Breitschwerdt EB, Capelli G, Cardoso L, Dantas-Torres F, Day MJ, Dobler G, Ferrer L, Gradoni L, Irwin P, Kempf VAJ, Kohn B, Krämer F, Lappin M, Madder M, Maggi RG, Maia C, Miró G, Naucke T, Oliva G, Otranto D, Pennisi MG, Penzhorn BL, Pfeffer M, Roura X, Sainz A, Shin S, Solano-Gallego L, Straubinger RK, Tasker S, Traub R, Little S. Parasites and vector-borne diseases disseminated by rehomed dogs. Parasit Vectors 2020; 13:546. [PMID: 33168100 PMCID: PMC7653694 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-020-04407-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The Companion Vector-Borne Diseases (CVBD) World Forum is a working group of leading international experts who meet annually to evaluate current scientific findings and future trends concerning the distribution, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis and prevention of vector-borne infections of dogs and cats. At the 14th Symposium of the CVBD World Forum in Trieste, Italy (March 25-28, 2019), we identified the need to (i) bring attention to the potential spread of parasites and vectors with relocated dogs, and (ii) provide advice to the veterinary profession regarding the importance of surveillance and treatment for parasites and vector-borne infections when rehoming dogs. This letter shares a consensus statement from the CVBD World Forum as well as a summary of the problem faced, including the role of veterinary professionals in parasite surveillance, causal issues, and the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation in addressing the problem. To limit opportunities for dissemination of parasites and vectors, whenever possible, underlying problems creating the need for dog rehoming should be addressed. However, when it is necessary to rehome dogs, this should ideally take place in the country and national region of origin. When geographically distant relocation occurs, veterinary professionals have a vital role to play in public education, vigilance for detection of exotic vectors and infections, and alerting the medical community to the risk(s) for pathogen spread. With appropriate veterinary intervention, dog welfare needs can be met without inadvertently allowing global spread of parasites and their vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Wright
- The Mount Veterinary Practice, Fleetwood, UK.
| | - Frans Jongejan
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa
| | - Mary Marcondes
- School of Veterinary Medicine, São Paulo State University, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Andrew Peregrine
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Gad Baneth
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | | | - Dwight D Bowman
- Department Microbiology & Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Gioia Capelli
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Luís Cardoso
- Department of Veterinary Sciences and Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
| | | | - Michael J Day
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia
| | | | - Lluis Ferrer
- Department Animal Medicine and Surgery, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | | | - Peter Irwin
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia
| | - Volkhard A J Kempf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Barbara Kohn
- Clinic of Small Animals, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Michael Lappin
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Ricardo G Maggi
- Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Carla Maia
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Guadalupe Miró
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Gaetano Oliva
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Domenico Otranto
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | | | - Barend L Penzhorn
- Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa
| | - Martin Pfeffer
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Xavier Roura
- Hospital Clínic Veterinari, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Angel Sainz
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - SungShik Shin
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
| | - Laia Solano-Gallego
- Department Animal Medicine and Surgery, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Reinhard K Straubinger
- Lehrstuhl für Bakteriologie und Mykologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Séverine Tasker
- Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Rebecca Traub
- Melbourne Veterinary School, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Susan Little
- Department of Pathobiology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
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