Publications by authors named "Leschnik M"

Case Summary: A 4-year-old cat was presented with acute onset of lateralised neurological central nervous system (CNS) signs and seizures. Haematological and serum biochemical parameters were within normal limits. Imaging diagnostics revealed severe CT and MRI abnormalities of the right brain, similar to Dyke-Davidoff-Masson syndrome (DDMS) in human medicine.

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Several genetically distinct forms of cerebellar ataxia exist in Belgian shepherd dogs. We investigated a litter in which two puppies developed cerebellar ataxia. The clinical signs stabilized at around six weeks of age, but remained visible into adulthood.

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Background: The isoxazoline fluralaner is effective for prevention of Babesia canis transmission from infected Dermacentor reticulatus ticks to dogs for 84 days in a controlled environment. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of fluralaner chewable tablets for sustained prevention of B. canis infection of dogs in endemic areas under natural conditions.

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A retrospective study on 699 cases of canine babesiosis presented to veterinary clinics in eastern Austria were evaluated for the location where infection had presumably taken place. Of these, 542 (77.54%) had acquired the infection in Austria, while the majority of non-autochthonous cases came from neighboring countries, most notable Hungary.

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There is now considerable evidence that in Europe, babesiosis is an emerging infectious disease, with some of the causative species spreading as a consequence of the increasing range of their tick vector hosts. In this review, we summarize both the historic records and recent findings on the occurrence and incidence of babesiosis in 20 European countries located in southeastern Europe (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia), central Europe (Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland), and northern and northeastern Europe (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Norway), identified in humans and selected species of domesticated animals (cats, dogs, horses, and cattle). Recorded cases of human babesiosis are still rare, but their number is expected to rise in the coming years.

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Canine angiostrongylosis is a potentially lethal parasitic disease that can manifest itself with a broad spectrum of clinical signs, including respiratory distress, neurological and bleeding disorders, or non-specific signs. The occurrence of Angiostrongylus vasorum is widely reported in Europe, but very little is known about its presence in Austria. In this first large-scale survey, 1279 sera were collected from Austrian dogs and tested by an ELISA for the detection of circulating antigen of A.

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A four-year-old intact male Boxer, that had a history of travelling to Serbia, was referred for lethargy and anaemia. Shortly before the dog was referred, it was diagnosed twice with an infection with Babesia canis and was treated with imidocarb both times. A blood smear evaluation was indicative of the presence of intraerythrocytic piroplasms.

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In the past few decades, the relevance of and , causing cardiopulmonary and subcutaneous dirofilariosis in dogs and cats, and of , causing canine angiostrongylosis, has steadily increased in Central and Northern Europe. In this review, a summary of published articles and additional reports dealing with imported or autochthonous cases of these parasites is provided for Central (Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Luxemburg, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland) and Northern (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) Europe. Research efforts focusing on spp.

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Article Synopsis
  • A seven-year-old neutered European Shorthair cat in Austria was diagnosed with an autochthonous heartworm infection, marking the first reported case in the country without prior travel history.
  • Echocardiography revealed heartworms in the right cardiac chamber along with increased pulmonary pressure and signs of ascites; surgical intervention successfully removed 20 adult heartworms.
  • Post-surgery, the cat faced acute renal failure but recovered well, and follow-up examinations showed no detectable heartworms, though mild lung pressure remained, underlining the rising risk of feline heartworm infections in Austria.
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We investigated a hereditary cerebellar ataxia in Belgian Shepherd dogs. Affected dogs developed uncoordinated movements and intention tremor at two weeks of age. The severity of clinical signs was highly variable.

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We previously isolated and cultivated the novel strain Jongejan. This prompted us to ask whether this strain is unique or more widely present in Austria. To assess this issue, we retrospectively screened ticks collected from dogs in 2008.

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To estimate the incidence of in Austrian shelter dogs and mosquitoes trapped in their proximity, 115 shelter dogs from fourteen animal shelters located in five different Austrian states were examined. Blood samples were screened for using ELISA antigen-testing, PCR and microscopical examination for microfilariae. In total, 91% of the dogs originated from countries endemic for dirofilariosis.

