Non-invasive detection of (Banks, 1910) and (Doetschman, 1944) (Acari: Halarachnidae) in free-ranging synanthropic South American sea lions (Shaw, 1800).

Respiratory mites of the genera and (Acari: Halarachnidae) are causative agents of nasopharyngeal/nasopulmonary acariasis in pinnipeds and sea otters. Until now, these endoparasitic mites were mainly diagnosed via necropsies and invasive procedures. So far, non-invasive diagnostic techniques have neither been developed nor applied in free-ranging pinnipeds.

First report of a severe nasopulmonary acariasis caused by Doetschman, 1944 (Acari: Halarachnidae) in a captive South American sea lion ( Shaw, 1800).

Obligatory endoparasitic mites of the genera Allman, 1847 and Newell, 1947 (Acari: Halarachnidae) parasitize different segments of the respiratory tract of marine mammals, including pinnipeds and sea otters, and infestations can cause asymptomatic to serious respiratory diseases. However, knowledge on biology, pathogenic potential and occurrence of halarachnid mites infesting pinnipeds, especially in captivity, is scarce. A two-year-old South American sea lion ( Shaw, 1800) male, born and held at the Vienna Zoo, was anesthesized for routine pre-transport examinations, including computed tomography, bronchoalveolar lavage, and blood sampling.

Genetic diversity of Fasciola hepatica in Austria.

The worldwide occurring common liver fluke Fasciola hepatica can infect humans and animals and leads to considerable illness and economic loss annually. The aim of this study was to determine the genetic diversity of F. hepatica in Austria.

Wherefrom and whereabouts of an alien: the American liver fluke Fascioloides magna in Austria: an overview.

The giant liver fluke Fascioloides magna, an invasive species originating from North America, was recorded in Austria in the wild for the first time in 2000. Since then, various data concerning the epidemiology in snail intermediate hosts and cervid final hosts have been reported. Galba truncatula acts as snail intermediate host, and red deer, roe deer and fallow deer act as final hosts.

Fasciola hepatica - monitoring the milky way? The use of tank milk for liver fluke monitoring in dairy herds as base for treatment strategies.

In this study 595 lactating cows originating from 31 carinthian farms were investigated in accordance of liver fluke infection using individual and tank milk as well as individual blood and faecal samples. Two commercial ELISAs were used to test the milk and blood serum, and the results were compared with coproscopy and a commercial copro-antigen ELISA. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and two-graph operating characteristics (TG ROC) of tank milk results were conducted based on the individual milk to determine the minimum reliable in-herd antibody prevalence for the predominant condition in the investigation area.

Canine isosporosis - epidemiology of field and experimental infections.

Isospora spp. are the causative agents of canine isosporosis. Of the 3590 diagnostic samples from Austrian dogs (< or = 2 years old), 8.

[Incidence and control of the American giant liver fluke, Fascioloides magna, in a population of wild ungulates in the Danubian wetlands east of Vienna].

Fascioloides magna,the giant liver fluke, is an introduced parasite imported to Europe with infected game which is endemic in the Austrian wetlands of the Danube from Vienna to the Slovakian border. Due to its pathogenicity (especially in roe deer) and its potential of transmission to domestic ruminants a project on the epidemiology and control of this parasite was carried out between 2000 and 2005. To assess distribution faecal droppings from red deer were collected in an area along the Danube and livers of red and roe deer shot or found dead were examined.

Clonal cultures of Histomonas meleagridis, Tetratrichomonas gallinarum and a Blastocystis sp. established through micromanipulation.

Clonal cultures of Histomonas meleagridis, Tetratrichomonas gallinarum and a Blastocystis sp. were established for the first time. Single microbes were successfully isolated from a mixture of micro-organisms obtained from caecal contents of turkeys, using a micromanipulation approach.

Echinococcus multilocularis in Austrian foxes from 1991 until 2004.

The prevalence rates of Echinococcus multilocularis in foxes (n=5600) evaluated in several Austrian surveys conducted between 1991 and 2004 were analysed for spatial and temporal differences. Data from early studies (1993-1997) in which the intestinal scraping technique (IST) was utilized were compared with data from recent (1999-2004) investigations, which made use of the shaking in a vessel technique (SVT), and it was assessed whether or not the infection rates of Austrian foxes had increased between the investigated intervals. In total, data from 85 districts are presented and both the retrospective and recent data are available from 39 of these districts.

[Holiday dreams with a downside: uncommon tapeworm infection in an infant].

Eight weeks after his return from Mauritius, a 2.5-year-old boy started to show signs of gastrointestinal illness including diarrhoea with frequent ill-smelling stools as well as restlessness, insomnia and apathy. Proglottids excreted with the faeces were diagnosed as Raillietina madagascariensis (Davain, 1870), the tropical rat tapeworm.

Effects of excretory/secretory products of Haemonchus contortus on cell vacuolation.

Excretory/secretory (ES) products of the gastric nematode, Haemonchus contortus, have been implicated in the inhibition of gastric acid secretion which follows infection. Parietal cell vacuolation has been observed in abomasal sections from parasitised sheep, and ES prepared in vitro has been reported to cause vacuolation and to increase neutral red (NR) uptake in epithelial cell cultures. We have used the latter approach to examine, at the cellular level, the effects of ES prepared from L3 and adult nematodes.

