Karin Allenspach
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Karin is a Lecturer in Small Animal Internal Medicine. She currently spends part of her time on clinics in the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals and the rest of her time on research and teaching.
Biography
Karin graduated from the Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland, in 1993. After completing a Doctoral Thesis she stayed at the University of Zurich working as a Resident in Small Animal Internal Medicine. In 1996 Karin accepted a position as Intern in Small Animal Emergency/Critical Care at Tufts University. On completion of this programme she joined the Residency programme in Small Animal Internal Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia which she completed in 1999.
After returning to Switzerland Karin worked in private referral practice while completing the examination process for the FVH title in Small Animal Medicine (a specialist title in Switzerland), and being awarded her European Diplomat in Companion Animal Medicine (DipECVIM-ca). Karin then accepted a joint position as lecturer and PhD student in Veterinary Immunology at the University of Berne, Switzerland, and completed her PhD thesis in 2005.
Karin then took up a position as Lecturer in Small Animal Internal Medicine at the RVC. She continues her active research interest in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in dogs as well as general aspects of internal medicine.
Research
Karin’s previous research includes her Doctoral Thesis entitled “Determination of Provirusload in FIV-infected cats during repeated immune-stimulation” which she successfully defended in 1995. In October 2005 Karin also successfully defended her PhD Thesis entitled “Chronic Enteropathies in Dogs – research into the Pathogenesis, Diagnosis and Treatment” under the supervision of Prof. Dr. med.vet F. Gaschen and Prof. Dr.med.vet J. Blum.
Karin’s current main area of research is in IBD and other causes of chronic diarrhoea in dogs. Her research team are looking at the immunology behind the disease and especially the interaction of the intestinal microflora with innate immune receptors. Karin’s research also involves various treatment trials for these diseases. Karin collaborates with Oliver Garden, Dirk Werling, Arthur House, Dan Chan, Brian Catchpole and others at the Royal Veterinary College.
To learn more about Karin's research projects at the Clinical Investigation Centre please visit the QMH Clinical Trials. To listen to Karin's podcasts visit the Podcasts.
PhD Studentship starting October 2009
A new PhD studenship is available at the RVC, under Dr Allenspach, titled "Evaluation of the muscosal cytokine profile in canine IBD and efficacy of probiotics". For more information follwo the link above or visit the research website. Deadline for applications is 13th February 2009. Interview Dates are 9th March 2009 (Hawkshead Campus).
PhD students:
Aarti Kathrani (RVC); co-supervisors: Prof. Dirk Werling, Dr. A. House
Nora Berghoff (Texas A&M University) http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/gilab/
International research collaborators:
Prof. Joerg Steiner and Dr. Jan Suchodolski, Texas A&M University, USA
Prof. Al Jergens, Iowa State University, USA
Prof. Shelly Vaden, North Carolina State University, USA
Prof. Frederic Gaschen, Louisiana State University, USA
Teaching
Karin is heavily involved with teaching at the college. As well as teaching undergraduate rotational students and supervising senior clinical training scholars whilst on clinics Karin also lectures in the Alimentary Module for third year BVetMed students and runs directed learning sessions. She also teaches in the Final Year Elective Program and runs a number of CPD courses including online CPD courses.
Clinical
Karin supervises all types of cases referred to the Internal Medicine Department at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals. She has a special interest in gastroenterology, especially IBD in dogs, and is happy to discuss any possible referral cases.
