Canine vector-borne parasites in the Galapagos.

Background: The extraordinary Galapagos Islands, with an impressive number of endemic and native species, maintain the interest and curiosity for researchers from all over the world. The native species are known to be vulnerable to new pathogens, cointroduced with their invasive hosts. In the case of invasive parasitic arthropods, their evolutionary success is related to the association with other invasive hosts (such as domestic animals).

Diversity of lice and flea- and lice-borne pathogens in free-ranging dogs in Uzbekistan.

Vector-borne diseases pose a significant threat to human and animal health worldwide, with arthropods, including fleas and lice, acting as key vectors for transmitting various pathogens. In Uzbekistan, where millions of domestic dogs coexist with humans, the diversity of vector-borne pathogens carried by ectoparasites remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the diversity and prevalence of lice and pathogens carried by fleas and lice collected from domestic dogs in Uzbekistan.

A new canid host for subcutaneous ticks: A report from Algeria in an African golden wolf (Canis lupaster).

Background: Ticks are hematophagous ectoparasites that feed on the skin surface of their host. Subcutaneous localizations of ticks have predominantly been associated with red foxes, documenting new cases still brings new and potentially valuable data for tackling this unusual situation. The objective of this study is to report the presence of subcutaneous ticks in a new host and on a new continent.

A case of mortality in a re-introduced European bison associated with severe pneumonia caused by Dictyocaulus viviparus.

Background: Dictyocaulosis is a parasitic disease caused by pulmonary nematodes from genus Dictyocaulus affecting various ungulate hosts. It can cause verminous bronchopneumonia and for heavily infected individuals, fatal outcomes can occur.

Case Presentation: The study describes the case of a male European bison which died three months after relocation from Slovakia to one of the reintroduction areas in Nucșoara village, Făgăraș Mountains, Romania.

Molecular evidence of Borrelia lusitaniae from questing Ixodes ticks in Algeria.

Background: Ticks are hematophagous arthropods acting as important vectors for several microorganisms. Ticks have an important role in the epidemiology of numerous diseases from a public health standpoint. In Algeria, knowledge of tick-borne associated microorganisms is limited.

African swine fever virus DNA is present in non-biting flies collected from outbreak farms in Romania.

Background: African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and severe haemorrhagic disease of Suidae, with mortalities that approach 100 percent. Several studies suggested the potential implication of non-biting dipterans in the spread of ASFV in pig farms due to the identification of the ASFV DNA. However, to our knowledge, no study has evaluated the viral DNA load in non-biting dipterans collected in outbreak farms and no risk factors have been analysed.

Italian peninsula as a hybridization zone of Ixodes inopinatus and I. ricinus and the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in I. inopinatus, I. ricinus, and their hybrids.

Background: Ixodes inopinatus was described from Spain on the basis of morphology and partial sequencing of 16S ribosomal DNA. However, several studies suggested that morphological differences between I. inopinatus and Ixodes ricinus are minimal and that 16S rDNA lacks the power to distinguish the two species.

Molecular survey of flea-borne pathogens in fleas associated with carnivores from Algeria and an Artificial Neural Network-based risk analysis of flea-borne diseases.

As ectoparasites and efficient vectors of pathogens fleas constitute a source of nuisance for animals as well as a major issue for public health in Algeria. In this study, a molecular survey has been conducted to investigate the presence of pathogens in fleas infesting domestic and wild carnivores in the central north and eastern north and south of Algeria. The molecular screening that targeted Acanthocheilonema reconditum, Bartonella spp.

Fleas of wild carnivores in Romania: diversity, distribution, and host-associations.

Background: Fleas are important hematophagous insects, infesting mammals and birds with a worldwide distribution. Fleas of medical importance have been reported from various carnivores worldwide, such as felids, canids, or mustelids. Romania hosts a wide carnivore diversity, but very little is known about flea species that parasitize these animals in Romania.

Season and host-community composition inside roosts may affect host-specificity of bat flies.

