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Traditionally, canine transmission is directly from sandfly to dog. Cases in the United States have proven "L. infantum" transmission from dog to dog by direct contamination with blood and secretions, as well as transplacentally from an infected bitch to her pups. This mode of transmission seems to be unique to the "L. infantum" Mon1 strain found in the United States. Although "in utero" transmission is likely the predominant method of disease spread amount the "L. infantum" Mon1 strain, it is still a viable parasite (has not lost virulence factors associated with sandfly-uptake) which can be transmitted via sandfly bite. A Brazilian study of 63 puppies from 18 "L. donovani"-infected parents found no evidence of congential or transplacental infection.
In areas where the known vector is a sandfly, deltamethrin collars worn by the dogs has been proven to be 86% effective. The sandfly is most active at dusk and dawn; keeping dogs indoors during those peak times will help minimize exposure.
Unfortunately, there is no one answer for leishmaniasis prevention, nor will one vaccine cover multiple species. "Different virulence factors have been identified for distinct "Leishmania" species, and there are profound differences in the immune mechanisms that mediate susceptibility/resistance to infection and in the pathology associated with disease."
In 2003, Fort Dodge Wyeth released the Leshmune vaccine in Brazil for "L. donovani" (also referred to as "kala-azar" in Brazil). Studies indicated up to 87% protection. Most common side effects from the vaccine have been noted as anorexia and local swelling.
The president of the Brazil Regional Council of Veterinary Medicine, Marcia Villa, warned since vaccinated dogs develop antibodies, they can be difficult to distinguish from asymptomatic, infected dogs.
Studies also indicate the Leshmune vaccine may be reliable in treating "L. chagasi", and a possible treatment for dogs already infected with "L. donovani".
More than 90% of the global burden of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is contributed by six countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, South Sudan and Sudan. In India, more than 70% VL cases are reported from the state of Bihar. North Bihar, India (including Araria, Purnea, and Kishanganj) is the endemic zone of this disease.The disease is endemic in Iran including Ardabil, Fars, North Khorasan...
But, while the disease's geographical range is broad, it is not continuous. The disease clusters around areas of drought, famine, and high population density. In Africa, this has meant a knot of infection centers mostly in Sudan, Kenya, and Somalia. Living conditions here have changed very little in the past century, and the people are not normally very mobile. Parts of the Sudan, in particular the Upper Nile region, are almost totally cut off from the rest of the country, and most people tend to remain at their place of birth.
There are no vaccines or preventive drugs for visceral leishmaniasis. The most effective method to prevent infection is to protect from sand fly bites. To decrease the risk of being bitten, these precautionary measures are suggested:
- Outdoors:
1. Avoid outdoor activities, especially from dusk to dawn, when sand flies generally are the most active.
2. When outdoors (or in unprotected quarters), minimize the amount of exposed (uncovered) skin to the extent that is tolerable in the climate. Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks; and tuck your shirt into your pants.
3. Apply insect repellent to exposed skin and under the ends of sleeves and pant legs. Follow the instructions on the label of the repellent. The most effective repellents generally are those that contain the chemical DEET (N,N-diethylmetatoluamide).
- Indoors:
1. Stay in well-screened or air-conditioned areas.
2. Keep in mind that sand flies are much smaller than mosquitoes and therefore can get through smaller holes.
3. Spray living/sleeping areas with an insecticide to kill insects.
4. If you are not sleeping in a well-screened or air-conditioned area, use a bed net and tuck it under your mattress. If possible, use a bed net that has been soaked in or sprayed with a pyrethroid-containing insecticide. The same treatment can be applied to screens, curtains, sheets, and clothing (clothing should be retreated after five washings)."
On February 2012, the nonprofit Infectious Disease Research Institute launched a clinical trial of the visceral leishmaniasis vaccine. The vaccine is a recombinant form of two fused Leishmania parasite proteins with an adjuvant. Two phase 1 clinical trials with healthy volunteers are to be conducted. The first one takes place in Washington (state) and is followed by a trial in India.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in all tropical and subtropical areas of the world. The distribution of this disease is very tightly linked to geography, and villages even 15 miles apart can have very different rates of cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Most species of "Leishmania" are capable of infecting humans and causing cutaneous leishmaniasis. In the New World, these organisms include "L. amazonensis", "L. braziliensis", "L. guyanensis", "L. lainsoni", "L. lindenbergi", "L. mexicana", "L. naiffi", "L. panamensis", "L. peruviana", "L. shawi", and "L. venezuelensis". Old World species that cause cutaneous leishmaniasis include "L. aethiopica", "L. infantum", "L. major", and "L. tropica". With the exception of "L. tropica" — which is commonly associated with human settlements and therefore considered to be an anthroponotic species — all of these organisms are zoonotic. As demographic changes occur in developing nations, some species that have traditionally been considered to be zoonotic (e.g., "L. panamensis") are becoming primarily human pathogens.
