Ingo Schäfer

Laboklin GmbH | LABOKLIN · Department of Clinical Pathology

Practical relevance: Granulocytic anaplasmosis is a disease in humans and animals caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum within the family Anaplasmataceae. The pathogen is transmitted by ticks of the Ixodes species. Infections with A phagocytophilum have often been described in dogs but reports on natural infections in cats...

Blood-feeding arthropods such as fleas, ticks, sandflies and mosquitoes can transmit bacterial, parasitic and viral infectious pathogens to both domestic animals and wildlife. Vector-borne infections are gaining significance in Germany, not only due to the increasing import of pets from abroad as well as national and international travel of owners...

Hepatozoon canis is a protozoal agent that is known to be transmitted by oral uptake of H. canis-infected Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato ticks in dogs. Vertical transmission of H. canis has only been described once in a study evaluating dogs from Japan. The aim of this study was to investigate the parasitological status of puppies from a bitch...

Canine infections with Leishmania (L.) infantum are gaining significance in Germany due to rising numbers of dogs imported from endemic countries, frequent travel and changing of climatic conditions in Central Europe. Dogs without any clinical signs suspicious for vector-borne infections imported from other countries to Germany should be tested imm...

Background In Europe, feline leishmaniosis is commonly caused by Leishmaniainfantum. There is little knowledge regarding pathogenesis, ocular manifestations and long-term follow-ups in cats with leishmaniosis. Findings A 6-year-old female, spayed European Shorthair cat was imported from Spain to Germany 2 years prior to its first clinical presenta...

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-23 is a phosphaturic hormone. An association between increasing FGF-23 levels and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) was documented in cats, dogs, and humans. The information regarding reference intervals (RIs) of FGF-23 in cats is limited. We aimed to establish RIs in a large cohort of clinically healthy cat...

Abstract Objectives Toxoplasma (T.) gondii is an obligatory intracellular coccidian pathogen with domestic cats and other Felidae as specific definitive hosts. Aims of the study were to identify risk factors for positive test results. Methods The database of a laboratory was screened for results of T. gondii polymerase chain reaction (PCR) out of...

Equine piroplasmosis (EP) is caused by Theileria (T.) equi and/or Babesia (B.) caballi. The aim was to assess the percentage of positive test results for EP in horses in Europe and to identify risk factors for pathogen contact/infection. This study included results from PCR and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay testing requested by Euro...

Background: In Europe, feline vector-borne infections are gaining importance due to the changing climate, expanding habitats of potential vectors, and expanding pathogen reservoirs. The main objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of vector-borne pathogens (VBPs) in stray cats in Zaragoza, Spain, and to investigate potential risk facto...

Background In Europe, canine babesiosis is most frequently caused by Babesia canis and Babesia vogeli, and occasionally by Babesia gibsoni.. In Germany, B. canis is recognized as endemic. The aims of this study were to assess how often Babesia spp. infections were diagnosed in a commercial laboratory in samples from dogs from Germany, and to evalua...

Simple Summary Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) is a biomarker for the monitoring of chronic kidney disease in humans. The clinical relevance of FGF-23 in dogs is largely unknown. The aim of this study was (1) to show the intra- and interassay precision of the Kainos ELISA FGF-23 kit, (2) to determine a reference interval for FGF-23 in dogs, an...

Background Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium that replicates in neutrophil granulocytes. It is transmitted by ticks of the Ixodes ricinus complex and causes febrile illness called granulocytic anaplasmosis primarily in humans, horses, dogs, sheep, cattle and goats. In comparison, clinically apparent disea...

Simple Summary: There is currently no available data on the prevalence of vector-borne pathogens (VBPs) in stray cats in Germany. In this study, clinically healthy stray cats were investigated for selected VBPs. Of the 50 stray cats included, 22% tested positive for at least one VBP by direct and 64% by indirect detection methods. Stray cats may t...

Simple Summary Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) is used to monitor chronic kidney disease in humans. The value of FGF-23 in cats is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to compare three different FGF-23 diagnostic assays and to assess their correlation with renal function parameters in cats. Four groups were formed retrospectively on the...

Background: Cushing's syndrome is one of the most common endocrinopathies in dogs. The preferred screening test for spontaneous Cushing's syndrome is the low-dose dexamethasone suppression test (LDDST). The diagnostic value of urinary cortisol:creatinine ratios (UCCR) is questionable. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine diagnostic...

Simple Summary The bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum can cause granulocytic anaplasmosis in domestic animals, wildlife, and humans. The pathogen is transmitted by ticks and is predominantly endemic in Central and Northern Europe. We discuss the percentages of dogs that tested positive for A. phagocytophilum by direct detection of the pathogen (4....

Background Vector‐borne diseases are of increasing importance in Germany. Since 2015, autochthonous cases have been increasingly documented in Berlin/Brandenburg. Objectives Describe autochthonous Babesia canis infection in the Berlin/Brandenburg region. Animals Forty‐nine dogs with autochthonous B. canis infection. Methods Evaluation of history...

Background Equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA) is a tick-borne disease caused by Anaplasma (A.) phagocytophilum. In Germany, this pathogen is transmitted primarily by Ixodes ricinus. There is limited knowledge about its prevalence in horses in Germany. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the results of serological and molecular te...

