Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) caused by Leishmania infantum is a widespread endemic disease in SW Europe. This study was designed to determine how veterinarians clinically manage CanL in this region by analysing information collected in a questionnaire completed by local veterinarians working in clinics in France, Portugal, Greece, Spain, Italy and Slovenia.

Before insects can be used widely as an alternative source of dietary protein, their allerginicity should be investigated. Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess the potential adverse reactions of the immune system of dogs against Tenebrio molitor proteins. Dogs sensitised to storage mites T. putrescentiae and A. siro were included. Clinically healthy and clinically allergic dogs were compared. Proteins were extracted from mealworm larvae and their digestibility determined by in vitro incubation with digestive proteases. Mealworm protein extracts and digests were analysed by SDS–PAGE. Canine sera tested for the presence of mite-specific IgEs were used for subsequent Western blotting. LC-MS/MS analysis was used to identify mealworm proteins and their allergenic potential was predicted with the AllermatchTM tool. The binding of canine sera IgEs to mealworm proteins was confirmed; however, the differences between the two groups of dogs were not significant. Moreover, no clear correlation was found between sensitisation to storage mites and clinical status of the dogs. Altogether, 17 different proteins were identified, including tropomyosin, α-amylase, and Tm-E1a cuticular protein that are known cross-reacting IgE-binding allergens. Our results suggest that dogs allergic to mites may clinically express also the cross-reactivity with mealworm proteins.

Introduction: Leishmaniasis is a life-threatening zoonosis of which dogs are the major reservoir and sandflies are the vectors. Until now, the prevalence of canine leishmaniasis (CanL) in the Slovenian dog population was unknown. Material and Methods: Epidemiological data, eye swabs and blood samples were taken from 465 dogs born in Slovenia and older than one year. Commercial ELISA kits and real-time PCR were used. For ELISA-positive samples, an immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) was performed. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise the samples. The one-sample nonparametric chi-square test was used to test whether the categories of a variable were equally distributed. Results: A 59.9% proportion of the recruited dogs had travelled to endemic regions and 62.1% of them had not been protected by insect repellents. Skin symptoms that might be CanL-related were described in 109 of the dogs’ histories (23.4%), inappetence and/or weight loss in 25 (5.4%), and anaemia, intermittent fever, and/or lymphadenopathy in 19 (4.1%). At the time of recruitment, all dogs were asymptomatic. All samples were PCR negative, nine (1.9%) were ELISA positive, but none were IFAT positive. Five of the nine ELISA-positive dogs were non-travellers. Conclusion: We conclude that the seroprevalence of canine leishmaniasis of 1.9 % in the autochthonous Slovenian dog population may pose a risk of endemic spread of the disease.

The prevalence of Dirofilaria repens in dogs in countries bordering Slovenia ranges from 1.5% to 47.3%. The aim of this study was to estimate its prevalence in Slovenian dogs and to present the cases of dirofilariasis diagnosed in humans from 2010 to 2020. Epidemiological data were collected and blood samples were taken from 465 dogs older than one year and born in Slovenia. A real-time PCR was performed on all samples to detect filarioid DNA, and a D. repens-and D. immitis-specific real-time PCR was performed on positive samples. Blood samples from 446 dogs were tested for Dirofilaria spp. using a modified Knott’s test. Human cases were diagnosed from histological sections of excised subcutaneous nodules. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise the samples. The one-sample nonparametric chi-squared test was used to assess whether categories of a variable were equally distributed. Three dogs’ samples tested positive for D. repens using the species-specific real-time PCR, while D. immitis DNA was not detected. The modified Knott’s test was positive in two of the three PCR-positive dogs, two of which had never travelled outside Slovenia’s borders. Four human patients with D. repens dirofilariasis were diagnosed. Since their travel history was unknown, autochthonous transmission could not be confirmed. Our study demonstrated a 0.64% prevalence of D. repens infection in dogs in Slovenia. Two cases could be autochthonous.

