Leptospirosis is one of the most common zoonotic infections and a major problem in terms of both veterinary medicine and public health. However, the disease is under-recognised and under-diagnosed ...worldwide, particularly in horses. Clinical leptospirosis in horses is mainly associated with recurrent uveitis (ERU), which has recently been studied more intensively, and reproductive disorders, the epidemiology of which is still relatively poorly understood. To enhance our comprehension of abortions caused by leptospirosis in horses and to identify the causative strains, a serological study was carried out with subsequent molecular characterisation of the isolate obtained. Using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), serum samples from mares that aborted and foetal fluids (when available) were tested for antibodies against Leptospira spp. Furthermore, bacteria isolation from kidney cultures was conducted. Of 97 mare serum samples, 21 (21.64%) tested positive, with Grippotyphosa and Pomona being the most frequently detected serogroups. A significantly higher seroprevalence was found in aborting mares compared to the healthy horse population from the same geographical area, as well as a pronounced seasonal variation. Leptospiral antibodies were not detected in any of the foetal fluids, but isolation was successful in 1 case out of 39 (2.56%). Genotyping by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) identified the obtained isolate as Leptospira kirschneri, serogroup Pomona, serovar Mozdok. Further surveillance and molecular typing of Leptospira strains causing abortion in horses would be invaluable in understanding the prevalence and impact of leptospirosis on equine reproductive health in Europe.
•Leptospira spp. infections in horses are highly present in Croatia.•High seropositivity for the serovar Pomona in apparently healthy horses.•Possible evolutionary adaptation of pathogenic serovar ...Pomona as dominant for horses.•Horses are at risk of being convalescents and potential sources of infection.
Leptospirosis is re-emerging zoonotic bacterial disease of global importance that affects domestic and wild animals and humans. Due to the public health importance, control of disease in Croatia is being implemented by monitoring the seroprevalence of equine leptospirosis and it is regulated by the law. In the period from 2012 to 2022, a total of 61,724 serum samples from apparently healthy horses were admitted to the Laboratory for leptospires, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb. Serum samples were tested for Leptospira spp. antibodies using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Samples were considered seropositive with a cut-off titre 1:200 for Bratislava and 1:400 for other Leptospira spp. serovars. Out of 61,724 serum samples tested, 6,665 (10.80%) were found seropositive for at least one Leptospira serovar. In the studied period, seroprevalence varied between 5.00% and 15.94%. The highest seroprevalence was found for serovar Pomona (41.98%) and serovar Grippotyphosa (31.34%), followed by Sejroe (8.03%), Icterohaemorrhagiae (7.05%) and Bratislava (6.47%). Results indicated that horses in Croatia are particularly exposed to Leptospira spp. infections. The most prevalent presumed infective serovar was Pomona increasing each year. Investigated horses were randomly selected and healthy and most seropositive horses have anamnestic titre due to previous infection. This is the first study in Europe reporting such high seropositivity for the serovar Pomona in apparently healthy horses. According to the results of the present study, the question arises of the possible evolutionary adaptation of the pathogenic serovar Pomona as dominant for horses.
A 19-month-old female common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) was presented with a 4-day history of anorexia and behavioral changes. At presentation, a combination of neurological signs, erosions, and ...ulcerations of the mucous membranes of the oral mucosa and mucocutaneous junction of the lips were observed, suggesting herpesvirus infection. Although etiological and symptomatic therapy was initiated immediately, the animal died the next day. A necropsy was performed, and gross pathology and pathohistology findings indicated a systemic viral infection. Definitive diagnosis was based on the results of molecular testing that demonstrated the presence of human herpes simplex virus type 1. In conclusion, marmosets are a highly susceptible host for human herpes simplex virus. To reduce the risk of infection and prevent this highly lethal disease in monkeys, contact with humans who have symptomatic or asymptomatic forms of HSV-1 should be limited and accompanied by appropriate hygiene measures.
Canine respiratory coronavirus is a relatively new addition to the list of pathogens causing canine infectious disease complex. The virus is highly contagious, with a high prevalence in the dog ...population worldwide, especially in shelters. This study aimed to establish the presence and risk factors associated with infection in privately owned dogs and breeding colonies. This study was the first to demonstrate the presence of canine respiratory coronavirus in Croatia. Out of the 257 serum samples, 35.03% of dogs from breeding kennels and 43% of pet dogs tested enzyme-linked immunoassay positive, but the difference was not statistically significant. Sex was not an important risk factor, but the seropositivity rate increased with age. Mixing of dogs during hunting, training and dog shows was not associated with a higher seroprevalence in the breeding colonies. Daily cleaning and disinfection showed little effect on the infection spread. The study was done on a limited sample. However, it still provides evidence that the epizootiology of this disease is complex. There is no available vaccine for canine respiratory coronavirus, and further studies on environmental and risk factors will give the valuable data needed to prevent this disease. Keywords: canine respiratory coronavirus; seroprevalence; breeding colonies; ELISA; Croatia Pseci respiratorni koronavirus nedavno je dodan na listu patogena koji uzrokuju zarazni kašalj legla. Zbog svoje izrazite kontagioznosti proširio se diljem svijeta, a osobito je cest u pasa u skloništima za nezbrinute životinje. Osnovni je cilj ovog istraživanja bio ispitati proširenost infekcije u pasa u privatnom vlasništvu i uzgajivacnicama te ustanoviti cimbenike rizika koji pogoduju infekciji. Ovo je bilo prvo istraživanje koje je dokazalo prisutnost pseceg respiratornog koronavirusa u Hrvatskoj. Od 257 pretraženih uzoraka seruma 35,03% uzoraka pasa privatnih vlasnika i 43% uzoraka pasa iz uzgajivacnica dalo je pozitivan rezultat imunoenzimnog testa. Važno je napomenuti da razlika u seroprevalenciji izmedu ovih dviju populacije nije bila statisticki znakovita. Spol takoder nije bio znakovit cimbenik rizika, ali je seroprevalencija rasla s porastom dobi životinja. Miješanje životinja iz razlicitih uzgoja, prilikom lova, dresure ili izložbi pasa, nije dovelo do porasta seroprevalencije u uzgajivacnicama. Ni provodenje dnevne dezinfekcije nije znakovito utjecalo na seroprevalenciju. Ovo je istraživanje provedeno na ogranicenom broju uzoraka, ali ipak dokazuje složenost epizootiologije infekcije psecim respiratornim koronavirusom. Kako cjepivo još uvijek nije dostupno, dodatna istraživanja cimbenika okoliša i domacina, važnih za epizootiologiju ove bolesti, dat ce važne podatke nužne za provodenje mjera prevencije. Kljucne rijeci: pseci respiratorni koronavirus; seroprevalencija; uzgajivacnice; ELISA; Hrvatska
The feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) may cause persistent, lifelong and lethal infections in domestic and wild felids worldwide. FIV has been confirmed in most ...Felidae species, while FeLV infection is rare among non-domestic cats. The view that retroviruses are pathogenic in domestic cats but not in other free-ranging felid species was disproved by recent findings of retroviral pathology in several wild felids. The epidemiology of retroviral infections in felids in Croatia was only investigated in urban domestic cats, while there are no data for wild cat species. As the reintroduced Dinaric lynx (Lynx lynx) population suffers from low genetic diversity, which reduces their ability to adapt to new viral outbreaks, the health status of this lynx population is of particular concern. Two different commercial immunochromatographic assays were used for qualitative detection of FIV antibodies and FeLV antigens, while PCR was used for amplification of proviral gag and env genes in Eurasian lynx blood samples. All the 17 Eurasian lynx samples collected between 2001 and 2019 tested negative in both immunochromatographic and molecular tests. Even though our sample size was rather small, considering the fact that the population size of lynx in Croatia is estimated at 40 - 60 animals, our results can be considered representative for the population’s health status. Also, data about retroviral prevalence in Eurasian lynxes are scarce, so any new findings are very valuable.
This study was performed on 29 domestic cats with a variety of clinical signs, possibly related to FIV infection. Blood samples were tested by a rapid immunochromatographic (ICA) procedure for ...detection of FIV antibodies. Subsequently, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to amplify a portion of the proviral gag gene. All 11 positive PCR products were sequenced and compared with previously reported FIV sequences. Croatian proviral isolates that could be amplified were clustered within subtype B, and additional heterogeneity was confirmed by the formation of three separate clusters. Phylogenetic analysis of circulating strains in Croatia and in southeast Europe is necessary to improve diagnostic methods and selection of the appropriate vaccinal strains.
The objectives of this study were to describe the epizootiological and clinical features of canine patients with leptospirosis, and to determine the association between the health parameters observed ...and patient survival. The study population consisted of sixty patients admitted to the Department of Microbiology and Infectious diseases with Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Zagreb, Croatia from 2009 to 2017. The majority of the infections were caused by serogroup Pomona (50%), while serogroups Icterohaemorhagiae, Grippotyphosa, Australis and Sejroe were identified in 30%, 8.3%, 5% and 1.7% of the patients, respectively. At initial presentation, the most frequently detected organ dysfunction was renal failure (85%), followed by pulmonary (60%) and hepatic injury (58.3%). When the frequency of animals with involvement of organ systems was calculated, 31.7% had three systems involved, 46.7% had two systems involved, 13.3% had one, and 5% did not have any system involved. The mortality risk in the group that had 0, 1, 2 and 3 systems involved was 0%, 62.5%, 46.4%, and 89.5%, respectively. In the univariable analysis, several factors were univariably associated with the risk of a lethal outcome including: day of admission (P<0.01), sex (P = 0.09), Leptospira vaccination status (P = 0.11), the presence of moderate to severe acute kidney injury (P<0.01), pulmonary involvement (P = 0.11), and several other parameters. In the multivariable Cox's model, the presence of moderate and severe kidney injury was identified as a statistically significant factor associated with lower survival. The frequency of severe clinical cases of canine leptospirosis caused by the serogroup Pomona found in this study supports the need to consider inclusion of strains of this serogroup in vaccines available on the European market. Key words: dog; lepto spiro sis; Pomona; survival
Malassezia pachydermatis is an opportunistic yeast regularly isolated from the healthy and diseased skin of various animal species. There is scarcity of data about its presence on pinnipeds' skin and ...even less information about its pathogenicity in aquatic animals. In this study, a twenty-seven year old California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) was presented with alopecia and a cutaneous lesion on the right side of the trunk that had appeared in the spring, worsened through the summer and significantly improved in the winter months. Swab samples were obtained from the lesion and healthy skin sites (tail, posterior flippers, and trunk) and M. pachydermatis was recovered from all samples. The number of colonies grown from the lesion site was significantly higher than those cultured from the healthy skin. Employing the ITS-1 molecular marker we investigated whether there is any connection between sequence types of M. pachydermatis isolates recovered from the lesion, and those isolated from the healthy skin sites. Sequencing of the ITS-1 region of all isolates revealed a 99% match to the sequence of M. pachydermatis. In addition, all sequences belonged to the same genotype and there was no difference found between the isolates obtained from the lesion site and the healthy skin. Key words: Malassezia pachydermatis; alopecia; cutaneous lesion; California sea lion (Zalophus californianus)
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