Selected Publications
XENOULIS, P. G., PALCULICT, B., ALLENSPACH, K., STEINER, J. M., VAN HOUSE, A. M. & SUCHODOLSKI, J. S. (2008) Molecular-phylogenetic characterization of microbial communities imbalances in the small intestine of dogs with inflammatory bowel disease. FEMS Microbiol Ecol. PubMed ID 18647355
SUCHODOLSKI, J. S., MORRIS, E. K., ALLENSPACH, K., JERGENS, A. E., HARMOINEN, J. A., WESTERMARCK, E. & STEINER, J. M. (2008) Prevalence and identification of fungal DNA in the small intestine of healthy dogs and dogs with chronic enteropathies. Vet Microbiol. PubMed ID 18586415
SCHREINER, N. M., GASCHEN, F., GRONE, A., SAUTER, S. N. & ALLENSPACH, K. (2008) Clinical Signs, Histology, and CD3-Positive Cells before and after Treatment of Dogs with Chronic Enteropathies. J Vet Intern Med. PubMed ID 18673423
GASCHEN, L., KIRCHER, P., STUSSI, A., ALLENSPACH, K., GASCHEN, F., DOHERR, M. & GRONE, A. (2008) Comparison of ultrasonographic findings with clinical activity index (CIBDAI) and diagnosis in dogs with chronic enteropathies. Vet Radiol Ultrasound 49, 56-64. PubMed ID 18251296
BURGENER, I. A., KONIG, A., ALLENSPACH, K., SAUTER, S. N., BOISCLAIR, J., DOHERR, M. G. & JUNGI, T. W. (2008) Upregulation of toll-like receptors in chronic enteropathies in dogs. J Vet Intern Med 22, 553-560. PubMed ID 18466244
WALKER, D., GARDEN, O. & ALLENSPACH, K. (2007) Canine inflammatory bowel disease. Vet Rec 160, 560. PubMed ID 17449716
SCHONIGER, S., BRIDGER, N., ALLENSPACH, K., MANTIS, P., REST, J. & STEEVES, E. (2007) Sinonasal plasmacytoma in a cat. J Vet Diagn Invest 19, 573-577. PubMed ID 17823407
ALLENSPACH, K., WIELAND, B., GRONE, A. & GASCHEN, F. (2007) Chronic enteropathies in dogs: evaluation of risk factors for negative outcome. J Vet Intern Med 21, 700-708. PubMed ID 17708389
ALLENSPACH, K. (2007) Tests to investigate gastrointestinal diseases in dogs--which markers are actually useful for the practitioner? J Small Anim Pract 48, 607-608. PubMed ID 17986013
SAUTER, S. N., BENYACOUB, J., ALLENSPACH, K., GASCHEN, F., ONTSOUKA, E., REUTELER, G., CAVADINI, C., KNORR, R. & BLUM, J. W. (2006) Effects of probiotic bacteria in dogs with food responsive diarrhoea treated with an elimination diet. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl) 90, 269-277. PubMed ID 16867072
LUCKSCHANDER, N., ALLENSPACH, K., HALL, J., SEIBOLD, F., GRONE, A., DOHERR, M. G. & GASCHEN, F. (2006) Perinuclear antineutrophilic cytoplasmic antibody and response to treatment in diarrheic dogs with food responsive disease or inflammatory bowel disease. J Vet Intern Med 20, 221-227. PubMed ID 16594575
ALLENSPACH, K., VADEN, S. L., HARRIS, T. S., GRONE, A., DOHERR, M. G., GRIOT-WENK, M. E., BISCHOFF, S. C. & GASCHEN, F. (2006) Evaluation of colonoscopic allergen provocation as a diagnostic tool in dogs with proven food hypersensitivity reactions. J Small Anim Pract 47, 21-26. PubMed ID 16417606
ALLENSPACH, K., STEINER, J. M., SHAH, B. N., BERGHOFF, N., RUAUX, C., WILLIAMS, D. A., BLUM, J. W. & GASCHEN, F. (2006) Evaluation of gastrointestinal permeability and mucosal absorptive capacity in dogs with chronic enteropathy. Am J Vet Res 67, 479-483. PubMed ID 16506911
ALLENSPACH, K., RUFENACHT, S., SAUTER, S., GRONE, A., STEFFAN, J., STREHLAU, G. & GASCHEN, F. (2006) Pharmacokinetics and clinical efficacy of cyclosporine treatment of dogs with steroid-refractory inflammatory bowel disease. J Vet Intern Med 20, 239-244. PubMed ID 16594578
