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The risk of contracting glomerular renal vasculopathy (GVCR), commonly known as Alabama Rot, may be higher in some breeds of dogs and terrestrial habitats, say two coupled studies published this week Veterinary file.
Clinical signs of rotting Alabama usually include skin ulcers and anemia, progressively progressing to kidney damage and kidney failure. For now, the cause is unknown.
The earliest known cases in the UK were reported in 2012 in the New Forest, in southern England, and cases tended to occur more frequently at certain times of the year and in certain geographical areas. But we do not know what other potential risk factors there might be.
In the first study, researchers assessed whether certain breed types might be at higher risk. They examined 101 reported cases (out of 103) diagnosed between November 2012 and May 2017, comparing them to more than 446,000 dogs receiving veterinary care during practices providing data on health problems to the VetCompass program in 2013.
On average, veterinary dogs were nearly 4.5 years old and just over half were male. The most common kennel breeds were hunting dogs (spaniels and salvagers), burrows and miniature dogs; dogs and working dogs (salukis, whippets and Hungarian vizslas) were the least common.
Crossed breeds accounted for more than one-third (just under 38%) of all dogs, with Labrador Retrievers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers and Jack Russells, the most common specified breeds.
Compared with veterinary dogs, those diagnosed with Alabama Rot were more likely to be females (58% vs. 48%) and castrated (69% vs. 45.5%).
Of the Kennel Club breeds, hunting dogs and hunting dogs accounted for nearly two-thirds (60%) of Alabama's rot cases. They were between 9 and 11 times more likely to have been diagnosed as burrows.
Of the specified breeds, Staffordshire bull terriers, Jack Russells and German Shepherds were the least likely to have been diagnosed, while English Springer Spaniels, Whippets, Flat-bottomed Recoverers and Hungarian Vizlas were the least likely to have been diagnosed, while more likely.
"It is possible that these breed associations result from an inherent susceptibility among these breeds due to genetic or behavioral patterns, but it is also possible that the predisposition results from a geographic confusion under which these breeds may occur more frequently in high-risk areas of CRGV ", explain the researchers
In the second study, the researchers examined only the 101 dogs diagnosed with Alabama Rot, to determine if there were any chronological, geographical, or geographic features.
Most cases (90%) were reported between December and May, with one-third diagnosed between January and March. Less than one in 10 cases was diagnosed between June and August.
Cases have been reported in most parts of western and southern England over the last five years, the lowest risk apparently appearing to be in the east of the country. 39, England, especially in the east of Anglia.
Habitat has emerged as a factor of influence, accounting for more than 20% of the difference in the geographical distribution of cases. Dry areas of dry moors and woodlands were the most likely to be associated with a diagnosis, while pasture was the least likely.
Areas where maximum temperatures were higher in winter and higher average precipitation in winter and spring (such as western and southern England) were also associated with an increased risk of diagnosis.
Both of these studies are observational and, as such, no definitive conclusion can be drawn about causality.
But the researchers explained that their findings could help raise suspicions among vets, since it is particularly important to treat Alabama Rot quickly, as well as give dog owners an indication of when they will need to repeat vigilance.
But further research is needed to determine whether seemingly higher-risk breeds are intrinsically more vulnerable or if there is a higher proportion of these breeds in higher-risk areas, they conclude.
In a related editorial, Suzanne Jarvis, editor-in-chief, reiterates this uncertainty, stressing the need for caution until new research can shed further light on the issue.
"The next step is to check if this presumed geographic relationship is true, which is not, it is to scare the owners of these identified breeds," he says. she.
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More information:
Kim B. Stevens et al. Risk factors for signaling cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (Alabama rot) in dogs in the United Kingdom, Veterinary file (2018). DOI: 10.1136 / vr.104891
Kim B. Stevens et al. Spatiotemporal patterns and agroecological risk factors of cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy (Alabama Rot) in dogs in the United Kingdom, Veterinary file (2018). DOI: 10.1136 / vr.104892
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