9 research outputs found
Serological differentiation of antibodies against Rickettsia helvetica, R. raoultii, R. slovaca, R. monacensis and R. felis in dogs from Germany by a micro-immunofluorescent antibody test
Background Spotted Fever Group (SFG) Rickettsiae can cause febrile diseases
with or without rash in humans worldwide. In Germany only limited data are
available about their medical significance. Serological screening tests for
antibodies against rickettsiae usually only distinguish between SFG and Typhus
Group (TG) Rickettsiae due to the strong cross reactivities within the groups.
Seroprevalence rates in dogs, as possible sentinels for tick-borne diseases,
could serve as an indicator for the distribution of different Rickettsia
species. Methods In this study, a micro-immunofluorescence assay (micro-IFA)
was established for detection and differentiation of antibodies against five
Rickettsia species in dogs (R. helvetica, R. raoultii, R. slovaca, R.
monacensis and R. felis). Dogs that never left Germany (n = 605) previously
investigated with an SFG-ELISA were included in this study and screened at a
1:128 dilution. Endpoint titres of fifty randomly selected seropositive
samples of each of the five investigated regions in Germany were determined in
order to allow a differentiation of the causative Rickettsia species.
Sensitivity and specificity of the micro-IFA were compared with ELISA results
of the previous study. Results A total of 93.9% of the dogs were positive for
antibodies of the SFG Rickettsiae at the screening titer of 1:128.
Differentiation of SFG Rickettsiae with the micro-IFA was possible in 70.4%,
but in 29.6% of the cases the detected antibodies were not differentiable.
Considering a clear differentiation by a twofold titre difference between
observed reactions, the seroprevalence rates were 66.0% for R. helvetica, 2.8%
for R. raoultii, 1.6% for R. slovaca, but no serological reaction could be
clearly attributed to R. monacensis or R. felis. No statistically significant
regional differences were found for R. helvetica, R. slovaca and R. raoultii
comparing the five regions of Germany. Comparison of micro-IFA with ELISA
revealed a sensitivity of 82.0% and a specificity of 83.8% for the Rickettsia
SFG ELISA. Conclusions The micro-IFA is a useful serological tool to
differentiate antibodies against different Rickettsia species in dogs.
Seroprevalence rates in dogs correspond to the prevalence rates and
distribution of Rickettsia-carrying tick species
Pathogens in ticks collected from dogs in Berlin/Brandenburg, Germany
BackgroundTick-borne diseases are a major health risk for humans and dogs. In
addition to collection and analysis of questing ticks, analysis of host-
associated ticks for the presence of pathogens is a valuable method to gain
insight into transmission patterns of tick-borne diseases.MethodsTicks were
collected from dogs living in the Berlin/Brandenburg area. The three tick
species Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes hexagonus and Dermacentor reticulatus were
examined for the presence of Babesia spp., Borrelia spp., Rickettsia spp. and
Anaplasmataceae. Conventional PCR followed by sequencing was used for pathogen
detection and characterization.Results Babesia spp. were found in 2.5% and 3%
of I. ricinus and I. hexagonus, respectively. Sequencing revealed the presence
of Babesia microti, Babesia capreoli and Babesia venatorum. D. reticulatus
were free of Babesia canis. Rickettsia spp. were detected in 61% of I.
ricinus, 44% of I. hexagonus and 39% of D. reticulatus. Specifically detected
were Rickettsia raoulti in D. reticulatus and I. hexagonus, Rickettsia
helvetica in I. ricinus and I. hexagonus and Rickettsia monacensis in I.
hexagonus. Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis
have been reported previously in I. ricinus (6.5% and 4.3%, respectively) and
I. hexagonus (3.9% and 5.9%). Borrelia spp. were found in 11.6% of I. ricinus
and 11.2% of I. hexagonus. Subsequent genospecies analysis revealed Borrelia
afzelii, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and Borrelia
miyamotoi. Simultanous presence of more than one pathogen was found in 20% of
I. ricinus and in 59% of I. hexagonus whereas the total frequency of any
pathogen was 65% in I. ricinus, 59% in I. hexagonus and 64% in D. reticulatus.
Ticks in which A. phagocytophilum was detected had a significantly increased
risk of also containing Rickettsia. Ticks harbouring a pathogen had
significantly higher scutal indices than ticks without presence of any
pathogen.ConclusionsFrequencies of potential human or canine pathogens in
ticks were considerable and DNA of all four groups of pathogens was detected.
Differences in scutal indices might suggest that pathogens are frequently
taken up by ticks when feeding on dogs in Berlin/Brandenburg
recommendations from the CVBD World Forum
The human-animal bond has been a fundamental feature of mankind's history for
millennia. The first, and strongest of these, man's relationship with the dog,
is believed to pre-date even agriculture, going back as far as 30,000 years.
