Estudio de las zoonosis parasitarias en parques públicos de Valencia con enfoque a Toxocara spp., ¿un problema para la salud pública?

La toxocarosis es una enfermedad parasitaria zoonótica que se transmite de animales de compañía al ser humano. El agente etiológico principal es Toxocara canis, siendo el suelo contaminado con huevos embrionados y la geofagia la mayor fuente de infección para humanos. El presente Trabajo Fin de Grado estudió la contaminación ambiental por huevos de Toxocara spp. en tierra y muestras fecales obtenidos de diversos parques públicos de la ciudad de Valencia, España. Se obtuvieron un total de 64 muestras de tierra y 44 muestras fecales de 14 parques públicos, durante un periodo desde noviembre 2018 hasta junio 2019. Las muestras de tierra fueron analizadas con una técnica de tamizado combinado con sedimentación, centrifugación y flotación mientras que las heces se analizaron con el método Telemann modificado. La contaminación total de los parques públicos que entraron en el estudio era del 35,7% (5/14). Todos los resultados positivos se obtuvieron de muestras de tierra, con una prevalencia total del 10,9% (7/64), mientras que los análisis coprológicos eran negativos (0/44). Se concluye que existe contaminación ambiental con huevos de Toxocara spp. en los parques públicos de Valencia y que el suelo contaminado es la principal fuente de infección para contraer geohelmintosToxocariasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease transmitted from companion animals to humans. The major agent who causes the disease is Toxocara canis, being the main source of infection the ingestion of embryonated eggs from contaminated soil by geophagia. The present Final Degree Project studies the environmental contamination with Toxocara spp. eggs in soil and fecal samples collected from different public parks in the city of Valencia, Spain. A total of 64 soil samples and 44 fecal samples were collected from 14 public parks, during a period ranging from November 2018 to June 2019. Soil samples were analyzed with a sieving technique combined with sedimentation, centrifugation and flotation while fecal samples were analyzed with the modified Telemann technique. Overall, 35,7% (5/14) of the public parks were contaminated with Toxocara spp. eggs. All the positive results were obtained from soil samples, with a total prevalence of 10,9% (7/64), while fecal samples remained negative (0/44). In conclusion, it exists environmental contamination with Toxocara spp. eggs in public parks of Valencia and the major source of getting geohelminths is contaminated soilVeterinari

Associations of Swiss national reporting system's antimicrobial use data and management practices in dairy cows on tie stall farms.

Antimicrobial use (AMU) in Switzerland is above target and requires reduction especially in dairy cattle. Measuring AMU is pivotal to identify starting points for AMU reduction and so are studies investigating its potential drivers in dairy farms worldwide. However, although AMU in dairy farms is high, studies estimating AMU specifically in tie stall farms are scarce. Tie stalls are a common housing system and their prevalence among dairy farms accounts to approximatively 73%, 41% and 40% in Canada, the US and Switzerland, respectively. The objectives of this cross-sectional, retrospective observational study were to estimate AMU using the newly established Swiss national reporting system for AMU in livestock and to identify associated factors on Swiss tie stall dairy farms. We calculated the treatment incidence (TI) by using the European Medicines Agency's methodology and their Defined Daily and Defined Course Dose (DDD/DCD) standards. Data on factors potentially associated with AMU were obtained through personal interviews with farm managers on 221 farms. Retrospectively, during a 1-year period, data on a total of 7,619 treatments were extracted from the national database. Associations between management factors and TI were analyzed using a generalized linear model with gamma distribution. The mean overall TI was 5.46 DDD/cow-year (±standard deviation: 4.10 DDD/cow-year). Intramammary treatment during lactation accounted for highest TI (3.24; ± 3.16 DDD/cow-year), whereas dry-cow therapy accounted for lowest TI (0.44; ± 0.49 DCD/cow-year). Five of the investigated management factors were significantly associated with TI. Organic production (estimate -2.16; 95% confidence interval [95 CI] -3.62, -0.70) and herd size (estimate -0.81; 95 CI -1.23, -0.39) were negatively associated with TI. Specific cow breeds (Brown Swiss and Holstein Friesian: estimate 1.56; 95 CI 0.45, 2.68; estimate 1.42; 95 CI 0.03, 2.82, respectively; reference: other breeds) and the use of hygienic powders on the lying area (estimate 1.10; 95 CI 0.04, 2.17) were positively associated with TI. In conclusion, the Swiss national reporting system is a valuable tool for AMU estimation. Several herd characteristics and management factors were associated with AMU in tie stall farms. Further studies focusing on factors associated with AMU and which are amenable to intervention will help improve stewardship programs and subsequently reduce AMU in dairy cows

Prevalence of resistant E. coli and their transmission among dairy cattle in Swiss tie stalls

Dairy cattle are the production branch of Swiss animal husbandry where most antimicrobials are administered. This study was conducted to a) describe the prevalence of rectal E. coli resistant to antimicrobials and b) to investigate whether there are indications for transmission of resistant E. coli among tie-stalled dairy cattle that are tied next to each other. During farm visits, triplets of cows were swab sampled to isolate E. coli from the rectal mucosa and perform susceptibility testing using microdilution. Triplets included treated and untreated cows: cow A: treated parenterally with antimicrobials within 3-7 days prior to sampling; cow B: untreated neighbouring cow of cow A; cow C: untreated cow not neighbouring cow A or B. A total of 281 farms were visited. Prevalence of resistant E. coli was moderate to low in untreated and moderate in treated cows. Overall, resistance was exhibited most frequently to sulfamethoxazole (31.8%), tetracycline (8.5%) and ampicillin (6.3%). Being cow B, i.e. being exposed to treated cow A was not associated with higher prevalence of resistant E. coli in comparison to cow C. In our study population, there is no indication that parenteral antimicrobial treatment in tied dairy cows increases the risk of carrying resistant E. coli for cows tied at the neighbouring stand. For practitioners, separation of cows that undergo treatment may not be necessary to avoid spread of resistant bacteria and therefore to comply with the standards of prudent use of antimicrobials

Prevalence of Toxocara Eggs in Public Parks in the City of Valencia (Eastern Spain)

Toxocara spp. is one of the most common zoonotic geohelminths in the world. Its infections are associated with the accidental ingestion of contaminated soil and affecting, especially children. In this study, feces, and soil samples from 14 public parks in the city of Valencia were analyzed. The Telemann method and a modified version of a sieving technique were used to process feces and soil, respectively. None of the fecal samples and 10.9% of soil samples from five parks (35.7%) tested positive for the presence of Toxocara eggs. The most contaminated areas were the canine sanitary parks (30.8% of the samples), followed by socialization areas for dogs (9.7%); no positive samples were found at children’s playgrounds. Our results suggest that most pets in Valencia are periodically dewormed, although additional preventive measures should be applied, since the risk of infection exists probably due to the presence of stray dogs and feral cats