Coprological survey of endoparasite infections in owned dogs and owners' perceptions of endoparasite control in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Infections with endoparasites are common in dogs. Some of these parasites are potentially zoonotic and therefore a public health concern. A survey was conducted in twenty-six small animal practices to evaluate the prevalence of endoparasites in Belgian and Dutch owned dogs older than 6 months as well as risk factors associated with infection.

Questionnaire-based survey on the distribution and incidence of canine babesiosis in countries of Western Europe.

The incidence of canine babesiosis may vary considerably from one country to another depending on the distribution of the causative parasite species and their specific vectors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical occurrence of canine babesiosis diagnosed in European veterinary clinics and propose an updated map of the disease distribution in Western Europe. Questionnaires were sent to companion animal veterinary clinics in Spain, France, Benelux, Germany and Austria.

Pulmonary surfactant from healthy Belgian White and Blue and Holstein Friesian calves: biochemical and biophysical comparison.

The biochemical composition and biophysical behaviour of pulmonary surfactant samples isolated from healthy Belgian White and Blue (BWB) and Holstein Friesian (HF) calves have been investigated and compared. Interesting differences in composition have been demonstrated. In particular, a higher level of total hydrophobic surfactant-associated proteins (SP) (due to higher levels of SP-B and SP-C) is reported in HF calves compared to BWB calves.

Very low surfactant protein C contents in newborn Belgian White and Blue calves with respiratory distress syndrome.

We have studied a respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) occurring in newborn calves of the Belgian White and Blue (BWB) breed that represents the large majority of beef cattle in Belgium. Pulmonary surfactant isolated from 14 BWB newborn calves that died from RDS and from 7 healthy controls was analysed for composition and surface activity. An extremely low content or, in some instances, an absence of surfactant protein C (SP-C) was detected in the RDS samples by Western blotting and differential amino acid analysis [0.