The climatic modifications lead to global warming; favouring the risk of the appearance and development of diseases are considered until now tropical diseases. Another important factor is the workers’ immigration, the economic crisis favouring the passive transmission of new species of culicidae from different areas. Malaria is the disease with the widest distribution in the globe. Millions of people are infected every year in Africa, India, South-East Asia, Middle East, and Central and South America, with more than 41% of the global population under the risk of infestation with malaria. The increase of the number of local cases reported in 2007–2011 indicates that the conditions can favour the high local transmission in the affected areas. In the situation presented, the establishment of the level of risk concerning the reemergence of malaria in Romania becomes a priority.

Leishmaniasis, a vector-borne disease considered to be one of the twenty neglected diseases by the World Health Organization, represents one of the public health concerns in endemic countries. In humans, as well as in animal counterparts, the infection can evolve with different clinical localizations, such as those that are cutaneous, mucocutaneous and visceral. Romania has been traditionally considered a nonendemic country for Leishmania species infection and has had sporadic positive human cases; however, the climate change recorded in recent decades has created potentially optimal conditions for the preponderant vectors of Phlebotomus spp., which has lately been identified in various parts of country. Moreover, with people and dogs (the prevailing hosts) traveling in endemic countries, the disease was imported and diagnosed in both species, and became a medical concern. In this review, we focused on the: (1) epidemiological data of leishmaniasis cases, both in humans and animals, reported by Romania; (2) diagnostic tools available for confirmation since there is a lack of gold-standard laboratory methods for human and dog patients; and (3) conventional antileishmanial therapy.

On the 23rd of September 2022, a small intensive aquaculture unit populated with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) reported increased mortality in adults and juvenile fish. The unit comprised 12 enclosed concrete basins with a capacity of ten cubic meters of water, populated with 150 kg of fish each. Fish were subjected to a clinical examination on the site, after which whole fish were harvested for a bacteriological and histopathological examination. Water quality parameters were examined using classic biochemical methods and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in order to find out whether the environment in which the fish live is also a predisposing factor that could facilitate different pathogens and induce a state of disease in the fish. Real-time PCR was performed on strains of Aeromonas spp. sampled from the fish to accurately identify the pathogen species. The goal was to accurately identify the problems and predisposing factors that lead to disease outbreaks.

This study describes granulocytic anaplasmosis in two dogs naturally infected with Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The 3-year-old dogs (male and female) came from the same household and were referred to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Iasi for blood donation. They were subject to standard routine tests: haematology blood test, blood smear, and serological tests (VETSCAN^® FLEX4 and IDEXX SNAP 4Dx Plus). The female dog had no medical problems, while the male dog experienced joint pain. The blood smear was negative for tick-borne pathogens, and the haematology findings indicated thrombocytopenia in both dogs, with the male dog also displaying eosinophilia. The two dogs were mildly positive in the ELISA tests for the detection of Anaplasma spp. antibodies; therefore, the blood samples were tested using the qRT-PCR method for Anaplasma platys and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The qRT-PCR result was negative for A. platys, but it was positive for A. phagocytophilum. The treatment consisted of the administration of doxycycline for 28 days. In conclusion, the high number of cases with non-specific clinical signs, the different sensitivity and specificity of the immunochromatographic serological tests, as well as the possibility of confusing the morula during the cytological examination, make the molecular test mandatory for precise diagnosis.

Dirofilariosis, a parasitic disease caused by nematodes of the genus Dirofilaria, primarily affects dogs but can also infect other carnivores and, more rarely, humans. In Europe, the most commonly involved species are D. immitis and D. repens, transmitted through the bites of mosquito vectors. This study, conducted in Tulcea County between April and October 2024, aimed to determine the prevalence of D. immitis and D. repens in mosquitoes. A total of 1507 mosquitoes were collected and grouped into 76 pools, and subsequently molecular analysis was carried out using qPCR. The estimated infection rate (EIR) was calculated using statistical methods available in the ‘binGroup’ package in R, which allow the determination of the point estimate and confidence interval (CI) for a single binomial proportion in group testing. The study revealed a high infection rate with D. immitis (48%), while D. repens was identified in only two pools. The species with the highest vector potential was Anopheles maculipennis (PTP = 75%, EIR = 0.1168 with both Dirofilaria species), followed by Aedes vexans. Notably, Aedes albopictus was identified for the first time in Tulcea, and all individuals were positive for D. immitis. Simulations of local thermal conditions using the proposed model show that the favorable time window for mosquitoes will increase until 2100. Our results indicate an established and active transmission cycle of D. immitis in the region, a situation projected to intensify with climate change requiring urgent monitoring.