Buffaloes represent an important economic resource for several regions of the world including Romania. In the present study, we examined 104 faecal samples collected from 38 buffalo calves (2-11 weeks old) from household rearing systems in Romania for gastrointestinal parasites. All samples were tested using the saturated salt flotation, McMaster and modified Ziehl-Nielsen staining methods. PCR coupled with sequencing isolates were used to identify assemblages of Giardia lamblia (Kunstler, 1882) and species of Cryptosporidium Tyzzer, 1907. Overall, 33 out of 38 examined buffalo calves were infected with different gastrointestinal parasites: 16 had single infections and 17 had mixed infections with two or three parasites. Species of Eimeria Schneider, 1875 (32/38; 84%) were the most prevalent parasites; eight species were identified according to the oocyst morphology, including the pathogenic E. bareillyi (Gill, Chhabra et Lall, 1963) which was detected for the first time in buffaloes from Romania. The nematodes Toxocara vitulorum (Goeze, 1782) (11/38; 37%) and Strongyloides papillosus (Wedl, 1856) (6/38; 16%) were also detected. Cryptosporidium spp. were found in four (11%) buffalo calves; two of them were molecularly identified as C. ryanae Fayer, Santin et Trout, 2008, and another one clustered in the same clade with C. ryanae, C. bovis Fayer, Santin et Xiao, 2005, and C. xiaoi Fayer et Santin, 2009. Giardia duodenalis assemblage E was also molecularly detected in a single (2.6%) buffalo calf. The presence of other buffaloes in the same barn was identified as a risk factor for infection with T. vitulorum. Our results indicate extensive parasitic infections in buffalo calves from northwestern Romania and underline the necessity of prophylactic treatments for T. vitulorum and E. bareillyi.
a1_The emergence of cryptosporidiosis, a zoonotic disease of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract caused by Cryptosporidium Tyzzer, 1907, triggered numerous screening studies of various compounds for potential anti-cryptosporidial activity, the majority of which proved ineffective. Extracts of Indonesian plants, Piper betle and Diospyros sumatrana, were tested for potential anti-cryptosporidial activity using Mastomys coucha (Smith), experimentally inoculated with Cryptosporidium proliferans Kváč, Havrdová, Hlásková, Daňková, Kanděra, Ježková, Vítovec, Sak, Ortega, Xiao, Modrý, Chelladurai, Prantlová et McEvoy, 2016. None of the plant extracts tested showed significant activity against cryptosporidia; however, the results indicate that the following issues should be addressed in similar experimental studies. The monitoring of oocyst shedding during the entire experimental trial, supplemented with histological examination of affected gastric tissue at the time of treatment termination, revealed that similar studies are generally unreliable if evaluations of drug efficacy are based exclusively on oocyst shedding. Moreover, the reduction of oocyst shedding did not guarantee the eradication of cryptosporidia in treated individuals. For treatment trials performed on experimentally inoculated laboratory rodents, only animals in the advanced phase of cryptosporidiosis should be used for the correct interpretation of pathological alterations observed in affected tissue. All the solvents used (methanol, methanol-tetrahydrofuran and dimethylsulfoxid) were shown to be suitable for these studies, i.e. they did not exhibit negative effects on the subjects. The halofuginone lactate, routinely administered in intestinal cryptosporidiosis in calves, was shown to be ineffective against gastric cryptosporidiosis in mice caused by C. proliferans., a2_In contrast, the control application of extract Arabidopsis thaliana, from which we had expected a neutral effect, turned out to have some positive impact on affected gastric tissue., Andrea Valigurová, Radka Pecková, Karel Doležal, Bohumil Sak, Dana Květoňová, Martin Kváč, Wisnu Nurcahyo, Ivona Foitová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
We investigated the genotypes of Cryptosporidium infecting red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris L.) in two areas of the Western Alps in Italy. Examination of 141 faecal samples from 70 red squirrels revealed oocysts of Cryptosporidium in 17 animals (24.3%). Based on 18S rRNA gene sequencing, two genotypes of Cryptosporidium species were found: 15 squirrels were positive for the Cryptosporidium ferret genotype and 2 for the Cryptosporidium chipmunk genotype I. The occurrence and intensity of Cryptosporidium infection did not differ between the study areas or sex. More than 85% of the positive animals were adults; however no difference was found between Cryptosporidium infection in the juvenile and adult age groups. Oocysts of the Cryptosporidium ferret genotype measured 5.5 ± 0.3 × 5.2 ± 0.2 µm (shape index 1.06) and the Cryptosporidium chipmunk genotype I 5.8 ± 0.3 × 5.4 ± 0.3 µm (shape index 1.07). Neonatal and adult CD1 and BABL/c mice inoculated with 1 × 103 fresh oocysts of both genotypes did not produce detectable infection.
Faecal samples were collected from cats kept as pets (n = 120) and stray cats (n = 135) in Central Europe (Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) and screened for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia intestinalis (Kunstler, 1882), Encephalitozoon spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi Desportes, Le Charpentier, Galian, Bernard, Cochand-Priollet, Lavergne, Ravisse et Modigliani, 1985 by PCR analysis of the small-subunit of rRNA (Cryptosporidium spp. and G. intestinalis) and ITS (microsporidia) genes. Sequence analysis of targeted genes revealed the presence of C. felis Iseki, 1979, G. intestinalis assemblage F, E. cuniculi Levaditi, Nicolau et Schoen, 1923 genotype II, and E. bieneusi genotype D. There was no correlation between the occurrence of detected parasites and sex, presence of diarrhoea or drug treatment (drug containing pyrantel and praziquantel). Compared to pet cats (7%), stray cats (30%) were statistically more frequently infected with protist parasites and overall may present a greater risk to human health., Martin Kváč, Lada Hofmannová, Ynes Ortega, Nikola Holubová, Michaela Horčičková, Marta Kicia, Lenka Hlásková, Dana Květoňová, Bohumil Sak, John McEvoy., and Obsahuje bibliografii