Dogs and rodents serve as the primary animal reservoir hosts in the sylvatic cycle, but people with chronic PKDL can also serve as important reservoir hosts for cutaneous leishmaniasis. The most common vectors for cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Old World are sandflies of the genus "Phlebotomus", while "Lutzomyia" and those within the family Psychodidae (especially the genus "Psychodopygus") are the most common vectors in the New World. There are more than 600 species of phlebotomine sandflies, and only 30 of these are known vectors. Cutaneous leishmaniasis has been seen in American and Canadian troops coming back from Afghanistan.
Leishmaniasis occurs in 88 tropical and subtropical countries. About 350 million people live in these areas. The settings in which leishmaniasis is found range from rainforests in Central and South America to deserts in western Asia and the Middle East. It affects as many as 12 million people worldwide, with 1.5–2.0 million new cases each year. The visceral form of leishmaniasis has an estimated incidence of 500,000 new
cases. More than 90% of the world's cases of visceral leishmaniasis are in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sudan, and Brazil. As of 2010, it caused about 52,000 deaths, down from 87,000 in 1990.
Different types of the disease occur in different regions of the world. Cutaneous disease is most common in Afghanistan, Algeria, Brazil, Colombia, and Iran, while mucocutaneous disease is most common in Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru, and visceral disease is most common in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, and Sudan.
Leishmaniasis is found through much of the Americas from northern Argentina to South Texas, though not in Uruguay or Chile, and has recently been shown to be spreading to North Texas. Leishmaniasis is also known as "papalomoyo", "papa lo moyo," "úlcera de los chicleros", and "chiclera" in Latin America. During 2004, an estimated 3,400 troops from the Colombian army, operating in the jungles near the south of the country (in particular around the Meta and Guaviare departments), were infected with leishmaniasis. Allegedly, a contributing factor was that many of the affected soldiers did not use the officially provided insect repellent because of its disturbing odor. Nearly 13,000 cases of the disease were recorded in all of Colombia throughout 2004, and about 360 new instances of the disease among soldiers had been reported in February 2005.
The disease is found across much of Asia, and in the Middle East. Within Afghanistan, leishmaniasis occurs commonly in Kabul, partly due to bad sanitation and waste left uncollected in streets, allowing parasite-spreading sand flies an environment they find favorable. In Kabul, the number of people infected was estimated to be at least 200,000, and in three other towns (Herat, Kandahar, and Mazar-i-Sharif) about 70,000 more occurred, according to WHO figures from 2002. Kabul is estimated as the largest center of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the world, with around 67,500 cases as of 2004. Africa, in particular the East and North, is also home to cases of leishmaniasis.
Leishmaniasis is mostly a disease of the developing world, and is rarely known in the developed world outside a small number of cases, mostly in instances where troops are stationed away from their home countries. Leishmaniasis has been reported by U.S. troops stationed in Saudi Arabia and Iraq since the Gulf War of 1990, including visceral leishmaniasis.
In September 2005, the disease was contracted by at least four Dutch marines who were stationed in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, and subsequently repatriated for treatment.
Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis is an especially disturbing form of cutaneous leishmaniasis, because it produces destructive and disfiguring lesions of the face. It is most often caused by "Leishmania braziliensis", but cases caused by "L. aethiopica" have also been described.
Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis is very difficult to treat. Treatment involves the use of pentavalent antimonial compounds, which are highly toxic (common side effects include thrombophlebitis, pancreatitis, cardiotoxicity and hepatotoxicity) and not very effective. For example, in one study, despite treatment with high doses of sodium stibogluconate for 28 days, only 30% of patients remained disease-free at 12 months follow-up. Even in those patients who achieve an apparent cure, as many as 19% will relapse. Several drug combinations with immunomodulators have been tested, for example, a combination of pentoxifylline (inhibitor of TNF-α) and a pentavalent antimonial at a high dose for 30 days in a small-scale (23 patients) randomised placebo-controlled study from Brazil achieved cure rates of 90% and reduced time to cure, a result that should be interpreted cautiously in light of inherent limitations of small-scale studies. In an earlier small-scale (12 patients) study, addition of imiquimod showed promising results which need yet to be confirmed in larger trials.
