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Media Relations
Kansas State University
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Source: Ken Harkin, associate professor, College of Veterinary Medicine

RADIO REPORT: 1 Wrap
2 Actualities

You have selected a report about a bacterial infection called Leptospirosis, a disease that can be potentially deadly for dogs if left untreated. The wrap and two actualities follow in 3,2,1.

WRAP 1: An expert on Leptospirosis explains some of the symptoms of the disease.
TIME: 56 Seconds

SUGGESTED INTRO: ALTHOUGH THOUGH NOT OFTEN SEE IN CATS, LEPTOSPIROSIS IS A DISEASE THAT CAN POSE SIGNIFICANT DANGERS TO DOGS. AN EXPERT IN THIS DISEASE FROM K-STATE'S COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE TALKS ABOUT SOME OF THE SIGNS OF THIS DISEASE AND WAYS YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR PET. LANICE THOMSON REPORTS . . . .

LEPTOSPIROSIS IS A BACTERIAL INFECTION THAT IS MOSTLY TRANSMITTED IN THE URINE OF INFECTED ANIMALS. PRIMARILY SEEN IN RAINY WEATHER, THE BACTERIA MAY BE PICKED UP BY PETS WHEN THEY COME IN CONTACT WITH AN INFECTED POND OR WATER BOWL. DR. KEN HARKIN, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT K-STATE'S COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE EXPLAINS SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS. .

(Harkin :22 "Some early signs oftentimes are joint pain and muscle pain. The dogs will have a reluctance to move around. They may be lethargic. They may not want to eat; you could certainly see some vomiting. Dogs may exhibit some back pain, reluctance to go up the stairs, which can be related to swelling of the kidneys from the kidney failure. Anorexia and vomiting are some of the more common signs we tend to see."

HARKIN SAYS THE PROGNOSIS IS GOOD IF CAUGHT EARLY AND TREATMENT IS USUALLY SUCCESSFUL. IN CASES THAT ARE MORE SEVERE, THE ANIMAL IS USUALLY PUT ON FLUIDS AND TREATED WITH ANTIBIOTICS. LANICE THOMSON, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY.

ACTUALITY 1: A test developed at K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine improves the diagnosis of Leptospirosis.
TIME: 46 Seconds

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that is transmitted in the urine of both wildlife and domestic animals. Raccoons, rodents and domestic animals are common carriers. Although not seen often in cats, it can cause significant infection in dogs. The traditional way of testing to see if an animal has Leptospirosis is through a blood test that tests between five and eight serovars of the disease. In an effort to improve the diagnosis of the disease, Dr. Ken Harkin, an associate professor at K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine, has developed the PCR test, which in some cases, could allow the detection of infection before they are serologically positive. This sound bite is 46 seconds, and the outcue is ". . . diagnosis of Leptospirosis."

(Harkin :46 "One of my concerns was that some dogs with Leptospirosis were being missed because they were either infected with serovars that didn't test positive for the standard panel of five to seven or eight serovars, or they just didn't zero convert. Or also likely -- they just hadn't zero converted yet, and we might be missing the diagnosis. What our test looks at is looking for the organism in the urine, because that's where the organism is excreted. So as a test, you collect the urine. We just do the test to see if there is Leptospiral DNA in the urine, and if it's positive, it's fairly convincing or at least it helps to confirm the diagnosis of Leptospirosis.")

He says because the PCR test uses specialized equipment that a standard veterinary office probably couldn't afford, samples would have to be collected by and sent away to a laboratory that performs the test. He notes that there are vaccines that are made that protect against two serovars and some that protect against four. Harkin says if you are going to vaccinate your animal against Leptospirosis, he recommends the four-way vaccine. Farm dogs, dogs that have high exposure to other animals and those which spend a lot of time out doors should be vaccinated.

ACTUALITY 2: More cases of Leptospirosis are seen in areas containing many bodies of water.
TIME: 20 seconds

Harkin says location is also a factor in deciding whether or not to vaccinate an animal. He notes that although the disease has been reported in every part of the country, areas which contain an abundance of lakes and ponds and rainy weather are more likely to see cases than in dryer climates. This sound bite is 20 seconds, and the outcue is ". . .of disease there."

(Harkin: :20 "Really good areas would be the Midwest, upper Midwest, east coast and west coast as you get further north on the west coast – those are great areas for it. Even in the southeast. Actually in the southeast would be a pretty good area for it because it's relatively wet there. The desert southwest would be the lowest incidents of disease.