By Keener Tippin II
It is a mysterious respiratory disease that thus far has scientists
baffled.
The illness resembles the canine flu that is spreading across the
nation.
This disease, which some have referred to as "kennel cough," has been
afflicting racing greyhounds in Kansas and across the country, and
resulting in quarantined facilities, lost revenue and even in the death
of
some dogs.
"There are a number of theories about what is going on," said Dr.
William
Fortney, a veterinarian and assistant professor of diagnostic medicine
and
pathobiology in Kansas State University's College of Veterinary
Medicine.
"The primary focus is on the new dog flu virus which may be a mutation
of
the equine influenza virus. Unfortunately, as with many of the
laboratories around the country, we have come up with nothing; it looks
like it is something new. Obviously, they're sick, but we can't find
that
inciting agent that's causing it. A few laboratories have reported
finding
a canine influenza virus as a possible cause."
Generally speaking, kennel cough is not a fatal disease unless the
infected animals have a compromised immune system, such as in some older
animals or with very young animals.
Fortney said the inability to find the cause of the disease has made it
clear that researchers needed to upgrade diagnostic capabilities to
adequately study it. To do that, however, would cost some money.
Enter the Kansas Racing Commission and a $104,000 grant to assist
Fortney
and his team of researchers to increase the level of testing within
racing
greyhounds to identify the disease. The researchers, all from K-State,
are
Sanjay Kapil, an associate professor of clinical virology who heads up
the
virology team; M.M. Chengappa, a university distinguished professor and
head of the department of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology who heads
the team's bacteriology research; and Richard D. Oberst, an associate
professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology whose expertise is
molecular diagnostics.
"Instead of just picking one disease and focusing our efforts there,
we're
going to look at a lot of different possibilities," Fortney said. "It's
sort of a team approach, so when there is an outbreak of respiratory
disease the team will be up and ready to go. We'll have the newer and
improved diagnostic capabilities, so we're hopeful we can get this
figured
out."
Determining the cause of the disease can lead to not only better
treatment, but determine a better quarantine and disinfectant program.
"If
you don't know what it is how are you going to disinfect it?" Fortney
said.
Another piece of solving the problem would be the development of a
vaccine.
"If you know what the specific agent is then, potentially, we could
develop a vaccine to eliminate this problem," Fortney said. "To culture
a
virus, it may take two weeks to four weeks before you know what was
causing the illness. We'll still use the slower method to do that, but
if
we can figure this out, we could develop a screening tool or tentative
diagnosis within 24 hours. Using molecular diagnostics, we could
initiate
some appropriate treatments until virology comes in and confirms the
tentative diagnosis was correct."
While kennel cough is normally not fatal in dogs, Fortney said this new
respiratory disease may possibly be a new strain of the disease.
"That is one possibility," he said. "We are getting set up to be able to
use some polymerase chain reaction technology to look at the various
strains of bordatella- related kennel cough. That's actually Dr.
Chengappa's piece of the respiratory disease puzzle, but there is
growing
evidence that the outbreaks are probably caused by a virus that these
animals have not been exposed to previously. That may explain why so
many
of the adults get sick. Generally, if it is caused by a virus that they
have previously been exposed to, a few will get sick but not the number
we
are currently seeing.
"So, it has the clinical appearance of being something pretty new,"
Fortney said. "Perhaps that is why we haven't been able to find the
cause
looking for the common or routine kennel cough agents."
According to Fortney, an outbreak can cause a tremendous economic impact
on the industry and community. He said the Woodlands race track in
Wyandotte County had an outbreak this spring. The track was quarantined
but later reopened with full racing. There also have been isolated
outbreaks in greyhound farms around the area. Kansas has not had any
reported outbreaks of the disease in several months.
"It's going to take a while to develop the new diagnostic tests,"
Fortney
said. "We're already moving forward and we're working as hard as we can.
We aren't the only group trying to figure this new disease out. There
are
several other colleges of veterinary medicine and state diagnostic labs
that are looking at the problem. It is hoped we can share our expertise
and collaborate our findings."