Andrea Vanessa Volk’s research while affiliated with University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation and other places

This study, which involved 868 patients, focused on size-dependent features (body size, pinna formation, brachycephaly, overweight) and their associations with the occurrence of canine Otitis externa. Breed, sex, and neuter status were also included. Canine patients diagnosed with Otitis externa presented between 1 January 2019 and 31 July 2022 in a referral small animal hospital were included, while dogs with matching categories presented at the Unit for Reproductive Medicine in the same time period functioned as a randomized control group. Statistical analyses included Pearson–Chi² test, Fisher’s exact test, and Bonferroni correction. p-values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Rhodesian Ridgebacks, non-brachycephalic breeds, intact female dogs, dogs with semi-erect ears, and large-sized breeds had a significantly reduced risk of developing Otitis externa. Conversely, Pugs, French Bulldogs, Cocker Spaniels, medium-sized breeds, dogs with erect ears, brachycephalic breeds, neutered female, and neutered male patients were more frequently diagnosed with Otitis externa. The study concluded that large breed dogs showed a reduced risk of developing Otitis externa in our data set as well as meso- and doliocephalic breeds and dogs with semi-erect pinna formation. Particularly, the Rhodesian Ridgeback and intact female dogs showed a significantly low risk of suffering from Otitis in the current study.

Simple Summary In daily veterinary practice, canine otitis externa is a common presentation and, therefore, many studies were conducted to evaluate predispositions. This study on the other hand aims to evaluate factors that have potentially statistically reduced risks for developing otitis externa. Regarding the results, Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Collies have shown significantly low odds for otitis externa. Furthermore, regarding dogs with endocrinopathies, it was shown that those who are overweight seem to develop otitis externa more likely than those with a normal weight. Especially the latter result should be used in communication with pet owners to point out the importance of strict weight management and, therefore, increasing the quality of life of their dogs. Abstract Background: Canine otitis externa is a common presentation in small animal practice. The clinical signs vary individually from patient to patient. Regardless of the expression, they all decrease the quality of life. Therefore, this study aimed to identify factors that showed reduced odds for otitis externa. Methods: Clinical case records were searched for key terms regarding canine otitis. Statistical analyses were applied to evaluate associations with otitis externa. p-values of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Rhodesian Ridgeback and dogs with underlying infectious diseases had a reduced risk for otitis externa, while Retrievers and dogs with allergies had an increased risk. Furthermore, in the group of dogs with endocrinopathies, those with normal weight showed a reduced risk of developing canine otitis in comparison to those which were overweight. Conclusions: These results show a new point of view to reduce the prevalence of canine otitis by reducing the animals’ weight due to an additional risk of otitis in obese or overweight dogs. Furthermore, for the first time, Rhodesian Ridgebacks were identified in our study population to have a lower risk of developing otitis externa. Thus, breeders should reflect—within other responsibilities for the quality of life in their offspring—on breed-specifics about otitis when planning ahead.

Background Syringomyelia is a spinal cord cavity containing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-like fluid. If syringomyelia asymmetrically involves the dorsal horn grey matter of the spinal cord, affected dogs show increased signs of dysesthesia and neuropathic pain, like increased itching behaviour. In the dorsal horn, amongst others, receptors for Interleukin-31 (IL-31) can be found. IL-31 is one of the main cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of pruritus in atopic dermatitis in different species. This study investigates suspected elevated levels of IL-31 in serum and CSF of dogs showing signs of pain or increased itching behaviour related to syringomyelia. The IL-31 were measured in archived samples (52 serum and 35 CSF samples) of dogs with syringomyelia (n = 48), atopic dermatitis (n = 3) and of healthy control dogs (n = 11) using a competitive canine IL-31 ELISA. Results Mean serum IL-31 level in dogs with syringomyelia was 150.1 pg/ml (n = 39), in dogs with atopic dermatitis 228.3 pg/ml (n = 3) and in healthy dogs 80.7 pg/ml (n = 10). Mean CSF IL-31 value was 146.3 pg/ml (n = 27) in dogs with syringomyelia and 186.2 pg/ml (n = 8) in healthy dogs. Individual patients with syringomyelia (especially dogs with otitis media or otitis media and interna or intervertebral disc herniation) showed high IL-31 levels in serum and CSF samples, but the difference was not statistically significant. IL-31 serum and CSF levels did not differ significantly in dogs with syringomyelia with or without itching behaviour and with or without signs of pain. Conclusion Based on this study, increased IL-31 levels seem not to be correlated with itching behaviour or signs of pain in dogs with syringomyelia, but might be caused by other underlying diseases.

