Surprisingly long body length of the lungworm Parafilaroides gymnurus from common seals of the Dutch North Sea.

Lungworms of the genera Parafilaroides and Otostrongylus are responsible for parasitic bronchopneumonia, the foremost disease of eastern Atlantic common seals (EACS, Phoca vitulina vitulina) in the Dutch North Sea. Recently, there have been increased reports of lungworm cases and observations of unusually long Parafilaroides sp. adults in this location.

Molecular identification of novel intermediate host species of Angiostrongylus vasorum in Greater London.

Angiostrongylus vasorum is a parasitic nematode that can cause serious and potentially fatal disease in dogs and other canids. The aim of this study was to determine the intermediate slug species infected in nature by sampling sites in Greater London and Hertfordshire located within a known hyperendemic region. Overall, A.

Ciclosporin modulates the responses of canine progenitor epidermal keratinocytes (CPEK) to toll-like receptor agonists.

Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 dependent pathways have an important role in the antimicrobial defense of human keratinocytes, and various factors and compounds have been shown to affect those pathways. Investigating Toll-like receptor function in canine keratinocytes and the potential for their modulation is of similar relevance in dogs due to the frequency of staphylococcal skin infections in this species, particularly in the context of canine atopic dermatitis. This pilot study hypothesized that ciclosporin would have a modulatory effect on the cytokine and TLR mRNA expression of canine progenitor epidermal keratinocytes in response to TLR2 agonists.

Occurrence of Baylisascaris transfuga in wild populations of European brown bears (Ursus arctos) as identified by a new PCR method.

The European brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a species present in limited areas of Europe and several small populations are considered endangered. This species can be affected by a range of parasites. In particular, the genus Baylisascaris is an emerging parasite of wild animals which can cause severe larva migrans syndrome in aberrant hosts, which include 100 species of birds, mammals and also humans.

Evaluation of mucosal bacteria and histopathology, clinical disease activity and expression of Toll-like receptors in German shepherd dogs with chronic enteropathies.

The pathogenesis of chronic enteropathies in dogs likely involves an interaction between the intestinal immune system and luminal intestinal bacteria. German shepherd dogs (GSD) are particularly predisposed to chronic enteropathies. The present study sought to evaluate expression patterns of certain pattern recognition receptors of the innate immunity (Toll-like receptors, TLR), clinical disease activity and histopathological severity in GSD with chronic enteropathies.