[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/9362\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EMan bites back at killer dog bites with smart optics\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThere are an estimated 90 million dogs living as pets in European households. Having a dog in the family can make people more physically active. It can reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness. It can also improve the lives of older individuals - petting a dog has been shown to help reduce blood pressure.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBut even though there is a dog living in almost 40% of European homes, there is one relatively small concern. Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a bacteria that lives in the saliva of dogs that can infect people and cause serious disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAlthough it lives in the mouths of dogs and cats harmlessly most of the time, on rare occasions, if a dog bites or licks a cut, some strains of the microbe can trigger a devastating disease in people.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERare condition\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe condition is rare, with around four cases per million inhabitants per annum. As difficult to treat as it is to pronounce, Capnocytophaga canimorsus can travel from the saliva of the dog to the blood of the person when a dog licks a scratch or an abrasion.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The name is canimorsus, which is Latin for dog bite,\u2019 said Dr Francesco Renzi, microbiologist at the University of Namur, Belgium, \u2018And that is clearly the main infection route.\u2019\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ECapnocytophaga canimorsus almost never causes illnesses in young healthy people. However, it can cause severe illness in those with compromised immune systems, those with damaged or no spleens and people suffering from alcoholism.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018People more than 60 years old are also more at risk, maybe because of their immune status,\u2019 said Dr Renzi.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EThere are no specific symptoms, and the infection is quite rare.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Francesco Renzi, microbiologist at the University of Namur, Belgium\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe number of bacteria in the blood can spike, and cause high fever, flu-like symptoms and pain. \u2018There are no specific symptoms, and the infection is quite rare,\u2019 said Dr Renzi. This makes it less likely for a doctor to suspect infection with these bacteria.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESeptic shock\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAround 30% of cases result in death, and many who survive endure amputation due to gangrene. A patient may also suffer from sepsis and multi-organ failure.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile antibiotics, given early, kill the microbe, identifying Capnocytophaga canimorsus can be very difficult, even in hospital labs.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018What is important is for physicians to talk to patients and ask if they have a dog, if they have been bitten recently,\u2019 said Dr Renzi. A bite wound might not become infected, so it is not obvious that the infection entered this way.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EDr Renzi\u2019s Belgian lab collected saliva from 285 dogs and identified Capnocytophaga canimorsus in 83% of them using a PCR test they developed for the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/780540\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ECANITEST\u003C\/a\u003E project.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThey also established that the most harmful bacteria that causes the majority of human illnesses is present in only around 10% of dogs.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EDr Renzi advises dog owners in the 88 million European households where dogs live, to wash themselves after contact with their pet\u2019s saliva and to not allow a dog to lick an open wound or cut.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDog diagnostics\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EDr Bla\u017e\u0026nbsp;Cugmas is a young researcher whose big passion in life is to improve animal health. He is especially interested in how technology can be used by veterinarians to diagnose and treat pets.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter completing his PhD in his native Slovenia, Dr Cugmas moved to a lab in Riga, Latvia, which is renowned for biophotonics.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBiophotonics is a light-based method used in medicine, for example when smartphone cameras are used to analyse skin lesions for cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Most of these technologies have been developed for humans,\u2019 said Dr Cugmas, \u2018And they cannot just be translated to animals.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe challenge was how to use biophotonics to diagnose illness in pets.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EDr Cugmas set about developing technologies and prototypes that vets could use on animal patients as part of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/745396\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EdogSPEC project\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBlood sensor\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EToday, anyone can buy pulse oximeters, a device that shines light through a finger to a sensor on the other side. It detects blood colour and thereby computes blood oxygen levels. A dramatic fall in blood oxygen, for example, can indicate serious illness.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EDr Cugmas applied his prototype pet pulse oximeter to different locations around the body of cats and dogs to test the animals\u0027 condition.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We showed that there are some locations where you can apply a pulse oximeter and get a strong signal,\u2019 he said. This could be used by a vet to help diagnose an illness, to be validated with other tests. A speedier diagnosis will lead to better outcomes for our furry friends.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPet thermometer\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother diagnostic device people use, but not normally pets, is an infrared thermometer. This is often used to measure body temperature of children when held close to their forehead. The devices have become widely familiar since they are used to check people\u2019s temperature in Covid-19 pandemic conditions.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESuch a device for pets would be incredibly useful, said Dr Cugmas, because normally a vet must apply a thermometer into the rectum of their patient.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018As you can imagine, this is not very popular with the animal. Cats especially don\u2019t tolerate this very well,\u2019 he said. Dr Cugmas is trying to develop a handheld IR thermometer suitable for pets. He also has a license to practice as a veterinarian.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThis is a very practical challenge. Ideally, measuring temperature would be the start of a clinical examination, yet many vets avoid it, \u2018because you will irritate the animal so much that you lose their cooperation,\u2019 said Dr Cugmas.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESkin redness\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EDr Cugmas is also developing a mobile dermatoscope for pets. This device would use light to assess the redness, or erythema, of an animal\u2019s skin.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn humans, a dermatoscope is used by medical specialists to scrutinise marks that could signal melanoma skin cancer.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile dogs and cats rarely get skin cancer, skin colour changes can be markers for a serious condition. For example, a dog\u2019s skin might flare up as red and itchy if they have an allergic reaction.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe are trying to use smartphone cameras, which have a mobile dermatoscope attached, to try to measure skin erythema.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Bla\u017e Cugmas, researcher\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We are trying to use smartphone cameras, which have a mobile dermatoscope attached, to try to measure skin erythema,\u2019 said Dr Cugmas. He demonstrated its potential in a study of 43 dogs with skin dermatitis in January 2021.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDog-proof devices\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWork is ongoing to physically strengthen devices, since some excitable dogs have in the past knocked over the prototypes and damaged them. Also, given the nature of the patient, it\u2019s important to make the devices chew-proof.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Janis Spigulis is a physicist working in the same biophotonics lab in Riga. He praises the work of his colleague in transferring light-based diagnostic technology to pets.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Bla\u017e\u0026nbsp;is trying to stick to the same approaches and to make some devices that are specific for animals,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Many optical technologies are unknown to veterinarians, so this interdisciplinary interaction is very positive and he has achieved good results.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Ch5\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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