Background: The quality of life (QoL) of dogs with canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) treated with allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) was studied to determine whether the QoL of dogs treated with ASIT (AG) improved compared with dogs not treated with ASIT (CG). Methods: The power of the study was calculated in advance assuming that the AG would assess QoL 20% better than the CG. The CG consisted of 21 dogs with CAD and the AG of 46 dogs with CAD. Validated QoL1 (pre-treatment) and QoL2 (post-treatment) questionnaires were emailed to owners. Results: AG dogs were significantly less disturbed during mealtimes (i.e., had better appetites and scratched less during mealtimes) and caused significantly less physical discomfort to their owners (due to unpleasant odor, the impression of a dirty apartment) than CG dogs. Owners of dogs treated with ASIT were able to significantly improve their daily activities (leisure, vacation, walks, work, hunting), significantly reduce their expenses (treatment costs, veterinary costs), feel significantly less emotional distress (less guilt, powerlessness, sadness, regret, fear, anger, disgust, rage, frustration), and experience less influence on relationships with family members and friends compared to owners of dogs not treated with ASIT. Conclusions: According to our results, the quality of life of dogs treated with ASIT and their owners seemed to improve significantly.

Bacterial overgrowth, also known as dysbiosis, is a common concomitant of canine atopic dermatitis. Microbial diversity is decreased and coagulase-positive staphylococci are more abundant in dogs with canine atopic dermatitis compared to healthy dogs. Antimicrobial therapy restores the diversity of the skin microbiome; however, this effect can diminish after treatment is discontinued. Therapies for skin dysbiosis have traditionally included antibiotics and antiseptic medications. Due to increasing microbial resistance to antibiotics, the era of novel antimicrobial agents for the treatment of skin infections has already begun. Recent research highlights potential new treatment options, of which one of the most promising appears to be the use of bacteriophages. Bacteriophages are viruses that can infect and kill bacteria without having negative effects on human or animal cells. This article provides an update on human and veterinary research on phage therapy as a potential approach for the treatment of bacterial infections, with a focus on the treatment of skin dysbiosis in atopic dogs. The clear clinical potential of phage therapy, its advantages and disadvantages, and the legal, biological, technical, and economic challenges it faces for its further implementation and wider application are outlined. Disbioza kože pri atopičnih psih: ali je zdravljenje z bakteriofagi lahko alternativa zdravljenju z antibiotiki? Bakterijsko preraščanje, poimenovano tudi disbioza, pogosto spremlja atopijski dermatitis pri psih. Pri bolnih psih je v primerjavi z zdravimi opazna zmanjšana mikrobna raznovrstnost, prevladujejo pa koagulazno pozitivni stafilokoki. Protimikrobno zdravljenje sicer obnovi pestrost mikrobioma, vendar učinek lahko hitro mine, ko z zdravljenjem prenehamo. Disbiozo kože običajno zdravimo z antibiotiki in antiseptiki. Novi načini zdravljenja so zaradi naraščajoče odpornosti bakterij proti antibiotikom že našli svoje mesto v raziskavah. Med njimi se uporaba bakteriofagov zdi ena izmed bolj obetavnih potencialnih možnosti zdravljenja. Bakteriofagi so virusi, ki okužijo in ubijejo bakterije, ne da bi imeli negativen vpliv na živalske ali človeške celice. Članek povzema najnovejše raziskave v veterinarski in humani medicini s področja zdravljenja bakterijskih okužb z bakteriofagi. Še posebej se osredotoča na zdravljenje disbioze kože pri psih z atopijskim dermatitisom. V članku avtorici izpostavita jasen klinični potencial uporabe bakteriofagov pri zdravljenju, prednosti in slabosti tega zdravljenja ter pravne, biološke, tehnične in ekonomske izzive, s katerimi se raziskovalci soočajo v želji po uvedbi tega načina zdravljenja v širšo uporabo. Ključne besede: disbioza; piodermija; pasji atopijski dermatitis; bakteriofagi; zdravljenje s fagi