MONHEIM, Germany, July 28, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Fascinating studies
giving new insights into the spread of leishmaniosis in the UK and
France, the appearance of new
CVBDs in Germany, the state of
heartworm infection in Korea and the neurological impact on humans
of long-term bartonella infection from the USA are among the papers now available for
download from http://www.cvbd.org, as the proceedings of the 5th
Annual Canine Vector Borne Disease (CVBD) World Forum are made
available online today.
The recent changes in travel restrictions between the UK and
continental Europe coupled with
increases in average temperatures in the UK have potentially
dramatically lowered the barriers to new CVBDs entering the UK. The
risk of one of these diseases, leishmaniosis, has been studied by
the team led by Dr Susan Shaw,
University of Bristol, UK,
who presented their findings at the CVBD meeting in New York. Dr Shaw
reported on an in-depth study of 257 dogs diagnosed in the UK with
confirmed leishmaniosis between 2005 and 2007. However, her
laboratory has dealt with over 900 cases since 2000 when the PETS
travel scheme was initiated. This is a significant increase from
previous studies and a number which they believe to be
underestimated based on lack of awareness of the symptomatology in
clinical cases and the number of sub-clinically infected dogs
entering the UK. According to Dr Shaw, "This increased prevalence
raises the very real prospect of leishmaniosis becoming established
in the UK if the sand fly vector appears in this country. Indeed,
there is a worrying possibility that there is already transmission
occurring in the UK, as a number of dogs in our study had no
history of travel outside the UK at all." More information on Dr
Shaw's study can be found at
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.03.025.
Further evidence of the risk posed by the movement of dogs
within Europe was presented by Dr
Torsten Naucke. Dr Naucke's study
looked at more than 4,500 dogs imported into Germany, and found that nearly one in four
(23.4%) were infected with babesiosis, and more than one in ten
were infected with leishmaniosis (12.2%) and ehrlichiosis (10.1%).
According to Dr Naucke, "Based on these findings the importation of
dogs from endemic regions to Germany, as well as travelling with dogs to
these regions carries a significant risk of acquiring an infection.
We would recommend that pet owners seek the advice of their
veterinarians prior to importing a dog from an endemic area or
travel to such areas." For more information on Dr Naucke's finding,
visit
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2857866/?tool=pubmed
Dr Jean-Pierre Dedet shared his
group's work on developing the first risk map for canine
leishmaniosis in France. Having
studied more than 40 years of records, the group was able to
establish the major areas of endemicity in France. The largest cluster was found in the
southern slopes of the Cevennes Mountains and two regions of the
Provence and Maritime Alps; a small reduced cluster was found in
the North West of France around
Tours. Based on the environment in which these clusters were found,
the team led by Dr Dedet has been able, for the first time, to
develop a model showing which areas of France are most at risk of leishmaniosis,
allowing veterinarians and pet owners to better understand the
risks faced by dogs, and to take appropriate preventative measures.
For more information on the study and risk map, go to
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2857865/?tool=pubmed
Away from Europe, Professor
SungShik Shin of Chonnam
National University, Korea, led a study
looking at the levels of CVBDs in both rural and urban dogs in
Korea, an area that has been little studied in the past. This study
looked at hunting dogs in the countryside, and found that more than
two in five dogs (40.6%) tested positive for a CVBD. The most
common CVBD among these dogs was heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis),
with a remarkable 22.3% of working dogs testing positive. The other
three CVBDs tested for were also notably common, with Anaplasma
phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia canis, and Borrelia burgdorferi
infection levels of 18.8%, 6.1% and 2.2% respectively. When they
looked at urban dogs, the picture was markedly different, with only
cases of heartworm being found; however the levels of heartworm
were nearly as high in this population as in the rural population
at around one in seven dogs (14.6%).
Finally, Dr Edward Breitschwerdt
of North Carolina State University,
USA, presented a case of
bartonella infection in a father and daughter from the USA. This case involved a veterinarian who
developed a number of chronic symptoms over a period of years,
including arthralgia, progressive weight loss, muscle weakness and
lack of coordination. His daughter had recently also developed
headaches, muscle pain and insomnia. On investigation, the father
and daughter were found to be infected with one species and one
sub-species of bartonella which, after extended treatment were
eventually eliminated, leading to complete remission of symptoms.
"These two cases demonstrate the very real threat posed to humans
by CVBDs. It's all too easy to forget that there are many of these
diseases that, while not common in humans, can cause significant
suffering and even death. It's in part because of this risk to
humans that I would encourage all veterinarians to ensure they are
educated on the symptoms of CVBDs in dogs, as it is only by
protecting dogs that we can protect ourselves," said Dr
Breitschwerdt.
The proceedings include all the presentations given at the 5th
CVBD World Forum in New York,
sponsored Bayer Animal Health, where leading experts in CVBDs from
around the world met to share the latest research on these
important diseases. Sarah Weston of
Bayer Animal Health spoke of the CVBD World Forum, "The CVBD World
Forum is another example of Bayer Animal Health delivering on our
commitment to improving the understanding and treatment of CVBDs.
As we have seen at this meeting, this is an area where knowledge is
still rapidly expanding, and we are proud to play our part in
helping to bring people together to share information and develop
new approaches to the study and prevention of CVBDs".
About CVBDs
For more information about CVBDs, visit http://www.CVBD.org
About Bayer HealthCare
Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the
world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical
products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global
activities of the Animal Health, Bayer Schering Pharma, Consumer
Care and Medical Care divisions. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to
discover and manufacture products that will improve human and
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With a turnover of EUR977 million
(2009) Bayer HealthCare's Animal Health Division is one of the
world's leading manufacturers of veterinary drugs. The division
manufactures and markets more than 100 different veterinary drugs
and care products for livestock and companion animals.
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