Prevalence of zoonotic helminths in italian house dogs

Introduction: Dogs may act as potential sources of zoonotic parasites, e.g. intestinal helminths like Toxocara spp., Ancylostoma spp., Echinococcus spp. In particular circumstances, the environment contaminated by parasitic elements represents a source of infection for people and animals. The present study has evaluated the presence of zoonotic helminths in house dogs from central and north-eastern Italy. Methodology: Stool samples from 493 dogs were examined by a qualitative copromicroscopic technique and differences in prevalence of zoonotic parasites were statistically examined in relation to canine individual data. Results: 48/493 (9.7%) were positive for at least one parasite. Helminths recovered were Trichuris vulpis (5.5%), Toxocara canis (4.3%), Ancylostoma spp. (0.6%) and Eucoleus aerophilus (0.4%), while no cestodes were detected. Age and living with other dogs resulted risk factors for T. canis infection. Conclusions: The health risk associated with the occurrence of parasitic nematodes in privately owned dogs, along with the current anthelmintic treatment plans, are discussed

Simultaneous exposure to angiostrongylus vasorum and vector-borne pathogens in dogs from italy

Several drivers have recently fostered the expansion of Angiostrongylus vasorum through-out Europe, where Vector-Borne Pathogens (VBPs) are also spreading. However, the level of simultaneous risk of infection is still unknown in canine populations. This study evaluated the simultaneous exposure to A. vasorum and major canine VBPs in dogs of Italy. Sera of 294 dogs were subjected to two ELISAs, detecting A. vasorum circulating antigens and antibodies against the parasite, and to the following assays: (i) SNAP® 4DX (IDEXX Laboratories Inc.) detecting Dirofilaria immitis antigens, and antibodies vs. Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. and (ii) IFAT for the detection of antibodies vs. Leishmania infantum, Babesia canis and Rickettsia conorii. Twenty-two (7.5%, CI: 4.8–11.1%) and six (2%, CI: 0.7–4.4%) dogs scored positive for circulating A. vasorum antibodies and antigens, respectively. Seventeen dogs (5.8%, CI: 3.4–9.1%) were positive for A. vasorum antibodies + at least one VBP, three (1%, CI: 0.2–3%) for A. vasorum antigen + at least one VBP, while one dog (0.3%, CI: 0.01–1.88%) was positive for A. vasorum antigen + A. vasorum antibodies + B. canis antibodies. These results show that dogs living in different regions of Italy are at risk of simultaneous infections with both A. vasorum and VBPs. Despite the same scenario being likely in other countries of Europe, the current knowledge is scant. Therefore, further studies are warranted to amplify current epizootiological information and to understand whether control programs should be im-proved

The influence of temperature on the larval development of aelurostrongylus abstrusus in the land snail cornu aspersum

The metastrongyloid Aelurostrongylus abstrusus has an indirect lifecycle involving gastro-pod intermediate hosts. The widespread snail Cornu aspersum is an efficient intermediate host of A. abstrusus. As the temperature may influence the developmental rate of metastrongyloids from first (L1) to the third infective larval stage (L3) inside molluscs, this study evaluated the effect of two controlled temperatures on the development of A. abstrusus in C. aspersum. Overall, 300 snails were infected with 500 L1 of A. abstrusus and kept at 3c25\u25e6 C. Fifteen days post infection (D15), the overall developmental rate to L3 (0.8%) was assessed in a subset of 20 snails. The remaining gastropods were divided in 2 groups, i.e., 180 still kept at 3c25\u25e6 C (G1) and 100 hibernated at 3c4\u25e6 C (G2). On D30, the larval development was evaluated in 20 snails from each group, while another batch of 80 snails was selected random from G1 and hibernated at 3c4\u25e6 C (G3). The larval developmental rate was determined digesting 20 snails from each of the three groups on D45, D60, and D75. The higher mean developmental rate was registered in G1 (3.8%) compared to G2 (1.9%) and G3 (2.3%), indicating that the development to L3 of A. abstrusus in C. aspersum is positively influenced by the increase of temperature

Larval development of the feline lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in Helix aspersa

The cat lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus affects the domestic cat and other felids all over the world. Feline aelurostrongylosis is of importance in clinical feline medicine and is gaining more and more attention for the present expansion in the geographical range of A. abstrusus. Global warming and changes in phenology of snail intermediate hosts have been incriminated in this spreading. Helix aspersa, a potential vector of A. abstrusus, is endemic in most regions of the world, where it has become recently a pest outside its native Mediterranean range. The present work evaluated key features of larval development of A. abstrusus in H. aspersa at two different temperature conditions. The results showed that A. abstrusus may reach the infective stage in muscular foot and viscera of H. aspersa and that environmental temperatures may influence the biological cycle of the cat lungworm. In particular, the higher the average temperature, the higher the rate of larval development, i.e., about 50% of larvae of A. abstrusus reached the infective stage between temperatures of 18.8-29.5 °C, while only 17.8% of larvae completed their development at temperatures of 6.7-22 °C. Biological and epidemiological implications are discussed

