Shifts in the Fecal Microbial Community of Infected Piglets in Response to Toltrazuril.

The protozoan parasite causes diarrhea and reduced weight gain in suckling piglets. Infections occur in the first days of life; it is transient but can lead to dysbiosis, exacerbating disease and increasing mortality. Cystoisosporosis is effectively controlled by toltrazuril treatment; however, alterations of the gut microbial composition upon infection and treatment have not been investigated.

Efficacy of injectable toltrazuril-iron combination product and oral toltrazuril against early experimental infection of suckling piglets with Cystoisospora suis.

Background: Toltrazuril is frequently administered for the metaphylactic control of piglet cystoisosporosis. In a previous study, the efficacy of parenteral toltrazuril (45 mg/piglet, Group Forceris®) applied on the 2nd day of life (dol), and of oral toltrazuril (20 mg/kg of body weight, Group Baycox®) applied on the 4th dol was evaluated in an experimental model with Cystoisospora suis infection on the 3rd dol (late infection, LI). In a follow-up study, efficacy and safety were evaluated against infections with C.

Comparative efficacy of two parenteral iron-containing preparations, iron gleptoferron and iron dextran, for the prevention of anaemia in suckling piglets.

Iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) is a serious health problem in neonatal piglets and is controlled by routine application of iron in various formulations. The efficacy and safety of two iron-containing products for the prevention of IDA in suckling piglets were compared in a randomised, parallel study. Newborn piglets were treated with 200 mg iron supplied by intramuscular injection in the neck as either Forceris (gleptoferron; n=13) or Uniferon 200 (iron dextran; n=12) 24-48 hours after birth.

Development and application of a recombinant protein-based indirect ELISA for the detection of serum antibodies against Cystoisospora suis in swine.

The apicomplexan parasite Cystoisospora suis which causes neonatal porcine coccidiosis is one of the predominant parasite in suckling piglets. Currently, the immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) is the only available serological tool for detecting serum antibodies against C. suis which has several limitations, including bias from interpretation and low throughput.

Antibody and cytokine response to Cystoisospora suis infections in immune-competent young pigs.

Background: To date, investigations on the immune response to Cystoisospora suis infections focused on suckling piglets, the age group clinically most affected. Actively immunizing piglets is unfeasible due to their immature immune system and the typically early infection in the first days after birth. Therefore, understanding and possibly enhancing the immune response of immune-competent animals is the prerequisite to develop a passive immunization strategy for piglets which currently rely on very limited treatment options.

Comparison of an injectable toltrazuril-gleptoferron (Forceris®) and an oral toltrazuril (Baycox®) + injectable iron dextran for the control of experimentally induced piglet cystoisosporosis.

Background: Cystoisospora suis causes diarrhoeal disease and reduced weight gain in suckling piglets, and a toltrazuril-based oral suspension is available for treatment. Recently a combinatorial product with toltrazuril plus iron has been developed for parenteral application. In this study we compared the efficacy of the injectable product with the oral suspension against experimentally induced piglet cystoisosporosis.

Experimentally confirmed toltrazuril resistance in a field isolate of Cystoisospora suis.

Background: Constant treatment regimens with toltrazuril against Cystoisospora suis infection in piglets are being applied in the intensive production systems for the last two decades, but the possibility of resistance development has not been addressed so far despite limited availability of treatment alternatives. Recently, a pig producer in The Netherlands who routinely used toltrazuril complained about diarrhea in suckling piglets in the absence of bacterial and viral pathogens, and oocysts of C. suis could be isolated from feces of affected litters.

Cloning, expression and molecular characterization of a Cystoisospora suis specific uncharacterized merozoite protein.

Background: The genome of the apicomplexan parasite Cystoisospora suis (syn. Isospora suis) has recently been sequenced and annotated, opening the possibility for the identification of novel therapeutic targets against cystoisosporosis. It was previously proposed that a 42 kDa uncharacterized merozoite protein, encoded by gene CSUI_005805, might be a relevant vaccine candidate due to its high immunogenic score, high expression level and species-specificity as determined in silico.

The genome of the protozoan parasite Cystoisospora suis and a reverse vaccinology approach to identify vaccine candidates.

Vaccine development targeting protozoan parasites remains challenging, partly due to the complex interactions between these eukaryotes and the host immune system. Reverse vaccinology is a promising approach for direct screening of genome sequence assemblies for new vaccine candidate proteins. Here, we applied this paradigm to Cystoisospora suis, an apicomplexan parasite that causes enteritis and diarrhea in suckling piglets and economic losses in pig production worldwide.

Cystoisospora suis - A Model of Mammalian Cystoisosporosis.

Cystoisospora suis is a coccidian species that typically affects suckling piglets. Infections occur by oral uptake of oocysts and are characterized by non-hemorrhagic transient diarrhea, resulting in poor weight gain. Apparently, primary immune responses to C.

Common occurrence of a unique Cryptosporidium ryanae variant in zebu cattle and water buffaloes in the buffer zone of the Chitwan National Park, Nepal.

There are very few studies on the diversity and public health significance of Cryptosporidium species in zebu cattle and water buffaloes in developing countries. In this study, PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequence analyses of the small-subunit (SSU) rRNA gene were used to genotype Cryptosporidium specimens from 12 zebu cattle calves, 16 water buffalo calves, and four swamp deer (Cervus duvaucelii) collected from the buffer zone of the Chitwan National Park, Nepal. All Cryptosporidium specimens from cattle and buffaloes belonged to Cryptosporidium ryanae, whereas those from deer belonged to Cryptosporidium ubiquitum.