Epidemiology of Eimeria infections in an Austrian milking sheep flock and control with diclazuril.

In a flock of milking sheep from Styria (Austria), the dynamics of Eimeria oocyst excretion was monitored in the lambing season 2003-2004 and a treatment trial with 1 mg/kg diclazuril (single dose on day 0 of study) was conducted in two groups of early weaned lambs. Adult animals (n = 30 ewes, 30 yearlings) excreted oocysts of different species (weekly prevalences from week -7 ante partum to week 5 post-partum: ewes 20-60%, yearlings 38-73%) in low intensities (< or = 6000 oocyst per gram of faeces, highest values in weeks -1 and -4) without clinical signs. Ewes excreted significantly fewer oocysts than yearlings.

Toxoplasmosis in Pallas' cats (Otocolobus manul) raised in captivity.

Manuls or Pallas' cats (Felis manul, syn. Otocolobus manul) are endangered wild cats from Central Asia kept and bred in many zoos. Despite good breeding success young cats frequently die from acute toxoplasmosis.

Occurrence of Isospora suis in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Nationwide surveys for the occurrence of Isospora suis were carried out in Germany, Austria and Switzerland including a questionnaire regarding herd size, health status and management practices and a coccidiosis sampling kit for pooled faecal samples from litters of suckling piglets. A total of 184 veterinary practices participated in the survey and returned 1745 samples (331 kits) from 324 farms in the north (n = 98), south (n = 84), centre/east (n = 42) and west (n = 10) of Germany, Austria (n = 61) and Switzerland (n = 29) with larger farms in north and centre/east (average number of sows: 270 and 500) and smaller ones in the south (95), Austria (60) and Switzerland (43). Larger farms tended to have better hygienic standards (slatted floors, disinfection of the farrowing units).

Prevalence of antibodies against Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii in dogs and foxes in Austria.

Sera from 1770 dogs and 94 red foxes from Austria were examined for antibodies against Neospora caninum using the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT). 3.6% of the dogs were seropositive with titres ranging from 1:50 to 1:6400.

Scraping or shaking--a comparison of methods for the quantitative determination of Echinococcus multilocularis in fox intestines.

A modified sedimentation technique (the "shaking in a vessel" technique; SVT) to examine intestines for smaller helminths such as Echinococcus multilocularis is described and compared with the intestinal scraping technique (IST). Out of 356 foxes, 26 were E. multilocularis positive, 19 using IST (sensitivity 73.

A spontaneous and fatal jejunal intussusception in a European brown hare associated with Eimeria leporis.

A recently dead adult female European brown hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas) was found in the wild with no evidence of trauma or external injury. Necropsy revealed symptoms consistent with endotoxic shock and a haemorrhagic jejuno-jejunal intussusception with a necrotic intussusceptum. Small, unattached nodules were present extensively in the jejunal lumen and within the intussuscipiens.

Detection of the protozoan Neospora caninum using in situ polymerase chain reaction.

A new method to detect the protozoan Neospora caninum using indirect in situ polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is described. In situ PCR combines the advantages of the extraordinarily high sensitivity and specificity of PCR and the in situ representation of immunohistochemical methods. We describe an indirect in situ PCR, whereby the amplified products were detected using a primed in situ (PRINS) reaction with hapten-labeled nucleotides and visualized using fluorochrome-labeled antibodies.

[Ophthalmomyiasis caused by Oestrus ovis in a 3 year old boy].

Oestrus ovis larvae are obligatory parasites of the nasal and sinus cavities of sheep and goats. Oestrosis in small ruminants is prevalent in Mediterranean and tropical countries. Occasionally, humans are affected by ocular myiasis (ophthalmomyiasis) and more rarely, nasal myiasis.

[Screening for antibodies against zoonotic agents among employees of the Zoological Garden of Vienna, Schönbrunn, Austria].

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of antibodies against zoonotic agents in employees of the zoological garden of Vienna, Schönbrunn, Austria. Sixty out of 120 employees participated in the study. In 97% of them antibodies to at least one zoonotic agent were identified.

Serological detection of Capillaria hepatica by indirect immunofluorescence assay.

In this paper, a serological assay for the detection of antibodies to Capillaria hepatica, a zoonotic parasite, is described. In the past, the only way of detecting Capillaria hepatica was to perform a liver biopsy. The indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) assay, based on liver sections of naturally infected mice and human serum samples, is suitable for detecting early stages of human infections and for screening purposes.

Monthly and seasonal fluctuations in abomasal nematode worm burden of naturally infected cattle in Austria.

From October 1980 until September 1981, 191 abomasa of naturally infected cattle were obtained from the slaughter-houses of Mürzhofen and Graz in the province of Styria, and of Wiener Neustadt in the province of Lower Austria and examined to study the monthly and seasonal occurrence of hypobiosis in Ostertagia ostertagi and Trichostrongylus axei. Infections in pastured animals (cows, steers and heifers) were compared with those in stabled animals (bulls fed on green forage and silage). Except for 10 bulls fed on silage all animals were parasitized.