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION BY CANINE GEOHELMINTHS

Intestinal nematodes affecting dogs, i.e. roundworms, hookworms and whipworms, have a relevant health-risk impact for animals and, for most of them, for human beings. Both dogs and humans are typically infected by ingesting infective stages, (i.e. larvated eggs or larvae) present in the environment. The existence of a high rate of soil and grass contamination with infective parasitic elements has been demonstrated worldwide in leisure, recreational, public and urban areas, i.e. parks, green areas, bicycle paths, city squares, playgrounds, sandpits, beaches. This review discusses the epidemiological and sanitary importance of faecal pollution with canine intestinal parasites in urban environments and the integrated approaches useful to minimize the risk of infection in different settings

Babesiosi dei ruminanti domestici e selvatici in Italia Nord Orientale: rischio zoonosico.

Negli ultimi anni la babesiosi sta assumendo sempre maggiore importanza come infezione potenzialmente zoonosica. I casi umani segnalati in Europa si riferiscono per la maggior parte a B. divergens. In Italia \ue8 stato recentemente segnalato un caso il cui ceppo \ue8 stato denominato Babesia \u201cEuropean Union 1\u201d (EU1). Nonostante non sia stata ancora chiarita precisamente l\u2019eziologia e l\u2019epidemiologia della babesiosi umana, \ue8 ipotizzabile che ruminanti domestici e selvatici giochino un ruolo importante nel mantenimento dell\u2019infezione. Tra giugno 2005 e marzo 2006 sono stati raccolti campioni di sangue da 116 bovini, 83 ovini, 24 caprini e 81 ruminanti selvatici di diverse specie (49 caprioli, 15 daini, 9 camosci, 5 cervi, 3 mufloni) provenienti dall\u2019Italia nord-orientale. Su tutti i campioni raccolti (ad esclusione di 6 bovini) \ue8 stata condotta la PCR per la ricerca di piroplasmi. I campioni positivi sono stati sequenziati e testati verso le sequenze del gene 18S rRNA di Babesia spp. e Theileria spp. presenti nei database GenBank, EMBL e DDBJ, utilizzando BLAST. Solo i campioni bovini sono stati analizzati sierologicamente tramite test IFI commerciale per B. bigemina e B. bovis. Nessun ovi-caprino \ue8 risultato positivo, mentre un\u2019alta percentuale di bovini (21/110) e di ruminanti selvatici (29/81) sono risultati positivi alla PCR. Al sequenziamento solo una parte dei positivi \ue8 risultata riconducibile a Babesia spp. e in particolare: nei bovini B. microti (1), B. divergens (1) e B. microti-like (15); nei selvatici B. divergens-like (21), Babesia EU1 (1) e Babesia ovis (2). Le positivit\ue0 dei rimanenti campioni sono risultate attribuibili a varie specie del genere Theileria. Le siero-prevalenze riscontrate nei bovini sono risultate del 53,4% (62/116) per B. bovis e del 10,3% (12/116) per B. bigemina, caratterizzate in entrambi i casi da titoli tendenzialmente bassi (1:40-1:320 per B. bovis e 1:80-1:320 per B. bigemina). I risultati della presente indagine evidenziano una circolazione notevole di Babesia spp. quantomeno nelle popolazioni di bovini e di ruminanti selvatici. La definizione delle caratteristiche epidemiologiche e della potenzialit\ue0 zoonosica dei vari ceppi riscontrati necessita di ulteriori studi, ma il ritrovamento di Babesia EU1 in un capriolo della Provincia di Verona e quello di molti isolati riconducibili ai gruppi B. microti-like e B. divergens-like, entrambi possibili responsabili di zoonosi, suggeriscono che il rischio non debba essere sottovalutato. Il riscontro di positivit\ue0 sierologiche a bassi titoli verso specie di Babesia tipiche del bovino non esclude la presenza di altri ceppi, considerando la tendenza alla cross-reattivit\ue0 del test IFI

Efficacy of Aquatain\uae Against Culex pipiens Complex and Aedes albopictus in Catch Basins in Italy

Aquatain\uae is an alternative larvicide formulation to the currently used larvicides. Its efficacy can be assessed monitoring emerging adults with a floating device that was recently developed for use in catch basins. In this study, the efficacy of Aquatain in controlling Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens complex was investigated by comparing the adults emerging from 25 treated catch basins with that of 25 control basins in northeastern Italy. Basins were monitored weekly for 9 times and the efficacy was evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U-test and calculating the inhibition of emergence at each sampling. Aquatain was effective in reducing the number of emerging mosquitoes for both species, but its duration was affected by rainfall. Intensive showers (>10 mm daily) seem to reduce the efficacy of the product, allowing an increase in emerging adults after about 2 wk. This finding suggests that climatic factors should be taken into account to decide the right time for reapplication of Aquatain during routine larval treatments