NEW YORK, April 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- As experts from
around the world met in New York
this week they discussed the need for greater understanding of the
threat posed by ticks, fleas and sand flies. Leading scientists
called on veterinarians and dog-owners around the world to take
action to protect dogs and humans from potentially lethal
diseases.
Ticks, mosquitoes, fleas and, in some countries, sand flies are
critical in the transmission of diseases to both dogs and humans,
including life-threatening conditions such as Lyme Disease,
Leishmaniasis and other important diseases such as Ehrlichiosis.
"These so-called CVBDs (canine vector borne diseases) that were
once considered exotic or unusual are now commonly extending their
distribution thanks to the increase in pet travel and, in part, to
changes in climate," stated Professor Gioia
Capelli of the Parasitology and Ecopathology laboratory,
Experimental Institute for Animal Diseases Control of Northern Italy (IZSVe). "Today, with the very
latest highly sensitive diagnostic techniques, known as PCR and
serology tests, we are able to accurately detect these infectious
agents, improve diagnosis and rapidly grow our understanding of
these life threatening diseases. Also, DNA-based techniques look
set to provide useful information for treatment."
Dr Torsten Naucke from the
Institute for Zoology, Division of Parasitology, University of
Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
called for veterinarians and pet owners to recognise the risks
posed by failing to adequately protect dogs, particularly when
travelling into higher challenge areas when holidaying with their
owners. "Many people think these parasites are just an unpleasant
but harmless nuisance, but far from it. The diseases they spread
pose a real threat to the health of dogs and humans. An important
prevention measure for dogs from CVBDs is to ensure they are
treated with an effective, repellent insecticide to minimise the
risk of disease transmission."
Edward Breitschwerdt, DVM, of
North Carolina State University's
College of Veterinary Medicine pointed out the role veterinarians
play in preventing the spread of CVBDs, "Veterinarians are often
the first responders, from an animal and public health perspective,
to see evidence of their spread, but may not recognize the symptoms
or fully understand the public health ramification of these
diseases. I would call on all veterinarians to pay attention to the
possible appearance of CVBDs, even in areas where they have never
been seen before."
These views were echoed by Peter
Irwin, School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch
University, Western Australia,
"Because of their close proximity to humans and their
susceptibility to infection, dogs are uniquely poised to function
as a sentinel for human disease risks from tickborne pathogens.
Veterinarians should be educated about owner risks when these
infections are diagnosed in dogs, and should take an active role in
explaining risks to clients. People who find ticks on their dogs
should be aware that such events can signal a personal risk of
exposure to themselves and their families, even if human tick bites
have not been recognized."
These warnings came as a multidisciplinary group of experts from
around the world met at the 5th World CVBD Forum in New York to discuss the latest on research and
prevention of CVBDs. The CVBD World Forum is supported by Bayer
Animal Health as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting the
scientific community in its fight against parasites worldwide.
"Latest data from the CVBD World Forum flags a clear need for
increased disease prevention. We are committed to supporting this
important international information exchange and are dedicated to
helping increase awareness of regional CVBD risks", said
Sarah Weston, Global Vet Services
Manager, Bayer Animal Health. "Dogs are dearly loved members of
many families around the world, sharing the homes and day to day
lives of their owners. It is essential for veterinarians to remain
vigilant for these diseases that can lurk unseen in family pets and
to work with owners to educate them about prevention. For
veterinarians who are not yet seeing many dogs with these diseases,
we hope that they become better-versed in the prevention of CVBD
and that they become alert to the signs and symptoms of these
potentially lethal diseases."
For more information on canine vector-borne diseases and the
CVBD World Forum, please visit http://www.CVBD.org.
About The CVBD World Forum
The CVBD World Forum is a working group of leading experts in
natural sciences, veterinary and human medicine from Europe, North
America, Latin America,
Australia and Asia. It was founded during the 1st
International CVBD Symposium in April
2006 in Billesley, UK, as a consequence of the increasing
global threats through canine vector-borne diseases (CVBD). The
main goal of the CVBD World Forum is to exchange knowledge and
findings about ectoparasite-pathogen-host interaction as well as
the characterisation and assessment of the distribution of
pathogens and vectors in order to increase awareness for the
specific regional risks of CVBD and to foster preventative
measures. This work is supported by Bayer HealthCare, Animal Health
Division.
About Bayer HealthCare
Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the
world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical
products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global
activities of the Animal Health, Bayer Schering Pharma, Consumer
Care and Medical Care divisions. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to
discover and manufacture products that will improve human and
animal health worldwide. Find more information at
http://www.bayerhealthcare.com.
With a turnover of EUR963 million
(2008) Bayer HealthCare's Animal Health Division is one of the
world's leading manufacturers of veterinary drugs. The division
manufactures and markets more than 100 different veterinary drugs
and care products for livestock and companion animals.
Contact:
Kathrin Statz,
+49-2173-384019
Kathrin.statz@bayerhealthcare.com
To view the full MMR release, including video interviews with
leading veterinary experts, please click here:
http://ketchum-media.com/BayerCVBD