Advances in Vector-Borne Zoonotic Diseases

A special issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Food Safety and Zoonosis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (23 August 2022) | Viewed by 6486

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy
Interests: veterinary immunology; infectious disease; parasitology; virology; innate immunity; zoonosis; one health

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Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Interests: veterinary hematology; dog and cat vector-borne diseases; veterinary neurology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vector-borne and zoonotic diseases (VBZD) are distributed worldwide and constitute a major risk in animal health. Leishmaniosis is among the principal VBZD affecting not only companion but also wild and domestic animals such as rodents, hares and rabbits, goats, and even birds. The transmission and epidemiological behavior of VBZD involves either the vector or the animal host; in the case of Leishmaniosis, the listed reservoirs are clearly increasing.

Efforts to study the transmission, management, and prevention of VBZD are imperative to fight against the wide range of clinical manifestations shared by humans and domestic and wild animals. The importance of standardized and rational approaches for the diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention are essential to recognize the many factors involving the parasite and the host immune and genetic background.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to contribute to the publication of high-quality original research or review papers under the main topic of VBDZ with particular emphasis on (but not limited to) Leishmaniosis.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of Veterinary Sciences with relevant topics covering different aspects of VBDZ research, including surveillance, epidemiology, molecular and serological technics for diagnosis, immunological and clinical features, host–parasite interaction, and development of vaccines and drugs.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Systemic review and meta-analysis of vector-borne diseases;
  • Epidemiology and zoonotic aspect of vector-borne diseases;
  • Development and application of molecular and serological diagnosis methods for parasitic diseases;
  • Clinical aspects and diagnosis of Leishmaniosis in domestic animals;
  • Host immunity against Leishmaniosis in domestic animals;
  • Advances in treatment and vaccination;
  • Emerging and rare vector-borne disease surveillance.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Pamela Martinez-Orellana
Dr. Marisa Masucci
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • canine
  • immunology
  • diagnosis
  • surveillance
  • dermatology
  • feline
  • prevention
  • treatment

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 461 KiB  
Article
Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia spp. Diversity in Ticks and the First Report of Rickettsia hoogstraalii in Romania
by Talida Ivan, Ioana Adriana Matei, Cristiana Ștefania Novac, Zsuzsa Kalmár, Silvia-Diana Borșan, Luciana-Cătălina Panait, Călin Mircea Gherman, Angela Monica Ionică, Ionel Papuc and Andrei Daniel Mihalca
Vet. Sci. 2022, 9(7), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9070343 - 8 Jul 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2512
Abstract
Tickborne bacterial pathogens have been described worldwide as risk factors for both animal and human health. Spotted fevers caused by Rickettsiae may cause non-specific symptoms, which make clinical diagnosis difficult. The aim of the current study was to evaluate and review the diversity [...] Read more.
Tickborne bacterial pathogens have been described worldwide as risk factors for both animal and human health. Spotted fevers caused by Rickettsiae may cause non-specific symptoms, which make clinical diagnosis difficult. The aim of the current study was to evaluate and review the diversity of SFG Rickettsiae in ticks collected in 41 counties in Romania. A total of 2028 questing and engorged ticks collected in Romania belonging to five species were tested by PCR amplification of Rickettsia spp. gltA and 17-D gene fragments: Ixodes ricinus (n = 1128), Dermacentor marginatus (n = 507), D. reticulatus (n = 165), Rhipicephalus rossicus (n = 128) and Haemaphysalis punctata (n = 100). Five Rickettsia species were identified following DNA sequence analysis: R. helvetica, R. monacensis, R. slovaca, R. raoultii, and R. hoogstraalii. The most common species detected was R. monacensis. Moreover, R. hoogstraalii was detected for the first time in Romania and in R. rossicus ticks. The detection of R. raoultii and R. monacensis in questing larvae of Hae. punctata suggests the possible transovarial transmission of these Rickettsia species in ticks. The detection of R. hoogstraalii for the first time in Romania increases the reported SFG Rickettsia diversity in the country. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Vector-Borne Zoonotic Diseases)
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10 pages, 9151 KiB  
Article
Humoral Responses and Ex Vivo IFN-γ Production after Canine Whole Blood Stimulation with Leishmania infantum Antigen or KMP11 Recombinant Protein
by Pamela Martínez-Orellana, Noemí González, Antonella Baldassarre, Alejandra Álvarez-Fernández, Laura Ordeix, Paola Paradies, Manuel Soto and Laia Solano-Gallego
Vet. Sci. 2022, 9(3), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9030116 - 4 Mar 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3353
Abstract
The effect of Leishmania infantum soluble antigen (LSA) and recombinant Kinetoplastid Membrane Protein 11 (rKMP11) on the induction of ex vivo specific IFN-γ (n = 69) and antibody responses (n = 108) was determined in dogs. All dogs were tested for [...] Read more.
The effect of Leishmania infantum soluble antigen (LSA) and recombinant Kinetoplastid Membrane Protein 11 (rKMP11) on the induction of ex vivo specific IFN-γ (n = 69) and antibody responses (n = 108) was determined in dogs. All dogs were tested for serological response to both antigens and divided into Group 1: healthy (Asturias, Spain, n = 26), Group 2: sick (n = 46), Group 3: healthy Ibizan hounds (Mallorca, Spain, n = 22) and Group 4: healthy (Bari, Italy, n = 14). Antibody levels were higher for LSA when compared to rKMP11 (p = 0.001). Ibizan hounds were all seronegative to rKMP11 and 18% were low seropositive to LSA. Sick dogs presented higher antibody response to both antigens compared to the rest of the groups (p < 0.0001). All groups showed higher IFN-γ levels after LSA compared to rKMP11 responses (p < 0.05). The highest response to LSA was found in Ibizan hounds (p < 0.05). IFN-γ to LSA and rKMP11 stimulation was observed in 34% and in 2.8% of the sick dogs, respectively. Here, we demonstrated that anti-rKMP11 antibodies are mainly present in dogs with moderate to severe disease. Furthermore, cellular immune response measured by specific ex vivo IFN-γ production was more intense to LSA than stimulated to rKMP11. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Vector-Borne Zoonotic Diseases)
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