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ID:	54501 MILTON KEYNES, U.K., May 06, 2021 - MSD Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (NYSE:MRK), is funding RVC student, Collette Taylor’s PhD research into the development of novel diagnostic targets to establish the specific leptospira implicated in canine clinical cases. As part of this research, Collete has set up a free Canine Leptospirosis Diagnostic Scheme, offering vets the opportunity to discover more about suspected cases they encounter in dogs during 2021.

Collette comments: “Existing leptospirosis diagnostics have a number of limitations. MAT serological testing may provide information that can be supportive of a serogroup diagnosis but may also provide false positives due to previous vaccination or indeed be confounded by cross-reactivity. It can also be difficult to interpret serology in the absence of paired samples. PCR tests are sensitive, usually specific, but are dependant on timing of sampling and do not tell you which serovar is concerned. My research is focused on offering more specialised diagnostic tests which can differentiate antibodies associated with infection from those due to vaccination. Extending this theme, our group is interested in further typing of samples where the Leptospiral DNA is identified using Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). I am now at the stage of validation and we are able to offer additional testing of serum or blood test samples from confirmed clinical cases.”

During 2021 Collette is able to offer free of charge additional testing of PCR and/or MAT positive samples from suspected clinical cases. A questionnaire response is also required. Samples must be from confirmed cases of leptospirosis that have already undergone leptospirosis diagnostics from another laboratory. For further information contact Collette Taylor at ctaylor18@rvc.ac.uk.

John Helps, Senior Technical Manager, Companion Animals, MSD Animal Health adds: “As a 3rd year PhD student Collette has two main areas of study. The first is looking at the risk factors of leptospirosis including ecological niche modelling for specific serogroups in different regions across the country. The second part is the development of new specialised diagnostic tests that can provide better targeted serological approaches to diagnosis of this disease.”

He continues: “As a potentially serious zoonosis, leptospirosis is an important differential diagnosis for a variety of canine disease presentations. These include not only acute renal or hepatic disease; it should also be on the differential list in conditions such as uveitis and retinal bleeding, acute respiratory distress, and haemorrhagic gastoenteritis when parvovirus is excluded. Collete’s highly valuable research expands understanding of the epidemiology of canine leptospirosis within the UK. Veterinary practices that take advantage of this scheme will gain a better understanding of locally relevant disease data which is likely to better inform the approach to dog vaccination.”

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