Preferences of Pet Owners in Regard to the Use of Insecticides for Flea Control.

A survey conducted from 2002 to 2012 of 759 customers from 84 veterinary practices allows us to examine the habits of dog and cat owners regarding the use of insecticides for flea control. The results indicate that the percentage of animals treated during the 12 mo prior to the survey was not very high (71% in dogs and 50% in cats), considering that 100% of animals included in the study were flea-infested. Statistical analysis shows that animals older than 4 mo are treated more frequently and that dogs are more likely to be treated than cats.

How to increase the population of a Phlebotomus perniciosus (Diptera: Psychodidae) colony: a new method.

The sandfly Phlebotomus perniciosus is the most widespread vector of Leishmania infantum in Spain. Laboratory colonisation represents the most feasible source of information on the biology of these insects, but in conducting any study, the density of individuals in the colony may drop to such an extent that it is sometimes difficult to recover the initial population levels. A new technique was tested for the recovery of sandfly eggs in three different colonies; the recovery rate was studied by comparing the standard method of mass rearing with this new method of colony management.

Differences in prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma spp. infection among host-seeking Dermacentor occidentalis, Ixodes pacificus, and Ornithodoros coriaceus ticks in northwestern California.

Previous studies revealed that the Pacific Coast tick (Dermacentor occidentalis) is infected occasionally with the agents of Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) or human granulocytic anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum) and that it is an inefficient experimental vector of B. burgdorferi. The relationship of the pajahuello tick (Ornithodoros coriaceus) to each of these bacterial zoonotic agents has not been reported.

Prevalence and sequence comparison of Phyllodistomum folium from zebra mussel and from freshwater fish in the Ebro River.

We utilised DNA analysis to detect the presence of the digenean Phyllodistomum folium in three cyprinid species, Scardinius erythrophthalmus, Cyprinus carpio and Rutilus rutilus. DNA sequencing of the region containing the genes ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 revealed 100% sequence identity between DNA from the sporocysts found in zebra mussels and DNA from adults located in the urinary system of 29 cyprinid fish.

Epidemiology of Oestrus ovis infection of sheep in northeast Spain (mid-Ebro Valley).

Slaughterhouse surveys to determine the prevalence and intensity of larval Oestrus ovis Linnaeus (Diptera: Oestridae) in sheep, were conducted monthly for 1 year in northeastern Spain. The prevalence of O. ovis in 120 sheep in northeast Spain was 84.

Host-seeking behavior of Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae) nymphs in relation to environmental parameters in dense-woodland and woodland-grass habitats.

In the far-western United States, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi, Bb) and human granulocytic anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ap) are transmitted by the western black-legged tick (Ixodes pacificus). In a dense woodland, human behaviors involving contact with wood were recently found to pose greater risk for encountering I. pacificus nymphs than behaviors entailing exclusive exposure to leaf litter.

Phyllodistomum folium (Trematoda: Gorgoderidae) infecting zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in the Ebro River, Spain.

Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) were first found in the Ebro River (Spain) in Ribaroja reservoir, in the summer of 2001. This paper reports a study to detect parasites in this bivalve species. From September 2003 to August 2004, a total of 1380 zebra mussels were collected and dissected or sectioned in paraffin and haematoxylin and eosin staining.

Evaluation of a specific immunochemotherapy for the treatment of canine visceral leishmaniasis.

The efficacy of specific immunochemotherapy against Leishmania infantum infection in dog was studied. The effects on transmission of the disease, as well as the cellular and humoral immune response were examined. The treated animals showed a significant reduction in the infection rates that were detected in Phlebotomus perniciosus females fed on the dog.