Pets are normally sheltered from the harsh realities of wild living. But across Europe, increasing temperatures will expose pets to new infectious diseases spread by ticks, fleas and mosquitoes, according to new research.
Tick populations already appear to be increasing with the change in seasons. As winters become milder, ticks are becoming active all year round.
The European dog tick is transmitting a malaria-like disease, canine babesiosis, into countries where it was once rare including Belgium, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands. Meanwhile, Ixodes ticks are living at greater densities across Europe, increasing their risk of passing tick-borne encephalitis to horses and dogs.
Cat flea typhus, still a rare disease, may also become more common in both cats and dogs, according to Frederic Beugnet of Merial Animal Health in Lyon, France.
In a separate paper, Claudio Genchi of the University of Milan, Italy, has found that dogs in central Europe will increasingly become vulnerable to the roundworm dirofilaria, spread by mosquitoes, as summer temperatures climb high enough for the parasite to incubate in its fly host.
Susan Shaw and colleagues at the University of Bristol, UK, have also found a significant reservoir of canine leishmaniosis in dogs living in the southern UK. If climate change allows sandflies to spread into the country, there is a real danger the disease could spread, they warn.
Journal references: Veterinary Parasitology, DOIs: Beugnet: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.03.028, Genchi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.03.026, Shaw: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.03.025
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Have your say
Climate Alert: Dogs And Cats And Bunnies
Wed Apr 08 17:58:59 BST 2009 by Poor parrot
Hello,,,hello...AGW coming, AGW coming...duck duck.
Climate Alert: Dogs And Cats And Bunnies
Wed Apr 08 18:11:01 BST 2009 by genetic
ugh...i must be some kind of sado-masochist since i continue to read the nonsense published here. i guess the good news is that anyone who has any semblance of independent thinking ability who has not made up their mind about AGW can only see these stories and be driven away from the propagandists rather than joining this pseudo-religion.
praise the gore! amen.
Climate Alert: Dogs And Cats And Bunnies
Thu Apr 09 04:17:13 BST 2009 by Dann
I blame manbearpig...
Climate Alert: Dogs And Cats And Bunnies
Thu Apr 09 13:28:42 BST 2009 by genetic
half man, half bear, and half pig. excelsior!
i'm super cereal.
Climate Alert: Dogs And Cats And Bunnies
Thu Apr 09 09:49:41 BST 2009 by Mac
.......but surely tortoises will be pleased!
Oy
Wed Apr 08 18:59:36 BST 2009 by Doug
Anyone care to count the conditional or speculative statements in the above article? I give up when I see this many statements containing 'if', 'may', or 'could'.
Apparently "New Science" means something different to each of us. I now come to this site for two things - a quick laugh from the commenters and, increasingly, a quick laugh from the articles themselves. Keep up the /good work.
Really. . . ??
Wed Apr 08 19:33:31 BST 2009 by Douglas
A little editorial integrity please! Which, I fear, is about all you here at NS have left. This specu-fear mongering garbage belongs in The Sun. In fact I increasingly wonder if you aren't just employing Fleet Street washouts and retreads as your writers. This piece is so shameful on what purports to be a science news site. NS is really circling the drain these days with the climate zealotry. Sorry to see it.
Really. . . ??
Wed Apr 08 20:16:13 BST 2009 by genetic
see what i mean? even your regular agw zealots aren't here to defend this!
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