Sarcoptic mange in wild ungulates in the European Alps - A systematic review.

Sarcoptic mange, caused by , is a disease that affects many species of mammals, including several wild ungulate species in the region of the European Alps, especially the Alpine chamois and the Alpine ibex, which act as parasite reservoirs. Here records of mange in alpine wild ungulates and its spread over time across the eastern parts of the European Alps are reviewed. First cases were recorded from Austria in 1824, and epizootic outbreaks have been described since then from the mountainous regions of Austria (mostly Tyrol, Carinthia, and Styria), Germany (Bavaria), Italy (Udine and Trentino) and Slovenia.

Spatiotemporal cluster and incidence analysis of cattle mortality caused by bovine babesiosis in Styria, Austria, between 1998 and 2016.

Reported fatal cases of bovine babesiosis (syn.: piroplasmosis, red water fever) in cattle were analyzed to identify spatial and temporal clusters of their incidence in the Austrian province of Styria. Data were collected within a governmental babesiosis compensation program.

Spatial-temporal cluster analysis of fatal Clostridium chauvoei cases among cattle in Styria, Austria between 1986 and 2013.

Clostridium chauvoei is a gram positive, spore building bacterium that causes blackleg, a mostly fatal disease in cattle and other ruminants. Although the disease is common, little is known on the epidemiology of blackleg. As infection occurs through the environment, the risk of blackleg might be increased in areas with a specific climate or soil type.

Analysis of the resistance behaviour of indicator bacteria to several antibiotics in bulk milk using spatial point pattern methodology.

Between 2002 and 2004, indicator bacteria (Enterococcus, Escherichia coli) isolated from 799 bulk milk samples were tested against thirty different antibiotics for resistance. Systematic sampling over space (every eighth Styrian cattle breeding farm on an unaligned grid) was conducted within the scope of the bovine virus diarrhoea (BVD) control programme. Results of resistance testing were assigned to their respective farms by means of LFBIS (information system for agricultural and forestry enterprises: land- und forstwirtschaftlichen Betriebsinformationssystem) numbers.

Toxocara-infestations in Austria: a study on the risk of infection of farmers, slaughterhouse staff, hunters and veterinarians.

A total of 585 persons from several occupational groups (farmers, slaughterhouse staff, hunters, veterinarians) exposed to Toxocara infestations and 50 persons of a control group were tested for the presence of specific antibodies to the Toxocara canis antigen using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a western blot. Farmers showed the highest seroprevalence (44%), followed by veterinarians (27%), slaughterhouse staff (25%) and hunters (17%), whereas only 2% of the individuals of the control group were seropositive. Thus, the risk to Toxocara infestation is 39, 18, 16 and 9 times higher for farmers, veterinarians, slaughterhouse staff (some workers were part-time farmers) and for hunters, respectively, when compared to the control group.

[Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in wild animal species and cattle in Styria/Austria].

Infections with Mycobacterium ovium ssp. paratuberculosis (M. paratuberculosis) are increasingly recognised worldwide.

[Sero-epidemiological studies of zoonotic infections in hunters--comparative analysis with veterinarians, farmers, and abattoir workers].

The aim of this study was to investigate seroprevalences to zoonotic pathogens in hunters, to compare the results with other predisposed occupational groups already investigated and to propose preventive measures. Blood samples were taken from 146 male and 3 female hunters from the provinces of Styria and Burgenland in the south-east of Austria and anamnestic data were obtained using a questionnaire. The serological investigations included the following bacterial, viral and parasitic zoonotic agents or zoonoses, respectively (antibody prevalence rates in brackets): borreliosis (IgG 42%, IgM 7%), brucellosis (1%), chlamydiosis (3%), ehrlichiosis (IgG 15%, IgM 3%), leptospirosis (10%), tularaemia (3%), Q fever (0%), encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV, 15%), Puumala-Hantavirus (10%), Newcastle Disease virus (4%), Echinococcus multilocularis/E.

[Seroepidemiological studies of zoonotic infections in hunters in southeastern Austria--prevalences, risk factors, and preventive methods].

The aim of this study was to investigate the seroprevalences to zoonotic pathogens in hunters, to propose preventive measures and to obtain more information about the occurrence of zoonotic pathogens in local wild animal populations. From 146 male and 3 female hunters originating from the south-eastern Austrian federal states of Styria and Burgenland blood samples were taken and anamnestic data were obtained using a questionnaire. The serological investigations included the following viral, bacterial and parasitic zoonotic agents or zoonoses, respectively (antibody-seroprevalences in brackets): encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV, 15%), Puumala-Hantavirus (10%), Newcastle Disease virus (NDV, 4%), borreliosis (IgG 42%, IgM 7%), brucellosis (1%), chlamydiosis (3%), ehrlichiosis (IgG 15%, IgM 3%), leptospirosis (10%), tularaemia (3%), Q fever (0%), Echinococcus multilocularis/E.

Genetic diversity of recent bovine viral diarrhoea viruses from the southeast of Austria (Styria).

To characterise the bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV) isolates circulating in the southeastern region of Austria, namely in the province of Styria, 71 blood samples collected between 1998 and 2000 from persistently infected cattle in 62 herds were subjected to genetic typing. For this, 288bp fragments from the 5' untranslated region (5'-UTR) were amplified by polymerase chain reaction after reverse transcription (RT-PCR). The products were sequenced and used for phylogenetic analysis.