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Canine African Trypanosomosis (CAT) is a rarely described disease with frequently lethal outcome. A 5-year-old female mongrel dog weighing 22 kg was presented in Austria due to unilateral uveitis, pancytopenia, and anorexia 4 months after return from a trip through Western Africa. spp.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study examines the effectiveness of GlpQ as a diagnostic marker for the relapsing fever group, a tick-borne infection, finding it to have low sensitivity and specificity.
  • - Serological tests showed varying rates of GlpQ antibodies in different groups: hunters (7/53), Lyme neuroborreliosis patients (1/11), and those with high anti-Borrelia antibodies (17/74).
  • - The analysis also revealed poor detection in some PCR-positive cases, indicating that GlpQ testing may not be reliable, as seen in both humans and dogs tested for antibodies.
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Background: Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a zoonotic neurological disease caused by tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), a flavivirus endemic in parts of Europe and Asia. Seroconversion without signs of clinical disease is common in dogs and most of the cases previously described have been tentatively diagnosed by combining neurologic signs with serum antibody titres. Here, the first Scandinavian RT-qPCR-confirmed clinical case of TBE in a dog is reported.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate retrospectively the prevalence of the complicated and uncomplicated forms of babesiosis and to evaluate various laboratory and clinical parameters of dogs infected with Babesia canis in order to assess their prognostic value regarding the outcomes of the disease. Medical records, complete blood count and serum biochemical analysis from the animal hospital information system of 240 dogs were reviewed and evaluated retrospectively. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to ascertain correlations between alterations in the obtained parameters and survival probability.

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Article Synopsis
  • A retrospective study examined canine dirofilariosis cases in Austria from 1998 to 2018, focusing on diagnostic methods, geographical origins, and treatment protocols for infected dogs.
  • Most infections were identified through routine screenings (like antigen-ELISA or PCR tests) or by chance, with only 24.3% of the dogs showing clinical symptoms.
  • An alarming increase in cases of D. immitis and D. repens has occurred since 2014, highlighting the need for better awareness and stricter guidelines on preventive measures against the disease in Europe.
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Small rodents serve as intermediate or paratenic hosts for a variety of parasites and may participate in the transmission of these parasites into synanthropic cycles. Parasites with neuroinvasive stages, such as or , can cause detrimental damage in the brain of intermediate or paratenic hosts. Therefore, the occurrence of neuroinvasive parasite stages was evaluated in brains of wild rodents captured in the city of Leipzig, Germany.

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Due to the functional inactivation of the gene encoding for the enzyme that is involved in the oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal) synthesis, humans and Old-World primates are able to produce a large amount of antibodies against the glycan epitope. Apart from being involved in the hyperacute organ rejection in humans, anti-α-Gal antibodies have shown a protective effect against some pathogenic agents and an implication in the recently recognized tick-induced mammalian meat allergy. Conversely, non-primate mammals, including dogs, have the ability to synthetize α-Gal and, thus, their immune system is not expected to naturally generate the antibodies toward this self-antigen molecule.

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Cats and cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) are vectors of the zoonotic bacterial pathogens Bartonella henselae and Rickettsia felis, which are the causative agents of "cat scratch disease" and "cat flea typhus," respectively. In the surroundings of Vienna (Austria), we identified 11 (10.5%; n = 105) B.

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Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the genetic relatedness and the antimicrobial resistance profiles of a collection of Austrian Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from companion animals and horses. A total of 12 non-repetitive isolates presumptively identified as S. pneumoniae were obtained during routinely diagnostic activities between March 2009 and January 2017.

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Spongy degeneration with cerebellar ataxia (SDCA) is a genetically heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder with autosomal recessive inheritance in Malinois dogs, one of the four varieties of the Belgian Shepherd breed. Using a combined linkage and homozygosity mapping approach we identified an ∼10.6 Mb critical interval on chromosome 5 in a Malinois family with four puppies affected by cerebellar dysfunction.

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Spongy degeneration with cerebellar ataxia (SDCA) is a severe neurodegenerative disease with monogenic autosomal recessive inheritance in Malinois dogs, one of the four varieties of the Belgian Shepherd breed. We performed a genetic investigation in six families and seven isolated cases of Malinois dogs with signs of cerebellar dysfunction. Linkage analysis revealed an unexpected genetic heterogeneity within the studied cases.

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The skin lesion erythema migrans is a characteristic early manifestation of Lyme borreliosis in humans. However, the pathomechanisms leading to development of this erythema are not fully understood. Models that mimic human skin would enhance research in this field.

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Background: Dirofilaria repens and D. immitis are filarioid helminths with domestic and wild canids as main hosts and mosquitoes as vectors. Both species are known to cause zoonotic diseases, primarily pulmonary (D.

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