In Senegal, several areas provide great potential for agriculture and animal production, but African animal trypanosomosis (AAT) is one of the major constraints to the development of more effective livestock production systems. A study was conducted to assess the current situation of AAT in this country. Surveys were carried out between June 2011 and September 2012 in four different areas: Dakar, Sine Saloum, Kedougou region and Basse Casamance in several animal species: dogs (152), donkeys (23), horses (63), sheep (43), goats (52) and cattle (104), distributed in the four sites. Molecular tools (PCR) indicated 3.4% positive animals including dogs, donkeys, a goat and cattle. The savannah type of Trypanosoma congolense Broden, 1904 (53% of positive cases) and the forest type of T. congolense (subgenus Nannomonas Hoare, 1964) were predominant. Trypanosoma vivax Ziemann, 1905 (subgenus Duttonella Chalmers, 1918) was only present in one animal and no trypanosome of the subgenus Trypanozoon Lühe, 1906 was found. Half of the positive cases were detected in Sine Saloum, where T. congolense savannah-type was predominant, and the other half in Basse Casamance, where T. congolense forest-type was predominant; no cases were found in Dakar or in the Kedougou region. A high risk of infection in dogs with T. congolense savannah-type was shown in Sine Saloum, requiring prevention and control of dogs in this area. The involvement of tsetse flies in the transmission of T. congolense in Sine Saloum and Basse Casamance is discussed., Sophie Ravel, Oleg Mediannikov, Géraldine Bossard, Marc Desquesnes, Gérard Cuny, Bernard Davoust., and Obsahuje bibliografii
A total of 345 faecal samples were collected from domestic, captive and wild birds in rural areas, urban areas and a Zoo in Algeria. Samples were screened for the presence of parasites belonging to the genus Cryptosporidium Tyzzer, 1910 by microscopy and PCR analysis of the small-subunit rRNA (SSU), actin and 60-kDa glycoprotein (gp60) genes. Cryptosporidium spp. were detected in 31 samples. Sequence analysis of SSU and actin genes revealed the presence of C. baileyi Current, Upton et Haynes, 1986 in domestic chicken broilers (n = 12), captive ostriches (n = 4) and a wild mallard (n = 1), and C. meleagridis Slavin, 1955 in a graylag goose (n = 1), chickens (n = 11) and turkeys (n = 2). Twenty-three chicken and two turkey broilers from five farms were positive for cryptosporidia, with an overall prevalence of 2% and 6%, respectively. Both C. meleagridis and C. baileyi were detected in farmed chicken broilers, with a prevalence ranging from 9% to 69%. Farmed turkeys broilers were positive only for C. meleagridis, with a 13% prevalence at the animal level. Subtyping of C. meleagridis isolates at the gp60 locus showed the presence of subtype IIIgA22G3R1 in graylag goose and chicken broilers and IIIgA23G2R1 in chicken and turkey broilers. Infection with cryptosporidia was not associated with any clinical diseases. The results of the present study, which provides the first data on the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in wild birds in Africa, demonstrate the presence of human pathogenic C. meleagridis in both domestic and wild birds in Algeria., Abd Elkarim Laatamna, Nikola Holubová, Bohumil Sak, Martin Kváč., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Giardiasis is a common gastrointestinal infection of humans and animals with a worldwide distribution. Eight genetic groups (known as assemblages A to H) are currently recognised within the species complex of Giardia duodenalis (Lambl, 1859), of which assemblages A and B are responsible for infection of humans and other mammalian hosts. Genotyping data on giardiasis are not available from Slovenia. In this work, we have characterised isolates of G. duodenalis from 85 human symptomatic cases collected during 2002-2013. Genomic DNAs were first tested by a real-time (rt) PCR assay and then by conventional PCR at three loci (beta-giardin, bg; triose phosphate isomerase, tpi; and glutamate dehydrogenase, gdh). We found that the threshold cycle (Ct) values in rt-PCR testing were higher for samples collected during 2002-2005 and that this was paralleled by a low amplification rate in conventional PCR (6 of 32, i.e. 19%). In contrast, lower Ct values and higher amplification rate (45 of 53; 85%) were observed for samples collected during 2006-2013, suggesting an adverse effect of prolonged freezing of stools. Assemblages A and B were found with an almost identical frequency in the 51 genotyped samples. In agreement with previous studies, sequences from assemblage B isolates were characterised by larger genetic variability and by the presence of heterogeneous positions, which made assignment to specific genotypes difficult. Less variability was observed in sequences from assemblage A isolates, which belonged to the human-specific subassemblage AII. These data showed that the genotypes of G. duodenalis that circulate in humans in Slovenia are similar to those previously identified in Europe., Barbara Šoba, Sabina Islamović, Miha Skvarč, Simone M. Cacciò., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This is the first study detailing the microhabitat specificity of the monogenean parasite, Paradiplozoon ichthyoxanthon Avenant-Oldewage in Avenant-Oldewage et al., 2014. Samples of the monogenean were collected from the gills of the smallmouth yellowfish Labeobarbus aeneus (Burchell) from the Vaal Dam, South Africa, over four seasons with the use of gill nets. Host condition factor fluctuated between the different seasons, with the highest values recorded in summer. Adults and diporpas of P. ichthyoxanthon were found in all four seasons. Adult parasites predominantly infect the first gill arch, whereas diporpas were found on the second and fourth arches. In utero eggs were also found throughout the sampling seasons and their number negatively correlated with the condition factor of the host. The occurrence of adults and diporpas of P. ichthyoxanthon correlated with the size of the host but not the condition factor. Water quality of the study site also had little correlational relationship with the occurrence of the parasites and fluctuations were related to season. The main factor that may drive the microhabitat specificity of P. ichthyoxanthon is the flow of water over the surfaces of the gills and chances of the parasites becoming dislodged. Size of the attachment organs has also been shown to play a role in this specificity, because smaller attachment structures favour stronger holdfast to areas where flow might be stronger compared to larger attachment structures., Beric M. Gilbert, Annemariè Avenant-Oldewage., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908) is an obligate intracellular, parasitic protozoan within the phylum Apicomplexa that causes toxoplasmosis in mammalian hosts (including humans) and birds. Since meat of wild boar, Sus scrofa (Linnaeus), has been demonstrated to be a potential source of human infection, a careful evaluation of the prevalence of infection with T. gondii in hunted animals is needed to protect public health. In the Var area in southeastern France, we performed a spatio-temporal survey in order to investigate the prevalence of IgG antibodies in wild boars shot by hunters in the Canjuers military camp during two subsequent hunting seasons. Of 841 wild boars screened, antibodies (IgG) to T. gondii (modified agglutination test, cut-off 1 : 6) were found in 141 (16.8%) muscle extract samples. A significant association (p < 0.001) was found between positivity and age, but not gender, and hunting districts. The results obtained indicate that consumption of raw or undercooked meat from wild boars carries an important risk of infection with T. gondii. Wild boars may be considered as a bioindicator of parasite circulation in this ecosystem., Cédric Roqueplo, Radu Blaga, Jean-Lou Marié, Isabelle Vallée, Bernard Davoust., and Obsahuje bibliografii