The prevalence of twin births in pure Spanish horses
First reported UK case of likely dog-to-dog transmission of leishmaniosis
Veterinary professionals have sounded the alarm in this week's Vet Record after treating the first UK case of a dog with the potentially fatal infection, leishmaniosis, that is thought to have been passed on by another dog.
Canine leishmaniosis is caused by the parasite Leishmania infantum, carried by the female sand fly and transmitted in its bite. It is zoonotic, so can be passed on to people.
Dogs have been known to pick up the infection after being bitten or wounded by another infected dog. But up to now, this has not been reported in the UK, where cases to date have been associated with blood transfusion, breeding programmes, or overseas travel.
But a 3 year old neutered male shih tzu cross, which had been with its owner since a puppy and had none of the known risk factors for infection, was nevertheless diagnosed with leishmaniosis in Hertfordshire.
"To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of leishmaniosis in the UK in a dog without a history of travel to an endemic area," they write, adding that extra vigilance is now needed to guard against the spread of the infection.
"In an era of increased foreign travel of dogs and increased importation of dogs to the UK, it is likely that the number of dogs seropositive for L infantum will continue to increase," they warn.
"Leishmania-infected dogs may present an infection risk to other dogs, even in the absence of natural vectors, as direct transmission between dogs is possible," they add.
A second case of canine leishmaniosis in a dog with no obvious risk factors has now also come to light in a different part of the UK.
In a recently published letter in Vet Record, vets describe the case of a 3-year-old fully vaccinated male neutered English pointer that was eventually diagnosed with leishmaniosis.
The dog had never travelled outside of the UK, or beyond the borders of Essex, where it lived. But its owners had lived in Spain and travelled to the Jalón Valley (between Alicante and Valencia) without their pet in the summer of 2018.
Unlike the first case, this dog was not living, or in regular contact with another infected dog, and it may be that infected sand flies were inadvertently brought back in the owners' transport, luggage, or clothing, suggest the authors.
"However, the increased importation of infected dogs into the UK also makes incidental socialising with infected dogs increasingly likely," they point out.
|
|
|
The case also "serves as a reminder that we should not be complacent about the risk of Leishmania infantum establishing in the UK, even in the current absence of the sand fly vector," they warn.
Junior Vice President of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), Daniella Dos Santos, comments: "The increase in cases of non-endemic diseases such as leishmaniasis is extremely concerning, with more than a quarter of vets surveyed by BVA last year mentioning seeing cases of this rare disease in practice.
"Leishmaniasis is mainly associated with pets who have recently travelled outside of the UK or 'trojan' rescue dogs from abroad with unknown health histories, which is why we have called on the government to strengthen existing pet travel legislation and its enforcement for the sake of animal and human health in the UK."
She advises pet owners planning on overseas travel with their dog to seek advice from a vet first, while those who already own an imported rescue dog, should contact their local vet for advice on testing and treatment for any underlying conditions.
Overweight dogs may live shorter lives
New research from the University of Liverpool and Mars Petcare's WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition reveals overweight dogs are more likely to have shorter lives than those at ideal body weights.
Results from the study, conducted retrospectively across two decades and published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, revealed the lifespan of dogs that were overweight was up to two and a half years shorter when compared to ideal-weight dogs.
The study examined more than 50,000 dogs across 12 of the most popular dog breeds. The effect of being overweight was seen in all breeds, although the magnitude of the effect differed.
Poorer quality of life.
It is estimated that over a quarter of households (26%) in the UK and nearly half in the US (47.6%) own a dog. However despite our affection for canine companions, concern is growing that many pet owners are unaware of the serious health implications of dogs carrying extra weight. Pet obesity is steadily on the rise, with latest figures estimating one in three dogs and cats in the U.S. is overweight.
|
|
|
Although the study did not examine the reasons behind the extra pounds in dogs, feeding habits are thought to play a role in pet obesity. According to a recent Better Cities For Pets survey, more than half (54%) of cat and dog owners always or often give their pet food if they beg for it, and nearly a quarter (22%) of cat and dog owners sometimes overfeed their pet to keep them happy.
Study co-author and Professor of Small Animal Medicine at the University of Liverpool Alex German, said: "Owners are often unaware that their dog is overweight, and many may not realise the impact that it can have on health. What they may not know is that, if their beloved pet is too heavy, they are more likely to suffer from other problems such as joint disease, breathing issues, and certain types of cancer, as well as having a poorer quality of life. These health and wellbeing issues can significantly impact how long they live.
"For many owners, giving food, particularly tasty table scraps and tidbits, is the way we show affection for our pets. Being careful about what you feed your dog could go a long way to keeping them in good shape and enabling them to be around for many years to come.
"Worryingly, it is estimated only one in five pet owners always measures how much food they are giving their pet, with four in five (87%) always or often simply estimating the amount of food they think their pet needs at each serving."
