Automating parasite egg detection: insights from the first AI-KFM challenge.

In the field of veterinary medicine, the detection of parasite eggs in the fecal samples of livestock animals represents one of the most challenging tasks, since their spread and diffusion may lead to severe clinical disease. Nowadays, the scanning procedure is typically performed by physicians with professional microscopes and requires a significant amount of time, domain knowledge, and resources. The Kubic FLOTAC Microscope (KFM) is a compact, low-cost, portable digital microscope that can autonomously analyze fecal specimens for parasites and hosts in both field and laboratory settings.

Effect of pomegranate () anthelmintic treatment on milk production in dairy sheep naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes.

Anthelmintic drug resistance has proliferated across Europe in sheep gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs). Sheep welfare and health are adversely impacted by these phenomena, which also have an impact on productivity. Finding alternatives for controlling GINs in sheep is thus of utmost importance.

Recovering ancient parasites from Andean herbivores: test of the Mini-FLOTAC technique in archaeological samples.

The optimization of techniques for recovering parasitic remains is key in paleoparasitology. The Mini-FLOTAC technique (MF) is based on passive flotation and is used for diagnosis of parasites and was never tested on ancient samples. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of MF in paleoparasitology, aiming at improving the techniques for the recovery of parasitic remains in order to upgrade the interpretative potential of the paleoparasitological evidence.

Gastrointestinal parasite assemblages from the wild rodent capybara () inhabiting a natural protected area from Argentina.

Knowledge about parasitic diseases of wildlife will help us to understand the dynamics of parasites and their effects on host populations. The capybara () is the largest living rodent in the world, and its distribution is associated with the presence of tropical and subtropical wetlands in South America. The Los Padres Lake Integral Reserve (LPLIR) is an important conservation zone in the pampean region of Argentina.