Canine babesiosis caused by Babesia canis (Piana & Galli-Valerio, 1895) is emerging in new regions in Europe since its vector Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) is expanding its geographic range. In the Berlin/Brandenburg area in northeast Germany, D. reticulatus is highly abundant but in the past only one autochthonous B. canis infection wa...

Die Frühsommer-Meningoenzephalitis (FSME) ist eine virale Erkrankung, die in Deutschland vor allem durch Zecken der Spezies Ixodes (I.) ricinus übertragen wird. Das Virus ist in ganz Europa verbreitet und tritt in sogenannten Risikogebieten auf, deren Ausbreitung in der Regel scharf begrenzt ist. Ziel der retrospektiven Studie war es, die Häufi gke...

Background: Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a member of the genus Flavivirus within the family Flaviviridae. The virus is spread over a wide area of the Eurasian continent. In Germany it is mainly transmitted by Ixodes ricinus. Main objective of this retrospective study was to assess the incidence of TBEV in horses in Germany. Methods: T...

Objectives Three species of protozoal Hepatozoon species (H felis, H canis and H silvestris) are known to infect cats in Europe. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Hepatozoon species in samples from cats living in Germany that were submitted to a veterinary laboratory. Methods The study included cats tested for Hepatoz...

Babesia (B.) spp. are protozoal agents transmitted by ticks. Aims of the study were to assess the incidence of Babesia spp. infections in a large cohort of German dogs and to evaluate associations with possible stays abroad, tick infestation and ectoparasitic prophylaxis by sending questionnaires to the veterinarians. The database of a laboratory w...

Objectives: Anaplasma phagocytophilum is considered the most significant rickettsial pathogen affecting cats. The organism is transmitted by ticks of the species Ixodes ricinus in Central Europe and can cause granulocytic anaplasmosis in pets, wildlife and humans. The aims of this study were to assess the frequency of positive test results for A p...

Background Blood-feeding arthropods can transmit parasitic, bacterial, or viral pathogens to domestic animals and wildlife. Vector-borne infections are gaining significance because of increasing travel and import of pets from abroad as well as the changing climate in Europe. The main objective of this study was to assess the percentage of cats with...

Background: Blood-feeding arthropods can transmit parasitic, bacterial, or viral pathogens to domestic animals and wildlife. Vector-borne infections are gaining significance due to the increase of travel, import of domestic animals from abroad, and due to the changing climate in Europe. The main objective of this retrospective study was to assess t...

Background: Blood-feeding arthropods can transmit parasitic, bacterial, or viral pathogens to domestic animals and wildlife. Vector-borne infections are gaining significance due to increasing travel and import of pets from abroad, as well as the changing climate in Europe. The main objective of this study was to assess the percentage of cats with p...

Introduction Blood-feeding arthropods transmit parasitic, bacterial, or viral pathogens to domestic animals and wildlife. Vector-borne infections are gaining significance due to the increase of travel, import of domestic animals from abroad and the changing climate in Europe. Aims of the study The main objective of this retrospective study was to...

Einleitung Vektorübertragene Infektionen gewinnen in der Veterinärmedizin durch zunehmenden Reiseverkehr, zunehmenden Import von Tieren sowie durch die Veränderung klimatischer Bedingungen an Bedeutung. Die Verbreitung vektorübertragener Infektionen bei Katzen in Deutschland wurde bisher in wenigen Studien untersucht. Ziel der retrospektiven Stu...

An 8-month-old male British Shorthair-cross cat was presented due to vomiting, inappetence, lethargy and constipation four days after ingesting 10–20 capsules of Dekristol® 20,000 IU (20 mg cholecalciferol/capsule; Mibe GmbH Arzneimittel, Germany), corresponding to 57–114 mg/kg bodyweight cholecalciferol. The blood analysis revealed severe hypercal...

Due to climatic changes, the increasing import of dogs from abroad as well as increasing tourism and freight traffic within Europe and consequently the increased spreading of possible vectors, vector-borne infections are growing in importance among dogs in Germany. In the countries of the Mediterranean region as well as in southeastern Europe, path...

Canine vector-borne infections gained in importance in Germany due to growing tourist traffic, the increased import of dogs from abroad and the changing of climatic conditions. The Mediterranean region and southeastern Europe are geographical areas where pathogens such as Leishmania (L.) infantum, Hepatozoon (H.) canis, Ehrlichia (E.) canis, Anapla...

A seven-year-old male-castrated LaPerm Longhair cat living in Berlin with outdoor access was presented because of lethargy and lack of appetite. The rectal temperature was 40.8 °C. The cat was infested by a tick of the species Ixodes ricinus. Laboratory abnormalities at the time of first presentation in the Small Animal Clinic of the Freie Universi...

Background Canine vector-borne infections have gained importance in Germany due to growing tourist traffic and an increased import of dogs from abroad. Endemic regions for pathogens such as Leishmania infantum, Hepatozoon canis, Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma platys and Dirofilaria spp. are the Mediterranean area and southeastern Europe. Babesia specie...