Imported Canine leishmaniasis in Romania: a Case Report

Canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is a zoonotic disease considered endemic in the Mediterranean region. Romania is traditionally regarded as a non-endemic country.Considering the zoonotic character of the disease, this study aims to increase the knowledge on diagnostic aspects of CanL.A 2-year-old, mix breed male dog, recently returned from Italy had a history of progressive weight loss and skin lesions. The clinical examination was followed by hematology and serum biochemistry, fine-needle aspiration of lymph nodes, impression smears, VetExpert® rapid test Leishmania Ab, and PCR. The clinical examination revealed muscle atrophy, non-pruritic crusting dermatitis, ulcers, and lymphadenopathy. Hematology showed severe anemia. The serum biochemistry revealed hyperproteinaemia, hypoalbuminemia, hyperglobulinemia. Cytological exams evidenced the intracellular amastigotes in macrophages, confirmed by rapid test and PCR.In Romania, under the light of the new case reports, leishmaniasis should be reconsidered from both veterinary and public health perspective

Molecular Survey on Leishmania Infantum Infection in Red Foxes (Vulpes Vulpes) From Romania

Leishmania spp. (Kinetoplastida, Trypanosomatidae) are parasitic protozoans transmitted by sand flies to animals and humans. In Europe, the predominant species is Leishmania infantum, the agent of canine leishmaniasis (CanL) and of visceral (VL) and cutaneous (CL) forms in humans. Despite being regarded as a non-endemic country, recent data from Romania have shown the occurrence of autochthonous cases of human and canine infections. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of L.infantum in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Romania. Between December 2016 and April 2017, 514 foxes originating from ten counties of Romania were evaluated and individual conjunctival swab samples were tested for the presence of L. infantum DNA by means of real-time PCR. All samples were negative. However, considering the new national epidemiological context, the importance of the red fox as sentinel and its potential role in the epidemiology of this disease in Romania should not be disregarded in the future

Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens show circadian co-periodicity in naturally co-infected dogs

The proportion of present microfilariae (/ml) at each sampling time and results of duplex PCRs. (XLSX 11 kb

Epidemiological Survey of the Main Tick-Borne Pathogens Infecting Dogs from the Republic of Moldova

Despite the significant burden of tick-borne diseases (TBDs), epidemiologic studies are missing, and TBD awareness is low in the Republic of Moldova. Our study is the first to assess the prevalence of the main tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) infecting dogs in this country and associated risk factors. In this cross-sectional, multi-centre study (June 2018–July 2019), blood samples were collected from dogs presenting in veterinary clinics (Chişinău: N = 30) and hosted in public dog shelters (Cahul: N = 42; Chişinău: N = 48). TBPs were assessed by molecular techniques and risk factors by the logistic regression model. Hepatozoon canis was the most prevalent TBP (15.8% [19/120]), followed by Babesia canis (11.7% [14/120]), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (5.8% [7/120]), and Bartonella spp. (0.8% [1/120]). Blood samples tested negative for Borrelia spp., Rickettsia spp., Francisella tularensis, Anaplasma platys, and Ehrlichia canis. Dogs originating from the veterinary clinics had a higher prevalence of A. phagocytophilum infection than those from the shelters (16.6% versus 2.2%, respectively, p = 0.0292; OR: 27.0 [95%CI: 1.4–521.9]). Dogs from Chișinău had a higher prevalence of Hepatozoon canis infection versus those from Cahul (19.2% versus 9.5%, respectively, p = 0.0295; OR: 3.9 [95%CI: 1.1–13.4]). We recommend routine use of acaricides and deworming of dogs to prevent or/and limit TBD spread. Further TBD surveillance studies are needed

Molecular Survey of Metastrongyloid Lungworms in Domestic Cats (Felis silvestris catus) from Romania: A Retrospective Study (2008–2011)

Background: Lungworms are recognized as important agents in the pathology of the respiratory system in domestic cats. While Aelurostrongylus abstrusus is worldwide known and studied, Troglostrongylus brevior has gained the attention of the scientific community only in the last decade. The pathogenicity of this species seems to be higher than A. abstrusus, causing more severe clinical presentations and being potentially fatal, especially in young animals. Methods: In this study, 371 DNA isolates of faecal samples were tested by multiplex polymerase chain reaction for the presence of A. abstrusus, T. brevior, and Angiostrongylus chabaudi. Results: The results showed that 30.2% and 6.7% of the investigated domestic cats were positive for A. abstrusus and T. brevior respectively, stressing out the importance of these parasites as agents of respiratory conditions in domestic cats from Romania. None of the samples were positive for A. chabaudi. The age, the outdoor access, and the lack of deworming were identified as significant risk factors for infection with A. abstrusus. Conclusions: This paper represents the first report of T. brevior in domestic cats from Romania. Moreover, it presents the most northern localization in Europe of T. brevior