Healthy weight management.
When it comes to healthy weight management prevention is better than a cure, and to prevent obesity, you need to spot it early. There are a few simple things you can do to make sure your dog maintains a healthy weight:
1) Speak to your local vet about your dog's ideal body weight -- they can advise you on feeding amounts as they change from pups through to old age
2) Ensure they get enough exercise -- this will depend on their size and breed type
3) Skip the table scraps -- not all human food is safe for pets and some can even be deadly
|
|
|
4) Weigh your dog -- even slight increases in weight can have a big impact on their health
The prevalence of twin births in pure Spanish horses
It is known that chromosomal anomalies are one of the principle genetic causes of infertility in horses. However, a great proportion of these cases still go undiagnosed, probably due to the fact that their symptomatology is non-specific and diagnosis is complex. This is the case with chimerism, which is greatly associated with twin births in domestic animals, and whose prevalence and reproductive effects are still unknown in horses.
Chimerism is a genetic disorder in which two zygotes combine after fertilisation to form one single zygote that develops normally. The resulting being therefore has two types of different cells, each with a different genetic constitution. In the majority of documented cases, the cells of different organs or different parts of the body have different DNA, as if two beings were present in one body.
In general, this disease is produced either by the exchange of hematopoietic stem cells via placental circulation between dizygotic twins (blood chimerism) or by the fusion of two embryos in the first stages of development (true chimerism).
In this context, a group of researchers from the Universities of Sevilla and Córdoba has published the first study to determine the prevalence of twin births and chimerism in a large population of PRE horses, and the results suggest that chimerism is not especially connected to infertility.
"To detect this disease, we recommend that farmers use a molecular detection tool, prepared by our research team. This fast, cheap and early detection method is an excellent diagnostic tool which can be incorporated into the veterinary care of horses, as it allows for the detection of chromosomal anomalies connected with infertility and subfertility," says Mercedes Valera, professor of the Higher Technical School of Agricultural Engineering (ETSIA) at the University of Seville.
Horses get the flu, too
|
|
|
Flu vaccines for horses haven't been updated in more than 25 years, but University of Rochester researchers have developed a new live equine influenza vaccine that is safe and more protective than existing vaccines.
Luis Martinez-Sobrido, Ph.D., associate professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, says a new vaccine is needed not only to keep horses healthy, but also to protect people.
Proactively preventing the spread of flu in animals is important, as animals are the most likely source of future human pandemics. Animals -- including horses, pigs and dogs -- can be infected with multiple influenza viruses and have the potential to act as "mixing vessels," generating new flu strains that could infect people. This hasn't happened yet, but it's possible. These strains would be particularly dangerous, since people wouldn't have pre-existing immunity.
Equine influenza is currently circulating in North America and Europe and is highly contagious. Horses often travel long distances for equestrian events and breeding purposes, and if an infected horse is introduced into a susceptible, unvaccinated population, the spread of the virus can be fast and furious. In the past, flu outbreaks have disrupted major events and led to large economic losses.
In the journal Virology, Martinez-Sobrido and lead study author Laura Rodriguez describe a new "live-attenuated" vaccine that's given as a spray through the nose (think FluMist for horses). Past research -- including studies conducted at the University of Rochester -- shows that live-attenuated vaccines, made from live flu virus that's dampened down so that it doesn't cause the flu, provide better immune responses and longer periods of protection than vaccines that include inactivated or killed flu virus (like the traditional flu shot).
Created using a genetic engineering technique called reserve genetics, the new live-attenuated equine vaccine is designed to replicate and generate an immune response in the nose, where the flu first enters a horse's body, but not in the lungs, where replication of the virus can cause disease. The goal is to stop the virus at entry, preventing it from taking hold in a horse's respiratory tract.
A single spray of the vaccine protected mice and horses against the currently circulating H3N8 equine influenza virus. The vaccine was well tolerated and didn't lead to any negative side effects. Vaccinated horses showed none of the tell-tale signs of flu -- including nasal discharge, coughing and wheezing -- when exposed to a natural equine influenza virus. Thomas Chambers, Ph.D. in the Department of Veterinary Science, Gluck Equine Research Center at the University of Kentucky oversaw the vaccination and care of the horses.
The study was small, only involving six horses, but planning for a larger study is underway. The use of reverse genetic approaches to create the live-attenuated equine vaccine confers an additional major advantage not available until now: the vaccine can be updated quickly and easily to protect against newly emerging equine influenza strains. Traditional equine vaccines, which are made in eggs, take months to produce and do not allow the flexibility to update against newly emerging viruses.
Дата добавления: 2019-11-25; просмотров: 97; Мы поможем в написании вашей работы! |
Мы поможем в написании ваших работ!