ALLENSPACH, K., BERGMAN, P. J., SAUTER, S., GRONE, A., DOHERR, M. G. & GASCHEN, F. (2006) P-glycoprotein expression in lamina propria lymphocytes of duodenal biopsy samples in dogs with chronic idiopathic enteropathies. J Comp Pathol 134, 1-7. PubMed ID 16325844
SPICHIGER, A. C., ALLENSPACH, K., ONTSOUKA, E., GASCHEN, F., MOREL, C., BLUM, J. W. & SAUTER, S. N. (2005) Abundance of mRNA of growth hormone receptor and insulin-like growth factors-1 and -2 in duodenal and colonic biopsies of dogs with chronic enteropathies*. J Vet Med A Physiol Pathol Clin Med 52, 491-497. PubMed ID 16300656
SAUTER, S. N., ALLENSPACH, K., GASCHEN, F., GRONE, A., ONTSOUKA, E. & BLUM, J. W. (2005) Cytokine expression in an ex vivo culture system of duodenal samples from dogs with chronic enteropathies: modulation by probiotic bacteria. Domest Anim Endocrinol 29, 605-622. PubMed ID 15941645
GASCHEN, L., KIRCHER, P., LANG, J., GASCHEN, F., ALLENSPACH, K. & GRONE, A. (2005) Pattern recognition and feature extraction of canine celiac and cranial mesenteric arterial waveforms: normal versus chronic enteropathy--a pilot study. Vet J 169, 242-250. PubMed ID 15727916
ALLENSPACH, K. & GASCHEN, F. (2003) [Chronic intestinal diseases in the dog: a review]. Schweiz Arch Tierheilkd 145, 209-219, 221-202. PubMed ID 12784482
ALLENSPACH, K., ARNOLD, P., GLAUS, T., HAUSER, B., WOLFF, C., EBERLE, C. & KOMMINOTH, P. (2000) Glucagon-producing neuroendocrine tumour associated with hypoaminoacidaemia and skin lesions. J Small Anim Pract 41, 402-406. PubMed ID 11023126
LEUTENEGGER, C. M., HOFMANN-LEHMANN, R., HOLZNAGEL, E., CUISINIER, A. M., WOLFENSBERGER, C., DUQUESNE, V., CRONIER, J., ALLENSPACH, K., AUBERT, A., OSSENT, P. & LUTZ, H. (1998) Partial protection by vaccination with recombinant feline immunodeficiency virus surface glycoproteins. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 14, 275-283. PubMed ID 9491919
HOLZNAGEL, E., HOFMANN-LEHMANN, R., LEUTENEGGER, C. M., ALLENSPACH, K., HUETTNER, S., FORSTER, U., NIEDERER, E., JOLLER, H., WILLETT, B. J., HUMMEL, U., ROSSI, G. L., SCHUPBACH, J. & LUTZ, H. (1998) The role of in vitro-induced lymphocyte apoptosis in feline immunodeficiency virus infection: correlation with different markers of disease progression. J Virol 72, 9025-9033. PubMed ID 9765447
LUTZ, H., HOFMANN-LEHMANN, R., LEUTENEGGER, C., ALLENSPACH, K., CUISINIER, A. M., CRONIER, J., DUQUESNE, V. & AUBERT, A. (1996) Vaccination of cats with recombinant envelope glycoprotein of feline immunodeficiency virus: decreased viral load after challenge infection. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 12, 431-433. PubMed ID 8882327
HOLZNAGEL, E., HOFMANN-LEHMANN, R., ALLENSPACH, K., HUTTNER, S., WILLETT, B., GROSCURTH, P., NIEDERER, E. & LUTZ, H. (1996) Flow cytometric detection of activation-induced cell death (apoptosis) in peripheral blood lymphocyte subpopulations from healthy cats. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 52, 1-14. PubMed ID 8807772
ALLENSPACH, K., AMACKER, M., LEUTENEGGER, C. M., HOTTIGER, M., HOFMANN-LEHMANN, R., HUBSCHER, U., PISTELLO, M. & LUTZ, H. (1996) [Quantification of proviral FIV DNA using competitive PCR]. Schweiz Arch Tierheilkd 138, 87-92. PubMed ID 8720733
ALLENSPACH, K., HAGEN, A. & FLUCKIGER, M. (1995) [What is your diagnosis? Congenital pulmonary stenosis with signs of a distinct diminishing lung perfusion]. Schweiz Arch Tierheilkd 137, 184-186. PubMed ID 7569841