Bat flies are one of the most abundant ectoparasites of bats, showing remarkable morphological adaptations to the parasitic habit, while the relationship with their hosts is characterized by a high level of specificity. By collecting bat flies from live hosts, our intention was to elucidate the seasonal differences in bat fly occurrence and to describe factors regulating the level of incipient host specificity. Our results indicate that the prevalence and the intensity of infestation is increasing from spring to autumn for most host species, with significant differences among different fly species.

First insight into strongylid nematode diversity and anthelmintic treatment effectiveness in beef cattle in the Czech Republic explored by HTS metagenomics.

Parasitic diseases and mitigation of their effects play an important role in the health management of grazing livestock worldwide, with gastrointestinal strongylid nematodes being of prominent importance. These helminths typically occur in complex communities, often composed of species from numerous strongylid genera. Detecting the full diversity of strongylid species in non-invasively collected faecal samples is nearly impossible using conventional methods.

A severe case of hyperinfection by Strongyloides stercoralis in a pet dog from Romania.

Strongyloides stercoralis is a zoonotic soil-transmitted nematode affecting mainly humans and dogs but identified also in non-human primates, cats and wild carnivores. It has a cosmopolitan distribution being endemic in tropical and subtropical areas. In Romania, the infection was reported on several occasions in dogs with low prevalence (3.

Bat Ectoparasites (Acari, Diptera, Hemiptera, Siphonaptera) in the Grand Maghreb (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia): A Literature Review and New Data.

Background: Arthropods parasites of bats play a crucial role in both ecological and public health contexts, as they have the potential to transmit zoonotic agents. The study aims to identify the distribution, and host-parasite associations of bat ectoparasites in the Grand Maghreb region (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia), which has been largely understudied.

Methods: A thorough analysis of published records was conducted and we included our own field data.

Diversity of Thelazia spp. in domestic cattle from Romania: epidemiology and molecular diagnosis by a novel multiplex PCR.

Background: Thelaziosis is a neglected vector-borne disease caused by parasitic nematode worms of the genus Thelazia which affects various hosts. Limited attention has been given to ungulate-associated Thelazia species. Current diagnosis of thelaziosis and the identification/differentiation of species heavily relies on morphological features.

Genetic analysis challenges the presence of Ixodes inopinatus in Central Europe: development of a multiplex PCR to distinguish I. inopinatus from I. ricinus.

Background: Ixodes ricinus is an important vector of several pathogens, primarily in Europe. Recently, Ixodes inopinatus was described from Spain, Portugal, and North Africa and then reported from several European countries. In this study, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was developed to distinguish I.

Toxoplasma gondii in small mammals in Romania: the influence of host, season and sampling location.

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that infects a large spectrum of warm-blooded animals, including humans. Small rodents and insectivores play an important role in the epidemiology of T. gondii and may serve as a source of infection for both, domestic and wild definitive felid hosts.

Diversity and geographic distribution of haplotypes of Dirofilaria immitis across European endemic countries.

Background: Dirofilaria immitis, also known as heartworm, is one of the most important parasitic nematodes of domestic dogs, causing a potentially serious disease, cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis, which can be lethal. This species seems to be less 'expansive' than its sister species Dirofilaria repens, and it is believed that climate change facilitates the spread of this parasite to new non-endemic regions.

Methods: In total, 122 heartworm isolates were analysed from nine endemic countries in Europe (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine) and a single isolate from Bangladesh by amplification and sequencing of two mitochondrial (mt) DNA markers: cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and dehydrogenase subunit 1 (NADH).

Correction: Culda et al. The Presence of in Domestic Dogs on San Cristobal Island, Galapagos. 2022, , 1287.

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VectorNet: collaborative mapping of arthropod disease vectors in Europe and surrounding areas since 2010.

BackgroundArthropod vectors such as ticks, mosquitoes, sandflies and biting midges are of public and veterinary health significance because of the pathogens they can transmit. Understanding their distributions is a key means of assessing risk. VectorNet maps their distribution in the EU and surrounding areas.

Diversity of species in mustelids with the first molecular characterization of and .

Species of genus have a wide distribution and are reported in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Currently, the genus includes 14 nominal species, out of which 9 are parasitic in mustelids. Two species are mostly reported in mustelids from Europe, namely and .