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.

Survey of flea infestation in cats in Spain.

Fleas are a common cause of feline skin disorders as well as vectors of zoonotic diseases. This study evaluated the flea species infesting domestic cats in Spain and assessed factors influencing their distribution. Fleas from 217 cats from 57 localities in Spain were identified and associations between abundance, and host-dependent, host habitat and environmental factors were examined.

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.

Fleas parasitizing domestic dogs in Spain.

In addition to their importance to veterinary clinical practice as ectoparasites, fleas of domestic dogs are of special concern because they can be vectors of disease, including zoonoses. Flea assemblages parasitizing domestic dogs usually comprise several flea species whose distribution is determined by factors acting at several scales. Knowledge of these factors will aid in assessment of the distribution patterns of flea parasitism, and is an important tool in developing control strategies and in evaluation of flea-borne disease risk in dogs and humans.

Kinetics of oestrus ovis infection and activity of adult flies.

Oestrus Ovis is a common sheep parasite in the Mediterranean region. This study was carried out in the Ebro River Valley near Zaragoza (northeast Spain) using tracer animals to describe the seasons when infestation is more likely. Based on that information and an analysis of the evolution of the parasite within the host, we suggest the most appropriate time for treatment.

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.

Histochemical differentiation of Dirofilaria immitis, Dirofilaria repens and Acanthocheilonema dracunculoides microfilariae by staining with a commercial kit, Leucognost-SP.

The diagnosis of canine heartworm infection is based upon the presence of circulating Dirofilaria immitis microfilariae or on techniques for the detection of serum antibodies or antigens. In the first of these, discrimination between D. immitis, D.

Seasonal abundance of fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae, Ceratophyllidae) on wild rabbits in a semiarid area of northeastern Spain.

This paper reports the annual dynamics of wild rabbit fleas in a study site located in the Middle Ebro Valley, northeastern Spain. Fleas collected directly from wild rabbits included the species Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale), Xenopsylla cunicularis (Smit), Echidnophaga iberica (Ribeiro, Lucientes, Osácar, and Calvete), Caenopsylla laptevi (Beaucournu, Gil-Collado and Gilot), and Pulex irritans (L.).

Canine leishmaniasis transmission: higher infectivity amongst naturally infected dogs to sand flies is associated with lower proportions of T helper cells.

The dog is the main reservoir of Leishmania infantum, which is a parasite spread among canine hosts by the bite of sand flies. Phlebotomus perniciosus is the sand fly acting as a major vector in the Mediterranean basin. As a consequence, the dog will suffer from leishmaniasis.

Experimental infection of Phlebotomus perniciosus and determination of the natural infection rates of Leishmania infantum in dogs.

Direct xenodiagnosis has been used to determine the infection rates in sand flies of 12 dogs parasitized by Leishmania infantum and classified in function of clinical signs. The dogs were divided into three clinical groups and no statistically significant differences in the infection rates of female sand flies were observed among them. This result indicates the epidemiological importance of asymptomatic and oligosymptomatic dogs.

Efficacy of orally administered invermectin against larval stages of Oestrus ovis in sheep.

The efficacy of ivermectin administered orally at a dosage rate of 0.2 mg/kg liveweight against naturally acquired larval infestations of Oestrus ovis in sheep was 100% in a field trial. Ten sheep were free from infestation by first, second and third instar larvae of O.

Gastrointestinal helminth parasites in stray cats from the mid-Ebro Valley, Spain.

Gastrointestinal helminths were collected from 58 necropsied stray cats (Felis catus) in the mid-Ebro Valley, North-East Spain, from December 1989 to March 1992. The prevalence was 89.7%, with those of individual parasites being Toxocara cati 55.

The prevalence of proliferative kidney disease from the kidney and muscle of rainbow and brown trout in Aragón (Spain).

The prevalence and parasite density of PKX (the unknown myxosporean that causes proliferative kidney disease [PKD] of salmonids) were investigated in eight fishfarms in Aragón, Spain. Tissue sections stained with the biotynilated lectin GS-I revealed the presence of this protozoan in only one of the farms. In rainbow trout, the renal prevalence and parasite density peaked in July, but in brown trout the maximum renal prevalence and maximum renal parasite density were reached in May and in July, respectively.

Short report: one case of nasal human myiasis caused by third stage instar larvae of Oestrus ovis.

This is a report of a case of human nasal myiasis caused by third instar larvae of the sheep nasal bot fly, Oestrus ovis. Female flies rarely deposit first instar larvae in the eye, nostrils, and external auditory canal of humans, where they usually survive only a few days without further development. One human infestation by third instar larvae of O.

Canine myiasis by sheep bot fly (Diptera:Oestridae).

We present a case of canine infestation by 3rd instars of Oestrus ovis (L.) in a 10-yr-old cross-bred dog (Collie x German Shepherd) from Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain. This report confirms that this fly can develop in dogs.

Immune complex-mediated glomerulopathy in Barbus graellsi infected with Myxobolus spp.

Membranous glomerulonephritis caused in Barbus graellsi by myxosporidian infections have been studied by electron microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy techniques. This study indicates that Myxosporidian infection produces a chronic severe aggression. Spores reach the spleen, the kidney and the liver, where they are trapped and phagocyted by Melano Macrophage Centres.