Profilassi ambientale delle strongilosi gastrointestinali degli ovini e dei caprini

Gastrointestinal strongylosis are the dominant parasitic infections of sheep and goats. The successful control of these parasites cannot be done exclusively with anthelmintics, but the first step is an integrated program for environmental prophylaxis. The correct planning of the prophylaxis program has to be preceded by the analysis of the related problems: (1) the parasitological status of farm livestock; (2) knowledge of the farm management; (3) hydrogeological, pedological and climatic-environmental aspects. The environmental control strategies can be resumed as follows: avoiding animals from different farms to share the same pasture; avoiding animals of different age classes to graze together; parcel the pastures to permit a rational rotation; rotational grazing of pastures according to the seasonal development of parasites; stocking rate; young animals grazing ahead of the older animai ones; crop management practices (draining, ploughing, harrowing, scrub clearing, fertilizing, etc.). These measures make the habitat less suitable for the free-living stages of gastrointestinal strongyles, reducing the potential of infection of the same pastures

Updates on Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) in Italy

An update on Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) diffusion in Italy during 2003-2005 is reported. CE seems to have a sporadic diffusion in the northern part of the country where this disease plays a minor role (prevalence < 1%). Recent investigations have shown the occurrence of CE cases in humans from the mountains between Reggio Emilia and Modena, with an average year incidence between 9.4 and 5.6/100,000. In Abruzzo prevalences in sheep and cattle are 20.2% and 15.3%, with a fertility of 4.6% and 1.3%, respectively. In the same region, G1 and G3 strains were identified and a prevalence of 31% in dogs was found with CaELISA. In Campania, CE prevalence was 14.8% in cattle, with no viable cysts recovered, and 10.5% in water buffaloes, with a fertility of 1.4%. Biotechnologies allowed to find G1 and G3 strains in water buffaloes. In Sicily, CE was found in 67.1% of cattle, with a fertility of 4%, and in 57.6% of sheep, with 9.2% of viable cysts. Biomolecular investigations have found G1 strain in sheep and cattle. In dogs, a prevalence of 5.6% for Echinococcus granulosus was reported. In Sardinia CE prevalence was 75.3% in sheep and 41.5% in cattle, with a fertility of 10.3% and 2.6%, respectively. CE was found also in 9.4% of pigs, with fertility of 6.5%. The G1 strain was recovered in sheep and cattle while the G7 in pigs

Parasites of cage cultured European seabass <i>Dicentrarchus Labrax</i> and gilthead seabream <i>Sparus aurata</i> from Sardinia (western Mediterranean): first results

European seabass Dicentrarchus labrax and gilthead seabream Sparus aurata are the most important marine finfish species intensively cultured in the Mediterranean. Many factors influenced the rapid increase in the production of these species in the last two decades. One of the most important factors is the great development and diffusion of sea-cage culture, because some of the parasite species has become a serious threat to cage-reared fish in other Mediterranean localities

Patologia parassitaria dei pesci

L’affermarsi dell’acquacoltura ha consentito di intraprendere uno studio globale sulle parassitosi dei pesci. Le indagini fin qui espletate hanno evidenziato diverse analogie con le parassitosi dei mammiferi ma anche qualche difformità specialmente nel campo della patologia. In questa nota ci limitiamo a presentare le principali caratteristiche biopatologiche dei parassiti e a descrivere alcuni quadri istologici ottenuti in prevalenza da pesci provenienti dalle acque della Sardegna

Cystic echinococcosis in Italy from the 1950s to present

In Italy the epidemiological pattern of cistic echinococcosis (CE) is incomplete and the information for most regions is out of date, contradictory, and almost exclusively limited to the intermediate hosts. The disease is found most frequently in particular social and economic conditions: widespread use of extensive or semi-extensive sheep farming, illegal slaughtering, and high numbers of sheepdogs and other types of dogs. The highest incidence in sheep is found in Sardinia (70.6-92.8%), Sicily (6.5-36.5%), Basilicata (5-28%), Abruzzo (22%) and Tuscany (47%). It North Italy, it is never higher than 0.5% in slaughtered sheep. No data are available on the biomolecular characterization of the strains of E. granulosus in Italy, apart from Sardinia and recently Lazio. G1 (Sheep strain), G7 (Pig strain) G2 (Tasmanian sheep strain) have been identified in Sardinia and G1 and G3 (Buffalo strain) have been recently isolated in Lazio. In Italy, CE has was also found in buffaloes (2.63-9.8%) and horses (&lt;1%). However, further epidemiological surveys and genotyping study are necessary. The small quantity of up to date information on the diffusion of E. granulosus in dogs (Abruzzo 4%, Sardinia 6-10% and Sicily 19.3%) highlights the need for modern, fast, sensitive and low risk diagnostic methods which would provide a true picture of the pattern of the infection in this host

In-feed trials of fenbendazole and other chemical/natural compounds against Sparicotyle chrysophrii (Monogenea) infections in Sparus aurata (Osteichthyes)

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Cystic echinococcosis in the Campania region (southern Italy)

Echinococcosis is cosmopolitan zoonosis caused by adult or larval stages of tapeworms belonging to the genus Echinococcus Rudolphi, 1801. Within the genus Echinococcus four species are presently recognised, namely Echinococcus granulosus, E. multilocularis, E. oligarthrus and E. vogeli, and taxonomic revision of the genus is probably needed (Thompson RCA, McManus DC, 2002, Trends Parasitol 18: 452- 457). E. granulosus, the major species of medical and public health importance which causes cystic echinococcosis (hydatidosis), has a global distribution

First molecular isolation of <i>Echinococcus granulosus</i> horse strain (G4) in Sardinia (Italy)

Several papers have been published in Sardinia on epidemiology and genetic characterization of Eg, although data on hydatidosis in horse are scarce and dated (Tanda S, 1960, Parassitologia, 2: 315-320). In this work we investigated the situation of Cystic Echinococcosis in horses of Sardinia through a retrospective study compared with new cases recently examined in our laboratory

Aggiornamenti epidemiologici sull’echinococcosi animale in Italia

Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is one of the most widespread parasitoses in the Mediterranean Region (MR). This is due to various factors, the most important being the close association between man, sheep and dogs in areas where open farming is practised. Although this disease has been known for several years and many studies have been carried out, nowadays in Italy there are no complete epidemiological data on its diffusion and distribution. The available data show that CE is mainly diffused in those districts where the sheep-dog cycle can be perpetuated, such as central and southern Italy, and the islands. Furthermore, no data are available on biomolecular characterisation of the strains of Echinococcus granulosus in Italy, apart form those in Sardinia, where the G1 (sheep-dog) and G7 (pig-dog) strains were recently isolated. One of the reasons why CE is a problem with no easy solution is undoubtedly the difficulty of making a certain diagnosis in the dog, the principal definitive host of E. granulosus

Gastro-intestinal parasites of pigs in Sardinia: a copromicroscopical investigation

This paper illustrates a copromicroscopical investigation carried out in Sardinia to update epidemiological data on diffusion of gastro-intestinal parasites in swine. Results obtained lead to suggest the employment of copromicroscopic exam to monitorate parasites diffusion in swine breedings in order to set up correct prophylactic and therapeutically intervents