Risk factors include poverty, malnutrition, deforestation, lack of sanitation and urbanization.
Deworming treatments in infected children may have some nutritional benefit, as worms are often partially responsible for malnutrition. However, in areas where these infections are common, there is strong evidence that mass deworming campaigns do not have a positive effect on children's average nutritional status, levels of blood haemoglobin, cognitive abilities, performance at school or survival. To achieve health gains in the longer term, improvements in sanitation and hygiene behaviours are also required, together with deworming treatments.
Snakebite was added to the list in 2017, after years of criticism of the WHO by activists for not making it a priority. The greatest burden of snakebite morbidity is in India and Southeast Asia. Globally, there are an estimated 421,000 envenomings each year (about 1 in 4 snakebites) and 20,000 deaths, but snakebites often go unreported.
A canine vector-borne disease (CVBD) is one of "a group of globally distributed and rapidly spreading illnesses that are caused by a range of pathogens transmitted by arthropods including ticks, fleas, mosquitoes and phlebotomine sandflies." CVBDs are important in the fields of veterinary medicine, animal welfare, and public health. Some CVBDs are of zoonotic concern.
Many CVBD infect humans as well as companion animals. Some CVBD are fatal; most can only be controlled, not cured. Therefore, infection should be avoided by preventing arthropod vectors from feeding on the blood of their preferred hosts. While it is well known that arthropods transmit bacteria and protozoa during blood feeds, viruses are also becoming recognized as another group of transmitted pathogens of both animals and humans.
Some "canine vector-borne pathogens of major zoonotic concern" are distributed worldwide, while others are localized by continent. Listed by vector, some such pathogens and their associated diseases are the following:
- Phlebotomine sandflies (Psychodidae): "Leishmania amazonensis", "L. colombiensis", and "L. infantum" cause visceral leishmaniasis (see also canine leishmaniasis). "L. braziliensis" causes mucocutaneous leishmaniasis. "L. tropica" causes cutaneous leishmaniasis. "L. peruviana" and "L. major" cause localized cutaneous leishmaniasis.
- Triatomine bugs (Reduviidae): "Trypanosoma cruzi" causes trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease).
- Ticks (Ixodidae): "Babesia canis" subspecies ("Babesia canis canis", "B. canis vogeli", "B. canis rossi", and "B. canis gibsoni" cause babesiosis. "Ehrlichia canis" and "E. chaffeensis" cause monocytic ehrlichiosis. "Anaplasma phagocytophilum" causes granulocytic anaplasmosis. "Borrelia burgdorferi" causes Lyme disease. "Rickettsia rickettsii" causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever. "Rickettsia conorii" causes Mediterranean spotted fever.
- Mosquitoes (Culicidae): "Dirofilaria immitis" and "D. repens" cause dirofilariasis.
Coccidiosis is a significant disease for chickens, especially affecting the young chicks. It can be fatal or leave the bird with compromised digestion. There are chick feed mixes that contain a coccidiostat to manage exposure levels and control disease. In an outbreak, coccidiocidal medications are given. Examples are toltrazuril (Baycox) or amprolium. After multiple infections, surviving chickens become resistant to the coccidia.
Ehrlichiosis is a nationally notifiable disease in the United States. There have been cases reported in every month of the year, but most cases are reported during April–September. These months are also the peak months for tick activity in the United States.
From 2008-2012, the average yearly incidence of ehrlichiosis was 3.2 cases per million persons. This is more than twice the estimated incidence for the years 2000-2007. The incidence rate increases with age, with the ages of 60–69 years being the highest age-specific years. Children of less than 10 years and adults aged 70 years and older, have the highest case-fatality rates. There is a documented higher risk of death among persons who are immunosuppressed.
The most common medications used to treat coccidian infections are in the sulfonamide antibiotic family.
Depending on the pathogen and the condition of the animal, untreated coccidiosis may clear of its own accord, or become severe and damaging, and sometimes cause death.
Doxycycline and minocycline are the medications of choice. For people allergic to antibiotics of the tetracycline class, rifampin is an alternative. Early clinical experience suggested that chloramphenicol may also be effective, however, in vitro susceptibility testing revealed resistance.
Many human diseases can be transmitted to other primates, due to their extensive biological similarities. As a result, centers that hold, treat, or involve close proximity to primates and some other kinds of animals (for example zoos, researchers, and animal hospitals), often take steps to ensure animals are not exposed to human diseases they can catch. In some cases animals are routinely immunized with the same vaccines given to humans.
