Choleoeimeria bunopusi sp. n. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) Infecting the Gall Bladder of the Tuberculated Gecko Bunopus tuberculatus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from Saudi Arabia

Choleoeimeria bunopusi sp. n. is described from the gall bladder of the tuberculated gecko Bunopus tuberculatus in Saudi Arabia. The prevalence of infection was 13.3% (2/15). Oocysts were ellipsoidal and measured 31 (30–33) × 21 (20–22) μm. Sporocysts were dizoic, elliptical in shape and measured 12 (11–13) × 7 (6–8) μm. The endogenous development was confined to the gall bladder epithelium. The hypertrophic parasitized biliary epithelium either remained in one layer or became stratified. Meronts, gamonts, and young oocysts were detected

Prevalence and antimicrobial sensitivity of Escherichia coli and Salmonella species in field cases of rabbit intestinal coccidiosis treated with prebiotic

This study aimed to investigate the effect of prebiotic treatment on E. coli and Salmonella species during natural intestinal coccidiosis in rabbits. The experiment was conducted on 45 selected farm rabbits of which 15 were coccidian free (Negative control; NC, group) and 30 were naturally coccidian infected. The infected animals were allocated into two equal groups including positive control (PC) and prebiotic treated (PT) that were orally treated with prebiotic for 8 successive days. Fecal oocyst count was assessed daily during the course of treatment. Meanwhile, the PC group had a significantly high oocyst count (21.67×103 ± 0.82 OPG), with a significant increase in the prevalence of E. coli and Salmonella (86.7 % and 46.7 %, respectively). Moreover, the NC group remained coccidian free and exhibited E. coli infection only with no detection of salmonella isolates. Findings of in-vitro susceptibility testing showed that E. coli isolates were highly resistant to most of the tested antimicrobials while Salmonella isolates showed variable degrees of resistance. In conclusion, the prebiotic treatment significantly reduced the prevalence of E. coli and Salmonella infections coexisted with intestinal coccidiosis in naturally infected rabbits

Acaricidal activity of Foeniculum vulgare against Rhipicephalus annulatus is mainly dependent on its constituent from trans-anethone

Globally, the economic losses due to hard ticks infestation and the control of the associated diseases have been calculated at USD $13.9-18.7 billion per year. The economic impact is related to its direct damage to the skins, blood loss, anemia, severe immunological reactions and indirect losses that related to the effects of hemoparasites, cost of treatment for clinical cases and expenses incurred in the control of ticks. The current study evaluated the acaricidal activities of fennel Foeniculum vulgare essential oil and its main components; trans-anethole and fenchone; against R. annulatus. GC-MS analysis revealed that this oil contained 16 components representing 99.9% of the total identified compounds with E-anethole being the predominant component(64.29%), followed by fenchone (9.94%). The fennel oil and trans-anethole showed significant acaricidal activities. The LC50 of the fennel oil was attained at concentrations of 12.96% for adult ticks and 1.75% for tick larvae meanwhile the LC50 of trans-anethole was reached at concentrations of 2.36% for adult tick and 0.56% for tick larvae. On the contrary, fenchone showed no any significant adulticidal activities and its LC50 attained at a concentration of 9.11% for tick larvae. Regarding repellence activities, trans-anethole achieved 100% repellency at the concentration of 10% while fennel showed 86% repellency at the same concentration. Fenchone showed no repellency effect. Treatment of larvae with fennel, trans-anethole, and fenchone LC50 concentrations significantly inhibited the acetylcholinesterase activity. Meanwhile, glutathione s-transferase activity was significantly decreased in fennel treated larvae but no significant effect was found in the larvae of trans-anethole and fenchone groups. These results indicate that the acaricide effect of fennel oil may attributed to its high content of trans-anethole. This was supported by potent adulticidal, larvicidal, and repellency effects of trans-anethole against Rhipeciphalus annulatus tick and therefore it could be included in the list of acaricide of plant origin

Perkinsus sp. (Alveolata, Perkinsidae) a Parasite of the Clam Meretrix meretrix (Veneridae) from Arabian Gulf: Ultrastructural Observations of the Trophozoites and the Cellular Response of the Host

Genus Perkinsus Levine, 1978 (Alveolata, Perkinsidae) an intracellular pathogenic parasite is described from the mantle and gill filaments of a commercially important clam, Meretrix meretrix, collected from the Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia. This genus contains currently seven named species: P. marinus, P. olseni (P. atlanticus), P. chesapeaki (P. andrewsi), P. mediterraneus, P. honshuensis, P. beihaiensis and P. qugwadi. Meanwhile, some unnamed Perkinsus sp. have been described in wide variety of mollusc species. Ultrastructural features of Perkinsus sp. trophozites and the host reaction are described. The different developmental stages of trophozoites appeared as single or grouped cells surrounded by amorphous material that constituted cysts or nodules randomly distributed throughout the connective tissue of the mantle. The early trophozoites were generally spherical to ellipsoidal with a circular nucleus containing a prominent central nucleolus. The cytoplasm had several small vacuoles which coalesce to form a great vacuole in the later trophozoites and the nucleus becomes eccentric. Some lomosomes were observed between the wall and the plasmalemma of trophozoites. A large number of degraded and pyknotic cell and several cellular structure with lysed aspects were encountered in the surrounding area near the cysts. Ultrastructural data showed that the lysed granular cells and the coalescence of the granules result in the cyst that encapsulates various trophozoites. In the current study, we describe for the first time the presence of Perkinsus sp. as well as the host reaction in clams from the Saudi Arabian coasts