Simple Summary Steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis (SRMA) is a common immune-mediated inflammatory disease of young-adult dogs with predominantly neck pain and fever. The exact pathomechanism of this disease remains unclear. Interleukin-31 is a cytokine that has been shown to be elevated among other things in dogs with atopic dermatitis and dogs with a typical phenotype of inflammation (Th2-mediated) in previous studies. This phenotype of inflammation is typical for SRMA. Therefore, we suggested that interleukin-31 might be involved in the pathomechanism of SRMA. Within the study, interleukin-31 levels were measured in serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples of dogs affected by SRMA in comparison to dogs with atopic dermatitis (positive control), healthy dogs (negative control) and dogs with immune-mediated or infectious meningoencephalitis. The serum interleukin-31 levels of dogs with SRMA were markedly higher than in healthy control dogs. Especially dogs with SRMA without any pre-treatment showed markedly higher interleukin-31 levels. The cerebrospinal fluid interleukin-31 levels revealed no differences between the groups. Based on this study, an involvement of interleukin-31 in the pathogenesis of SRMA can be assumed, but further clarification is necessary with prospective studies. We suggest that our study might help to clarify further parts of the pathogenesis of SRMA. Abstract Steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis (SRMA) is a predominantly Th-2 immune-mediated disease, but the exact pathomechanism remains unclear. Interleukin-31 (IL-31) is predominantly produced by T cells with a Th-2 phenotype during proinflammatory conditions. We hypothesize that IL-31 might be involved in the pathogenesis of SRMA. IL-31 was measured in archived samples (49 serum and 52 CSF samples) of dogs with SRMA, meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO), infectious meningoencephalitis, and atopic dermatitis, and of healthy control dogs using a competitive canine IL-31 ELISA. The mean serum IL-31 level in dogs with SRMA (n = 18) was mildly higher compared to dogs with atopic dermatitis (n = 3, p = 0.8135) and MUO (n = 15, p = 0.7618) and markedly higher than in healthy controls (n = 10, p = 0.1327) and dogs with infectious meningoencephalitis (n = 3, no statistics). Dogs with SRMA in the acute stage of the disease and without any pre-treatment had the highest IL-31 levels. The mean CSF IL-31 value for dogs with SRMA (n = 23) was quite similar to that for healthy controls (n = 8, p = 0.4454) and did not differ markedly from dogs with MUO (n = 19, p = 0.8724) and infectious meningoencephalitis. Based on this study, an involvement of IL-31 in the pathogenesis of the systemic Th-2 immune-mediated immune response in SRMA can be assumed as a further component leading to an aberrant immune reaction.

Steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis (SRMA) is a predominantly Th-2 immune-mediated dis-ease, but exact pathomechanism remains still unclear. Interleukin-31 (IL-31) is predominantly produced by T cells with a Th-2 phenotype during proinflammatory conditions. We hypothesize, IL-31 might be involved in the pathogenesis of SRMA. IL-31 was measured in archived samples (49 serum and 52 CSF samples) of dogs with SRMA, Meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO), infectious meningoencephalitis, atopic dermatitis and of healthy control dogs using a competitive canine IL-31 ELISA. Mean serum IL-31 level in dogs with SRMA (n=18) was mildly higher compared to dogs with atopic dermatitis (n=3) and MUO (n=15) and markedly higher than in healthy controls (n=10) and dogs with infectious meningoencephalitis (n=3). Dogs with SRMA in the acute stage of the disease and without any pre-treatment had the highest IL-31 levels. The mean CSF IL-31 value of dogs with SRMA (n=23) was quite similar to healthy controls (n=8) and did not differ significantly from dogs with MUO (n=19) and infectious meningoencephalitis (n=2). Based on this study, an involvement of IL-31 in the pathogenesis of the systemic Th-2 im-mune-mediated immune response in SRMA can be assumed as a further component leading to an aberrant immune reaction.