- Leishmaniasis - Both zoonotic and anthroponotic.
- Influenza, Measles, pneumonia and various other pathogens - Many primates.
- Tuberculosis - Both zoonotic and anthroponotic, with birds, cows, elephants, meerkats, mongooses, monkeys, and pigs known to have been affected.
Tick control is the most effective method of prevention, but tetracycline at a lower dose can be given daily for 200 days during the tick season in endemic regions.
An anthroponotic disease, or anthroponosis, is an infectious disease in which a disease causing agent carried by humans is transferred to other animals. It may cause the same disease or a different disease in other animals. Since humans do not generally inflict bite wounds on other animals, the method of transmissions is always a "soft" contact such as skin to skin transmission. An example is chytridiomycosis which can be spread by humans with the fungus on their skin handling frogs with bare hands.
The reverse situation, a disease transmitted from animals to humans, is known as zoonotic.
It can also be defined as a human-to-human infection with no animal vector.
The prognosis is good for dogs with acute ehrlichiosis. For dogs that have reached the chronic stage of the disease, the prognosis is guarded. When bone marrow suppression occurs and there are low levels of blood cells, the animal may not respond to treatment.
A robovirus is a zoonotic virus that is transmitted by a rodent vector (i.e., "ro"dent "bo"rne).
Roboviruses mainly belong to the Arenaviridae and Hantaviridae family of viruses. Like arbovirus ("ar"thropod "bo"rne) and tibovirus ("ti"ck "bo"rne) the name refers to its method of transmission, known as its vector. This is distinguished from a clade, which groups around a common ancestor. Some scientists now refer to arbovirus and robovirus together with the term ArboRobo-virus.
The mortality rate of the virus largely depends on the immune status of the infected dogs. Puppies experience the highest mortality rate, where complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis are more common. In older dogs that develop distemper encephalomyelitis, vestibular disease may present. Around 15% of canine inflammatory central nervous system diseases are a result of CDV.
The prevalence of canine distemper in the community has decreased dramatically due to the availability of vaccinations. However, the disease continues to spread among unvaccinated populations, such as those in animal shelters and pet stores. This provides a great threat to both the rural and urban communities throughout the United States, affecting both shelter and domestic canines. Despite the effectiveness of the vaccination, outbreaks of this disease continue to occur nationally. In April 2011, the Arizona Humane Society released a valley-wide pet health alert throughout Phoenix, Arizona.
Outbreaks of canine distemper continue to occur throughout the United States and elsewhere, and are caused by many factors. These factors include the overpopulation of dogs and the irresponsibility of pet owners. The overpopulation of dogs is a national problem that organizations such as the Humane Society and ASPCA face every day. This problem is even greater within areas such as Arizona, owing to the vast amount of rural land. An unaccountable number of strays that lack vaccinations reside in these areas and are therefore more susceptible to diseases such as canine distemper. These strays act as a host for the virus, spreading it throughout the surrounding area, including urban areas. Puppies and dogs that have not received their shots can then be infected if in a place where many dogs interact, such as a dog park.
Rodent borne disease can be transmitted through different forms of contact such as rodent bites, scratches, urine, saliva, etc. Potential sites of contact with rodents include habitats such as barns, outbuildings, sheds, and dense urban areas. Transmission of disease through rodents can be spread to humans through direct handling and contact, or indirectly through rodents carrying the disease spread to ticks, mites, fleas (arboborne.
Paracoccidioidomycosis has been reported as an autochthonous disease from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. No cases have been reported from Belize and Nicaragua in Central America, or from Chile, French Guiana, Guiana, and Suriname in South America. Paracoccidioidomycosis is prevalent in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and Argentina, and is classically associated with individuals from rural areas. The typical patient is a man aged 30 to 50 years.
Globally, 59,000 people die from rabies each year. This is the equivalent of one person dying every nine minutes, with half of the people who die from rabies being under the age of 15. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Pan American Center of foot-and-mouth disease (PANAFTOSA) led a mission to eliminate dog-mediated rabies in the American region by 2015. These organizations are cognizant of the regional control of rabies. The PAHO and PANAFTOSA visited Haiti in early December, 2013, and the objectives of the mission were to assess the status of Haiti’s rabies program as delivered by the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR) and the Ministry of Health (MSPP). The mission was to seek opportunities for collaboration between Haiti, Brazil, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Haiti.
Even in 2017, rabies in Haiti is still identified as a national problem, even with PEP proposed.