Feline leishmaniosis: diagnosis, treatment and outcome in 16 cats.

Objectives: Leishmaniosis is a vector-borne disease and in European countries is caused by . Cats are considered secondary reservoirs of the infection in endemic areas. The objective of this retrospective study is to describe the clinical findings, diagnosis, treatment and outcome of feline leishmaniosis (FeL) in 16 cats in Spain.

Comparison of efficacy and safety of preventive measures used against canine leishmaniasis in southern European countries: Longitudinal retrospective study in 1647 client-owned dogs (2012-2016).

The best preventive strategy for canine leishmaniasis is, to date, unknown. In the last few years, new preventive measures have become available in Europe, including vaccination against leishmaniasis and the use of domperidone. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the different preventive measures available against leishmaniasis in client-owned dogs.

First description of Bartonella koehlerae infection in a Spanish dog with infective endocarditis.

Background: Bartonella koehlerae has been recently described as a new cat- and cat fleas-associated agent of culture-negative human endocarditis. It has been also encountered in one dog from Israel and six dogs from the USA, but other clinically relevant reports involving this bacterium are lacking.

Results: A 7-year-old intact male mixed dog presented with clinico-pathological signs consistent with mitral endocarditis and cutaneous hemangiosarcoma.

Molecular detection of vector-borne pathogens in blood and splenic samples from dogs with splenic disease.

Background: The spleen is a highly perfused organ involved in the immunological control and elimination of vector-borne pathogens (VBP), which could have a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of splenic disease. This study aimed to evaluate certain VBP in samples from dogs with splenic lesions.

Methods: Seventy-seven EDTA-blood and 64 splenic tissue samples were collected from 78 dogs with splenic disease in a Mediterranean area.

Molecular detection of Leishmania infantum, filariae and Wolbachia spp. in dogs from southern Portugal.

Background: Leishmaniosis caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum and dirofilariosis caused by the nematodes Dirofilaria immitis or Dirofilaria repens are vector-borne zoonoses widely present in the Mediterranean basin. In addition, some studies reported that the endosymbiont Wolbachia spp. play a role in the biology and pathogenesis of filarial parasites.

Phenobarbital-responsive sialadenosis in dogs: case series.

Phenobarbital-responsive sialadenosis (PRS) is a rare idiopathic disease in dogs. Vomiting, retching, and gulping with bilateral enlargement of the submandibular salivary glands are the more frequent clinical signs. A thorough diagnostic examination must be performed to rule out the most important systemic etiologies involved with chronic vomiting, as there is no specific test to diagnose PRS.

Clinical assessment and C-reactive protein (CRP), haptoglobin (Hp), and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) values of brachycephalic dogs with upper airway obstruction before and after surgery.

Brachycephalic dogs have unique upper respiratory anatomy with abnormal breathing patterns that are similar to those in humans with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). The objectives of this multicenter prospective study were to assess the effects of surgical correction on clinical signs in dogs with brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome (BAOS) and to evaluate the levels of several biomarkers [C-reactive protein (CRP); haptoglobin (Hp), and cardiac troponin I (cTnI)] used to determine systemic inflammation and myocardial damage. This study was conducted on 33 dogs with BAOS that were evaluated before and 1 to 2 mo after surgical correction.

Evaluation of C-reactive protein, haptoglobin and cardiac troponin 1 levels in brachycephalic dogs with upper airway obstructive syndrome.

Background: Brachycephalic dogs have unique upper respiratory anatomy with abnormal breathing patterns similar to those in humans with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between anatomical components, clinical signs and several biomarkers, used to determine systemic inflammation and myocardial damage (C-reactive protein, CRP; Haptoglobin, Hp; cardiac troponin I, cTnI), in dogs with brachycephalic upper airway obstructive syndrome (BAOS).

Results: Fifty brachycephalic dogs were included in the study and the following information was studied: signalment, clinical signs, thoracic radiographs, blood work, ECG, components of BAOS, and CRP, Hp and cTnI levels.

Presence of opportunistic bacteria (Rhizobium spp.) with potential for molecular misdiagnosis among canine and feline clinical samples.

Rhizobium radiobacter was detected in 12 of 187 dogs and 2 of 100 cats using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay formerly designed for the Rickettsia genus. Although PCR primers used for pathogenic infectious agents are specifically assessed to avoid cross-amplification, this retrospective study highlights the importance of sequencing to avoid molecular misdiagnosis.

Prevalence of hemotropic mycoplasmas in healthy and unhealthy cats and dogs in Spain.

The aims of the present study were to determine the prevalence of hemoplasmas in cats and dogs from the Barcelona area of Spain with the use of species-specific quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays and to evaluate any associations between hemoplasma infection, clinical presentation, and vector-borne infections. Blood samples from cats (191) and dogs (182) were included and were classified as healthy (149) or unhealthy (224). Ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid blood samples underwent DNA extraction and qPCR analysis.

Ligneous conjunctivitis in a plasminogen-deficient dog: clinical management and 2-year follow-up.

A 1-year-old-female Yorkshire Terrier was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (VTH-UAB) (Spain) with a 6-month history of unilateral chronic proliferative conjunctivitis and intermittent vomiting and cough. Several medical and surgical treatment efforts to manage conjunctival lesions had resulted in no improvement of the clinical signs. Complete general and ophthalmic examinations revealed several proliferative 'wood-like' masses in the conjunctiva, oral cavity and an interscapular subcutaneous nodule.

Vector-borne infections in cats: molecular study in Barcelona area (Spain).

Previous serological surveys have reported the presence of different organisms in cats from Spain but little reports exist about the exact identity of these organisms. The purpose of the study reported here was to assess the presence of DNA of several vector-borne infections in a population of cats from Barcelona area. One hundred blood samples obtained from cats admitted to the UAB-VTH were entered into the study and classified as healthy (n=48) or unhealthy (n=52).