The Presence of in Ticks Collected from Ungulates in Continental Eastern Europe.

Introduction: is a common tick parasite of small-to-medium size ungulates, principally in warm, temperate, and subtropical areas. Although common in livestock and showing a wide geographic distribution, its epidemiological role in tick-borne bacterial disease is barely known. This study addressed the knowledge gap and aimed to screen for the presence of and spotted fever group (SFG) species in ticks collected from domestic animals in Romania, Eastern Europe.

Argasid Ticks of Palearctic Bats: Distribution, Host Selection, and Zoonotic Importance.

The soft ticks (Ixodida: Argasidae) are ectoparasites of terrestrial vertebrates with a wide geographic distribution, occurring on all continents. These ticks are obligate blood-feeders, most of them show high degrees of host-specialization and several species in arid and tropical regions are important parasites of livestock and men. Species commonly occurring on domestic animals and man are generally well-known, with many studies focusing on their ecology, distribution or vectorial role.

Human West Nile Meningo-Encephalitis in a Highly Endemic Country: A Complex Epidemiological Analysis on Biotic and Abiotic Risk Factors.

West Nile virus (WNV) is one of the most prevalent mosquito-borne viruses. Although the infection in humans is mostly asymptomatic, 15-20% of cases show flu-like symptoms with fever. In 1% of infections, humans develop severe nervous symptoms and even die, a condition known as West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND).

Synopsis of the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Romania.

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are insects capable of transmitting various disease agents. They have a wide geographical range, with a higher diversity and distribution in the tropical and subtropical regions. In Romania, data on mosquito distribution are available mostly from the older literature and published in local journals; hence, it is inaccessible to the international scientific community.

Environmental factors influencing the distribution of "Theileria annae" in red foxes, Vulpes vulpes in Romania.

Red foxes, Vulpes vulpes are among the most widely spread carnivores in the world, invading also urban areas and are often parasitized by various ticks and directly exposed to several vector-borne pathogens, including the commonly present "Theileria annae". Considering the paucity of data on the possible vectors of this pathogen and the presence of the infection in various locations across the globe, the aim of our study was to understand the potential role of various environmental factors on the distribution of "T. annae" in red foxes from a well-defined region within the Carpathians, Romania.

Mesocarnivores and macroparasites: altitude and land use predict the ticks occurring on red foxes (Vulpes vulpes).

Background: The red fox Vulpes vulpes is the most common mesocarnivore in Europe and with a wide geographical distribution and a high density in most terrestrial habitats of the continent. It is fast urbanising species, which can harbor high numbers of different tick species, depending on the region. Here we present the results of a large-scale study, trying to disentangle the intricate relationship between environmental factors and the species composition of ectoparasites in red foxes.

Use of a commercial serologic test for Angiostrongylus vasorum for the detection of A. chabaudi in wildcats and A. daskalovi in badgers.

Three species of the genus Angiostrongylus are known to infect European carnivores: A. vasorum (mainly in canids but also in other carnivores), A. chabaudi (in felids) and A.

Climate change and species distribution: possible scenarios for thermophilic ticks in Romania.

Several zoonotic tick-borne diseases are emerging in Europe due to various factors, including changes of the cultural landscape, increasing human populations, variation of social habits and climate change. We have modelled the potential range changes for two thermophilic tick species (Hyalomma marginatum and Rhipicephalus annulatus) by use of MaxEnt® and 15 climatic predictors, taking into account the aptitude for future climatic change in Romania. Current models predict increased temperatures, both in the short term (up to 2050) and in the long term (up to 2070), together with possible changes also of the other climatic factors (e.

Altitudinal and seasonal differences of tick communities in dogs from pastoralist tribes of Northern Kenya.

Studies regarding the distribution and ecology of ticks in dogs from Eastern Africa are scarce. Our research was based on a long-term screening of ticks parasitising the domestic dogs living with indigenous people around Lake Turkana, Mt. Kulal and Mt.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum in questing Ixodes ricinus ticks from Romania.

Granulocytic anaplasmosis is a common vector-borne disease of humans and animals with natural transmission cycle that involves tick vectors, among which Ixodes ricinus is the most important. The present paper reports the prevalence and geographical distribution of A. phagocytophilum in 10,438 questing Ixodes ricinus ticks collected at 113 locations from 40 counties of Romania.

European mustelids occupying pristine wetlands in the Danube Delta are infected with Trichinella likely derived from domesticated swine.

Abstract We analyzed 32 specimens from nine species of Mustelidae for Trichinella; six infections from two Trichinella species were observed from three host species. This provides documentation of Trichinella in Mustela erminea and Martes foina in Romania and Trichinella spiralis in a mustelid host from Europe. Trichinella spiralis continues to be a public challenge characterized by a wide host range and geographical distribution ( Pozio 2007 ).

Traditional goat husbandry may substantially contribute to human toxoplasmosis exposure.

Raising goats in settings that are highly contaminated with oocysts of Toxoplasma gondii may contribute significantly to human exposure to this zoonotic parasite. Increasing consumption of young goats in countries where goats are frequently reared in backyards that are also homes to cats (the definitive host of this parasite) elevates such concern. To date, there has been little attention to either the prevalence or genotypic characteristics of T.

Geographical distribution and prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi genospecies in questing Ixodes ricinus from Romania: a countrywide study.

The paper reports the prevalence and geographical distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) and its genospecies in 12,221 questing Ixodes ricinus ticks collected at 183 locations from all the 41 counties of Romania.

Taming the beast: rabies control in the cradle of mankind.

Between 2006 and 2012, a rabies control programme has been conducted in the area of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya. Spatial data obtained for this project were analysed with the aim of assessing the importance of dog home ranges with the view of possible overlapping between dog populations from adjacent localities. In contrast to our expectation of the maximum home ranges of dogs in the harsh semi-desert environment, the results provided by geographical information system (GIS) analysis showed that in 14 out of 16 localities considered for the study, the dog populations were fully isolated from each other.