A dog is Hertfordshire has become the first to die from parasitic bug Leishmaniosis. The ‘zoonotic’ disease is mainly found in continental Europe, and can be passed from animals to humans, but primarily infects animals. Vets have raised the warning to dog owners in the UK, telling them to watch for key signs in their pets.
Writing in the BMJ, a team of vets laid out how dangerous the disease could be own the UK.
They said: “To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first reported case of leishmaniosis in the UK in a dog without a history of travel to an endemic area.”
“In an era of increased foreign travel of dogs and increased importation of dogs to the UK, it is likely that the number of dogs seropositive for L infantum will continue to increase,” they said.
“Leishmania-infected dogs may present an infection risk to other dogs, even in the absence of natural vectors, as direct transmission between dogs is possible.”