Acaricidal activity of tea tree and lemon oil nanoemulsions against Rhipicephalus annulatus

Tick infestation is a serious problem in many countries since it has an impact on the health of animals used for food production and pets, and frequently affects humans. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the acaricidal effects of nanoemulsions of essential oils o

Zschokkella egyptica n. sp. (Myxosporea: Bivalvulaida) infecting the gallbladder of the eel catfish Plotosus lineatus Thunberg, 1787 and the freckled goatfish Upeneus tragula Richardson, 1846 in the Red Sea, Egypt

A new myxosporean, Zschokkella egyptica n. sp. was found in the gallbladder of two hosts: the eel catfish Plotosus lineatus and the freckled goat fish Upeneus tragula from the Red Sea at Suez City, Egypt. The plasmodia were polysporic, kidney to elliptical shaped with hairy holdfast projection and measured 109 × 70 μm. Mature spores were fusiform with 9 to 11 longitudinal striations. The mean spore dimensions were 13.0 × 10.5 μm. Spherical polar capsules are 4.8 μm in diameter; the polar filament showed four turns and were arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the capsule. © 2006 Springer-Verlag

Myxidium elmatboulii n. sp. and Ceratomyxa ghaffari n. sp. (Myxozoa: Myxosporea) parasitic in the gallbladder of the Red Sea houndfish Tylosurus choram (Rüppell, 1837) (Teleostei: Belonidae) from the Red Sea, Egypt

Two new myxosporean species, Myxidium elmatboulii n. sp. and Ceratomyxa ghaffari n. sp., are described from the gallbladder of the Red Sea houndfish Tylosurus choram (Ruppell, 1837) from the Gulf of Suez, Red Sea, Egypt. Diagnostic features of Myxidium elmatboulii n. sp.: plasmodia disporous, spherical in shape. Spores s-shaped with smooth surface and measures 20.7 (19.0-23.0) × 10.6 (9.0-12.0) × 10.4 (8.5-12.0) μm. Polar capsules pyriform with 9-10 polar filaments, measuring 9.10 (8.0-10.0) × 3.8 (3.5-4.0) μm. Spores of Ceratomyxa ghaffari n. sp. slightly crescent-shaped, measuring 7.6 (6.0-9.0) × 29.9 (25.0-33.0) μm. Polar capsules typically rounded, 3.3 (3.0-4.0) μm in diameter with 5 filament turns

First Record of Chilodonella spp. (Ciliophora: Chilodonellidae) in Cultured Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in the Central Region of Saudi Arabia

Abstract.-Saudi Arabia has a growing aquaculture industry that farms mainly tilapia. Ectoparasites, including ciliates of the genus Chilodonella, are known to be a major problem in fish farms. Nothing, however, is known about this genus from pond-reared fishes in Saudi Arabia. In the present study, 400 Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were collected from farms in Riyadh, in the central region of Saudi Arabia, and examined for the incidence of Chilodonella infestation. Twenty out of the 400 examined fish were found infected (prevalence 5%), two species, Chilodonella piscicola and Chilodonella hexasticha were identified. The findings presented here are very important for the fishery sector, since this parasite can cause mass mortality, therefore, further study should be concentrated on the impact of Chilodonella spp. on the cultured fish in Saudi Arabia

Assessment of prevalence of hydatidosis in slaughtered Sawakny sheep in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia

Hydatidosis, or echincoccosis, is a serious medical and veterinary problem in many countries, particularly those with rural communities where there is a greater contact between dogs and domestic animals. Domestic livestock act as intermediate hosts which are the main reservoir for the disease in humans. It is therefore very important to estimate the prevalence of hydatid cysts in slaughtered animals since it can be transmitted to humans through dogs, which act as the final host for the disease. From this point of view, the present study was suggested to determine the prevalence of hydatidosis in Sawakny sheep slaughtered in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. During the course of the study 12,569 Sawakny sheep were inspected for hydatidosis infection. An overall prevalence of 1.06% was detected among the examined sheep, with the highest prevalence occurring in winter (1.38%) and lowest prevalence in summer (0.67%). Sheep aged 6–12 months had a higher rate of infection than older animals, and males were the predominant carriers of infection (97.7%) compared to females (2.3%). The liver was the most infected organ (79.1%), followed by the lungs (14.6%), while concurrent infections of both the liver and the lungs occurred in 6% of cases. The fertility and viability rates of hydatid cysts in the liver (70.1% and 85.1% respectively) were higher than that in any other organs. In conclusion, it is evident that fertile cysts in slaughtered sheep could have an important role in the continuation of hydatid cyst transmission to humans through dogs. Considerable effort should be devoted to controlling the transmission of cysts from abattoirs by the secure disposal of infected offal. In addition, plans are required for further epidemiological studies and control programs