It remains at least as powerful today. Fed by the changing nature of the
interactions between people and their dogs worldwide and the increasing
tendency towards close domesticity, the health of dogs has never played a more
important role in family life. Thanks to developments in scientific
understanding and diagnostic techniques, as well as changing priorities of pet
owners, veterinarians are now able, and indeed expected, to play a fundamental
role in the prevention and treatment of canine disease, including canine
vector-borne diseases (CVBDs).The CVBDs represent a varied and complex group
of diseases, including anaplasmosis, babesiosis, bartonellosis, borreliosis,
dirofilariosis, ehrlichiosis, leishmaniosis, rickettsiosis and thelaziosis,
with new syndromes being uncovered every year. Many of these diseases can
cause serious, even life-threatening clinical conditions in dogs, with a
number having zoonotic potential, affecting the human population.Today, CVBDs
pose a growing global threat as they continue their spread far from their
traditional geographical and temporal restraints as a result of changes in
both climatic conditions and pet dog travel patterns, exposing new populations
to previously unknown infectious agents and posing unprecedented challenges to
veterinarians.In response to this growing threat, the CVBD World Forum, a
multidisciplinary group of experts in CVBDs from around the world which meets
on an annual basis, gathered in Nice (France) in 2011 to share the latest
research on CVBDs and discuss the best approaches to managing these diseases
around the world.As a result of these discussions, we, the members of the CVBD
Forum have developed the following recommendations to veterinarians for the
management of CVBDs
Vector-Borne Diseases - constant challenge for practicing veterinarians: recommendations from the CVBD World Forum
The human-animal bond has been a fundamental feature of mankind's history for millennia. The first, and strongest of these, man's relationship with the dog, is believed to pre-date even agriculture, going back as far as 30,000 years. It remains at least as powerful today. Fed by the changing nature of the interactions between people and their dogs worldwide and the increasing tendency towards close domesticity, the health of dogs has never played a more important role in family life. Thanks to developments in scientific understanding and diagnostic techniques, as well as changing priorities of pet owners, veterinarians are now able, and indeed expected, to play a fundamental role in the prevention and treatment of canine disease, including canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs)
Fixed-mobile Convergence: Architecture and Functionality IEEE HPSR 2015 Tutorial
International audienceFixed-mobile convergence initially focused on optimising fixed and mobile telephone infrastructure for voice services. With the appearance of VoIP and smartphones, and the growing popularity of social networks and video services network operators and service providers had to refocus to data delivery. The move is motivated by the emergence of 5G, Internet of Things, machine-to-machine communication and ever newer over-the top services. The tutorial presentations put network convergence into focus, detailing on the functional and structural aspects of the convergence from the perspective of the COMBO European integration project
Seroprevalence of tick-borne encephalitis virus in wild and domestic animals in northern Germany
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a tick-transmitted flavivirus, which can infect humans and animals, sometimes even with a fatal outcome. Since many decades, TBEV is endemic in southern Germany, while only sporadic occurrence has been noted in northern parts of the country so far. Nevertheless, autochthonous human clinical cases are increasing in the federal state of Lower Saxony in north-western Germany, and several natural foci of TBEV transmission have recently been detected in this federal state. In order to shed more light on the current distribution of TBEV in Lower Saxony, the present study examined blood samples from wild and domestic animals for antibodies against TBEV. Overall, samples from 4,085 animals were tested by ELISA, including wild boar (N = 1,208), roe deer (N = 149), red deer (N = 61), fallow deer (N = 18), red foxes (N = 9), nutria (N = 9), raccoon dogs (N = 3), raccoons (N = 3), badgers (N = 1), European pine martens (N = 1), horses (N = 574), sheep (N = 266), goats (N = 67), dogs (N = 1,317) and cats (N = 399). Samples with an ELISA result of ≥60 Vienna units (VIEU)/ml were subjected to confirmatory serum neutralization tests (SNT). In total, 343 of 4,085 (8.4%) animals tested positive for anti-TBEV-IgG by ELISA, of which 60 samples were confirmed by SNT. Samples of 89 animals showed a cytotoxic effect in the SNT and were excluded from seroprevalence calculation, resulting in an overall seroprevalence of 1.5% (60/3,996). Seroprevalence was higher among wild animals (wild boar: 2.9% [34/1,190], roe deer: 2.7% [4/149], red deer: 1.7% [1/60], fallow deer: 5.6% [1/18]) than among domestic animals (dogs: 1.1% [15/1,317], horses: 0.8% [4/505], sheep: 0.4% [1/266]). No anti-TBEV-antibodies were detected in the other wild animal species as well as goats and cats. A notable clustering of positive samples was observed in districts where TBEV transmission foci have been described. Further clusters in other districts suggest the existence of so far undetected transmission foci, underlining the fact that both wild and domestic animals are useful sentinels for monitoring the spread of TBEV