Curr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis
November 2024
species complex, referred to as (), is distributed globally with some species distributed in specific regions and others spread globally. In Greece, () in dogs, and and in livestock, have been repeatedly reported however only based on morphological identification. Recently, there has been a great effort to accurately identify the species belonging to the species complex, using modern molecular tools and describe their spatial distribution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCanine hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum), a gastrointestinal nematode of domestic dogs, principally infects the small intestine of dogs and has the potential to cause zoonotic disease. In greyhounds and pet dogs in the USA, A. caninum has been shown to be resistant to multiple anthelmintics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMacrocyclic lactone (ML) anthelmintics are currently the only class of drugs available for canine heartworm prevention. Recent reports of Dirofilaria immitis infection occurring in dogs reportedly receiving 'rigorous' prevention in Queensland, Australia, coupled with the confirmation of ML-resistant isolates in the USA, has led to speculation about the potential emergence of ML-resistance in Australia. In this study, we describe two cases (Dog 1 and 2) of asymptomatic canine heartworm disease in Townsville, Australia, that were reportedly receiving 'rigorous' heartworm prevention according to the owners' claims.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis
June 2024
The brown dog tick, (Audouin, 1826), is distributed across the American continent and is formerly known as the "tropical lineage". It belongs to the (Latreille, 1806) species complex, referred to as (). Mitochondrial genome sequences are frequently used for the identification and represent reference material for field studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) is a freely available online artificial intelligence (AI) program capable of understanding and generating human-like language. This study assessed veterinary students' perceptions about ChatGPT in education and practice. It compared perceptions about ChatGPT between students who had completed a critical analysis task and those who had not.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Res Parasitol Vector Borne Dis
May 2024
Rats, being synanthropic, are hosts to agents of zoonotic diseases that pose a threat to human and domestic animal health. The nematode parasite , commonly known as the rat lungworm, is no exception; it can cause potentially fatal neural disease in humans, dogs and other species. The distribution of (haplotypes SYD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResearch and enquiry (R&E) is an integral part of veterinary training. It is a foundation of evidence-based practice. In the University of Sydney Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree R&E culminates in a cap-stone experience in Year 3: a 'professionally focused project', a student-driven and academic supported individual research project.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStrongyloides stercoralis is parasite affecting both humans and dogs and is most prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas of Australia. This case report describes two dogs from a household in Sydney, New South Wales, one with chronic gastrointestinal signs and the other who was asymptomatic who were subsequently diagnosed with S. stercoralis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCtenocephalides felis, the cat flea, is among the most prevalent and widely dispersed vectors worldwide. Unfortunately, research on C. felis and associated pathogens (Bartonella and Rickettsia spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur understanding of anthelmintic resistance in the gastrointestinal nematodes of Australian cattle relies exclusively on small-scale phenotypic reports utilising traditional faecal egg count reduction tests. This approach is not readily scalable to establish the national prevalence of resistance, nor is it conducive of routine longitudinal surveillance for the emergence of resistance in its early stages. This study introduces the benefits of applying mixed amplicon metabarcoding longitudinally for timely and cost-efficient molecular surveillance of multiple anthelmintic resistance mutations, as they emerge on farms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGiardia duodenalis is one of the most prevalent enteric parasites of dogs. Point-of-care antigen tests (POC) are rapid and do not require additional equipment, or a specialised diagnostic laboratory. The aim of this study was to compare diagnostic tests available in veterinary practices and in a diagnostic laboratory for the detection of G.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNationwide sampling by Venkatesan and colleagues (2023) described the resistance status of the canine hookworm, Ancylostoma caninum, to benzimidazoles across the USA via β-tubulin isotype-1 amplicon metabarcoding. In this study, we aimed to use the existing public amplicon metabarcoding data and mine it for the presence of β-tubulin isotype-1 sequences that belong to hookworm species other than A. caninum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurrent recommendations to diagnose cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis in dogs caused by Dirofilaria immitis involves tandem antigen and circulating microfilariae tests. The modified Knott's test is an important tool in heartworm diagnosis, allowing identification of circulating microfilariae. However, the subjective nature of the modified Knott's test affects its accuracy and diagnostic laboratories usually do not provide a quantitative outcome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeural angiostrongyliasis (NA) is a parasitic disease caused by (rat lungworm). This study presents a case of NA in a captive Bolivian squirrel monkey from a zoo in western Sydney, Australia. The objective was to identify the 1 haplotype responsible for the infection and compare its mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to known Australian mtDNA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCestodes of the family Anoplocephalidae parasitize a wide range of usually herbivorous hosts including e.g. rodents, ungulates, primates, elephants and hyraxes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Parasitol Drugs Drug Resist
December 2023
Giardia duodenalis is the causative agent of the neglected diarrhoeal disease giardiasis. While often self-limiting, giardiasis is ubiquitous and impacts hundreds of millions of people annually. It is also a common gastro-intestinal disease of domestic pets, wildlife, and livestock animals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, is a filarial parasitic nematode responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in wild and domesticated canids. Resistance to macrocyclic lactone drug prevention represents a significant threat to parasite control and has prompted investigations to understand the genetic determinants of resistance. This study aimed to improve the genomic resources of D.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe describe a case in Australia of human neural larva migrans caused by the ascarid Ophidascaris robertsi, for which Australian carpet pythons are definitive hosts. We made the diagnosis after a live nematode was removed from the brain of a 64-year-old woman who was immunosuppressed for a hypereosinophilic syndrome diagnosed 12 months earlier.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHookworms (Ancylostomatidae) are well-known parasites in dogs due to their health impacts and zoonotic potential. While faecal analysis is the traditional method for detection, improvements in husbandry and deworming have decreased their prevalence in urban owned dogs. Drug resistance in Ancylostoma caninum is becoming a discussion point in small animal practices across the region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(the rat lungworm) is a zoonotic parasite of non-permissive accidental (dogs, humans, horses, marsupials, birds) hosts. The 3 stage larvae (L3s) in the intermediate host (molluscs) act as the source of infection for accidental hosts through ingestion. Larvae can spontaneously emerge from dead gastropods (slugs and snails) in water, which are experimentally infective to rats.
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