Molecular detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato genospecies in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Romania

Abstract Background Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are one of the most widespread wild carnivores in the world, being recognized to harbor and transmit a wide range of vector-borne diseases. Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato are zoonotic tick-borne pathogens causing emerging diseases. Wild animals play an essential role in the transmission of diseases and pathogens maintenance in nature. Epidemiological studies regarding the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in red foxes are of public health importance, as they may successfully act as a pathogen transmission interface between wildlife, domestic animals and humans. Findings This study included 14 counties from Romania. A total number of 353 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were examined. Heart tissue samples were collected during necropsy and stored at −20 °C. Genomic DNA extraction was performed and all samples were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Specific primers for A. phagocytophilum, A. platys, E. canis and Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. were used. Sequence analysis was performed (Macrogen Europe, Amsterdam) and obtained sequences are available at GenBank™. Out of the 353 samples, 9 (2.55 %; 95 % CI: 1.25–4.96 %) were positive for A. phagocytophilum. Positive animals originated from 5 counties. In total, 5 out of 353 heart tissue samples (1.42 %; 95 % CI: 0.52–3.47 %) collected from red foxes were positive for B. burgdorferi s.l. Red foxes originated from 4 counties. None of the samples were positive for A. platys or E. canis. No co-infection with A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. was found. Conclusion This first report of A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi s.l. in red foxes from Romania suggests a limited role of foxes in the maintenance of the two related pathogens, but may represent a potential risk from a public health perspective

Clinical and Microbiological Performances and Effects on Lipid and Cytokine Production of a Ceruminolytic Ear Cleaner in Canine Erythemato-Ceruminous Otitis Externa

Erythemato-ceruminous otitis externa (ECOE) is the most common type of otitis in dogs and is generally associated with bacterial and/or yeast infections. The performance of an ear cleaner was assessed over two weeks in canine ECOE, associated with a mild or moderate secondary infection, in a prospective open-label study. Forty ear canals with ECOE that did not receive any type of aural treatment and were not cleaned for 7 days were included. Pruritus (PS), 0–3 Otitis Index Score (OTIS-3) and 0–4 scale cytology (CYTO) scores were assessed on Day (D) 0, D7 and D14. Concentrations of a panel of 13 cytokines on the ear canal surface and the lipid profile of the exudate were measured on D0 and D14. From D0 to D12 or D13, the dogs’ ears were cleaned daily if the secretion score (SEC) was 3/3, every second day if the score was 2/3 and every third day if the score was 1/3. PS, OTIS-3, SEC and CYTO were significantly lower on D7 compared to baseline (−40%, −31%, −36%, −34%, respectively; p < 0.0001). The same parameters decreased further on D14 (−60%, −53%, −61%, −73%, respectively; p < 0.0001) and amounts of interleukin 8 and chemokine KC-like were also reduced compared to baseline (−45%, p < 0.01; −36%, p = 0.3, respectively). The lipid profile was also modified, with a decrease in free lipids and an increase in bound lipids

Current surveys on the prevalence and distribution of Dirofilaria spp. and Acanthocheilonema reconditum infections in dogs in Romania

During the last decades, Dirofilaria spp. infection in European dogs has rapidly spread from historically endemic areas towards eastern and northeastern countries, but little or no information is available from these geographical regions. The present study provides a picture of filarial infections in dogs from Romania and compares two tests for the diagnosis of Dirofilaria immitis. From July 2010 to March 2011, blood samples were collected from 390 dogs from nine counties of Romania and serological SNAP tests were performed for the detection of D. immitis antigen. The remaining blood clots were subsequently used for DNA extraction followed by multiplex PCR for assessing filarioid species diversity (i.e. D. immitis, Dirofilaria repens and Acanthocheilonema reconditum). Based on molecular detection, an overall prevalence of 6.92 % (n = 27; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 4.70–10.03 %) for D. repens, 6.15 % (n = 24; 95 % CI 4.07–9.14 %) for D. immitis and 2.05 % (n = 8; 95 % CI 0.96–4.16 %) for A. reconditum was recorded, with significant variations according to sampling areas. Coinfections of D. immitis and D. repens were recorded in 23.91 % (n = 11) positive dogs. A slightly higher prevalence for D. immitis was detected at the SNAP test (n = 28, 7.17 %; 95 % CI 4.91–10.33 %), but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.66). However, only 53.57 % (n = 15) of antigen-positive dogs were confirmed by PCR, while other dogs (n = 9) PCR positive for D. immitis were negative at the serology. The present study shows that Dirofilaria species are endemic in the southern and southeastern areas of Romania, This article also provides, for the first time, an epidemiological picture of the distribution of A. reconditum in Romania