Laura Stokes

Spring parasite update

Spring has sprung and brought with it a whole host of beasts (from the East), pests (from the West) and parasites…from all directions! But what are this seasons hot topics and is 2018 showing different trends to last year?

Ticks and tick-borne diseases: A roundtable discussion

Both ticks endemic to the UK and exotic tick species are important as vectors of a variety of pathogens causing diseases in companion animals and in humans. It is generally felt that tick abundance is increasing and tick ranges expanding, but there is a lack of robust long-term data to confirm this, and more surveys such as those that have been carried out by Bristol University are needed. In the UK, most cases of clinical disease in companion animals involve dogs with babesiosis; PCR of appropriate samples is useful in diagnosis of this and other tick-borne infections. Cases involving the small Babesia species are particularly challenging to treat. Clinical disease due to tick-borne pathogens is rare in cats but can occur, particularly in immunosuppressed individuals. More studies are needed on treatment of these pathogens in companion animals. Tick-borne diseases, particularly Lyme disease, can be important zoonoses. There is still much to be learned about treatment and about detection of the Lyme borre...

Addressing vectorborne diseases

FOCUSING on the recent cases of canine babesiosis in Essex, your Comment ‘Ticking the wrong boxes’ ( VR , March 26, 2016, vol 178, p 302) reviews long-standing concerns about the potential introduction and establishment of exotic tickborne diseases in the UK, concluding with the need for diligent surveillance and education. Babesia canis infections have been demonstrated in dogs without previous history of travel outside the UK and the parasite has been detected in the local Essex Dermacentor reticulatus tick population (Phipps and others 2016). B canis is transmitted through generations of ticks via their eggs and, now that the natural transmission requirements for the parasite are evident, the logical expectation is that this pathogen is not only here to stay, but will also spread across the UK as ticks increase in geographic range. …

Whether we stay or go: pet travel and what you need to know

The recent UK vote to leave the EU has impacted strongly on many industries within the UK, and the veterinary industry is not exempt from this. Although there are many areas within the industry which would be affected, one of the most obvious is pet travel. This, naturally, also has strong implications for pet owners and the general public. So, how might the leave vote affect the advice and information we currently give pet owners when travelling abroad with their pets?

Comment: Brexit or Bremain — the message is still the same

What do all veterinary and animal health organisations, in the UK and out, have in common? We all place animal welfare as a top priority. Why would that change because of the results of an EU referendum in the UK?