Cryptosporidium and Giardia infections in humans in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: an unexpectedly low occurrence of anthropozoonotic transmission.

Enteric protozoans Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis are among the leading causes of diarrhoea in children. These parasites have particular impact in low- and middle-income countries.

Gastrointestinal nematodes and Fasciola hepatica in Norwegian cattle herds: a questionnaire to investigate farmers' perceptions and control strategies.

Background: Pasture management influences the prevalence and impact of the pasture parasites (PP) in cattle herds, which cause production-limiting disease worldwide. Evaluating farmer management strategies is vital when considering sustainable PP control practices. The aim of this questionnaire-based study was to describe the pasture management and control strategies regarding PP in Norwegian beef cattle (BC) and dairy cattle (DC) production systems with a focus on gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) and Fasciola hepatica.

Treatment against helminths in Norwegian sheep: a questionnaire-based survey.

A questionnaire was distributed to 5487 farmers throughout Norway in order to obtain information about management practices regarding helminth infections in sheep. In addition, the farmers' perceptions of helminths and anthelmintic efficacy were investigated. Most farmers (80%) treated prophylactically against nematodes, and 24% also used prophylactic treatment against Fasciola hepatica.

Use of Oxidative Stress Responses to Determine the Efficacy of Inactivation Treatments on Oocysts.

oocysts are known for being very robust, and their prolonged survival in the environment has resulted in outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis associated with the consumption of contaminated water or food. Although inactivation methods used for drinking water treatment, such as UV irradiation, can inactivate oocysts, they are not necessarily suitable for use with other environmental matrices, such as food. In order to identify alternative ways to inactivate oocysts, improved methods for viability assessment are needed.

Contamination of fresh produce sold on the Italian market with Cyclospora cayetanensis and Echinococcus multilocularis.

To investigate the presence of Cyclospora cayetanensis, Toxoplasma gondii and Echinococcus spp. in fresh produce sold in Italy, 324 locally produced 'ready-to-eat' (RTE) mixed-salad packages belonging to three brands and 324 berries packages (blueberries and blackberries imported from Peru and Mexico, respectively, and raspberries grown in Italy) were purchased at retail. Nine individual packages from each of the six types of fresh produce were collected monthly for one year, and with the same produce pooled, this resulted in a total of 72 pools for the whole year.

Occurrence of faecal endoparasites in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in two grazing areas in northern Norway.

Background: Semi-domesticated reindeer represent an important livestock industry and livelihood for a proportion of the human population in northern Fennoscandia. Reindeer husbandry is considered an extensive animal husbandry, where the animals are kept mostly on natural pastures, although sometimes kept in fenced areas for shorter periods. These reindeer may harbour a variety of parasites that may affect animal health and production.

Removal of Parasite Transmission Stages from Berries Using Washing Procedures Suitable for Consumers.

Due to the delicate nature of berries and the reduced shelf-life once washed, producers usually do not wash berries. Therefore, consumers are expected to wash the berries prior to consumption, and this might be a more effective way of infection prevention. However, the efficacy of consumer berry-washing procedures in removing the parasite contaminants from the berries surface has not been investigated.

Comparative evaluation of UNEX-based DNA extraction for molecular detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis, Toxoplasma gondii, and Cryptosporidium parvum as contaminants of berries.

The potential public health impact of foodborne parasites (FBP) transmitted via contaminated fresh produces indicates the necessity for robust and reliable laboratory methods for their detection and identification on this infection vehicle. Standardization of methods for detection of common FBP in fresh produce is to be expected and ensuring that the DNA extraction approach is most appropriate for the FBP of interest and for the matrix being analyzed is also important. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of two commercially available DNA extraction procedures, the UNEX-based method and DNeasy PowerSoil kit in the detection of three protozoan parasites, C.

Pre- and Post-Race Intestinal Microbiota in Long-Distance Sled Dogs and Associations with Performance.

Although our understanding of the role of the gut microbiota in different diseases is improving, our knowledge regarding how the gut microbiota affects functioning in healthy individuals is still limited. Here, we hypothesize that the gut microbiota could be associated with sled dog endurance-race performance. We investigated the gut microbiota in 166 fecal samples from 96 Alaskan Huskies, representing 16 teams participating in the 2016 Femund Race (400 km) in Norway, relating the microbiota composition to performance and metadata derived from questionnaires.

Surface waters as a potential source of Giardia and Cryptosporidium in Serbia.

Giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis are recognized by the WHO as important emerging diseases of the 21st century. Symptoms are similar and include diarrhoea and vomiting, which may be severe, even life-threatening, for the immunocompromised and children under five years of age. Between 2013 and 2017, the Institute for Public Health in Serbia recorded 10 waterborne epidemics that manifested as gastrointestinal disease.

infection in two captive Patagonian maras.

infection was diagnosed in 2 captive Patagonian maras (). One animal developed fatal systemic toxoplasmosis and had concurrent localized bacterial and fungal infections; its daughter remained clinically healthy. Microscopic findings included acute, coagulative necrosis, lymphohistiocytic inflammatory infiltrates, and extra- and intracellular parasites in the liver, myocardium, urinary bladder, and adrenal glands of the diseased animal.

A novel multiplex real-time PCR for the detection of Echinococcus multilocularis, Toxoplasma gondii, and Cyclospora cayetanensis on berries.

Foodborne parasites (FBP) are of major public health importance and warrant appropriate detection and control strategies. Most of the FBP considered for risk-ranking by a panel of experts are potentially transmitted via consumption of contaminated fresh produce, including berries. In this study we focused on the potential of three FBP, namely Echinococcus multilocularis, Toxoplamsa gondii, and Cyclospora cayetanensis, as contaminants of berries.

A New Protocol for Molecular Detection of as Contaminants of Berry Fruits.

is a coccidian parasite that is associated with foodborne outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses. Raspberries have been implicated as a vehicle of infection in some of these outbreaks. Most of the molecular techniques used for the detection of parasites commonly use the 18s rRNA as a target gene, which is highly conserved.

Infection in Horses in Iceland: Investigation of Associations Between Intensity of Infection and Lesions.

In Iceland, there is at least 1 horse for every 5 human inhabitants, mostly kept on uncultivated rangelands. Although the Icelandic horse is considered robust compared with other breeds, it is nevertheless susceptible to disease. Few studies have investigated the prevalence of intestinal parasites in horses in Iceland.

Not just a walk in the park: Occurrence of intestinal parasites in dogs roaming recreational parks in Chandigarh, Northern India.

Chandigarh, a city in North-west India, has numerous parks and recreational areas where stray dogs roam freely and pet dogs are exercised. This allows for extensive human-dog interaction, which may pose a public health threat. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of gastrointestinal parasites of public health importance, and their seasonal variation, in canine faecal samples obtained from recreational parks in Chandigarh.

An apple a day: an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Norway associated with self-pressed apple juice.

In the autumn of 2018, an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis affected adult employees from the same company in Western Norway. The organism was Cryptosporidium parvum, GP60 subtype IIaA14G1R1. All those infected had drunk from the same container of self-pressed apple juice.

Parasite contamination of berries: Risk, occurrence, and approaches for mitigation.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, including berries, are essential components of a healthy diet and are relevant in the prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Associations between diet and health are becoming an increasing focus of consumers, and, in response, consumption of fresh berries has been increasing rapidly in recent decades. However, increased consumption of berries may be associated with an increased risk of acquiring foodborne infections, including parasites.

Giardia duodenalis in primates: Classification and host specificity based on phylogenetic analysis of sequence data.

Giardia duodenalis colonizes the gastrointestinal tract of a wide range of hosts, including humans and other primates. It is grouped into eight different Assemblages and, beyond that, into a number of sub-Assemblages, defined ad hoc on the basis of genetic differences; these various groups are often considered to be associated with a specific restricted host range. The aim of this study was to use publicly available genotyping data to investigate the relatedness of human and non-human primate (NHP) Giardia isolates in order to evaluate the usefulness of current taxonomic classification and to assess whether there is potential for zoonotic transmission between humans and NHP.

Use of lectin-magnetic separation (LMS) for detecting Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in environmental water samples.

Proof-of-principle of lectin-magnetic separation (LMS) for isolating Toxoplasma oocysts (pre-treated with 0.5% acidified pepsin (AP)) from water for subsequent detection by microscopy or molecular methods has been shown. However, application of this technique in the routine water-analysis laboratory requires that the method is tested, modified, and optimized.

Occurrence of Giardia in Swedish Red Foxes ( Vulpes vulpes ).

Giardia duodenalis is an intestinal protozoan capable of causing gastrointestinal disease in a range of vertebrate hosts. It is transmitted via the fecal-oral route. Understanding the epidemiology of G.

Lectin-magnetic separation (LMS) for isolation of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts from concentrated water samples prior to detection by microscopy or qPCR.

Although standard methods for analyzing water samples for the protozoan parasites Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis are available and widely used, equivalent methods for analyzing water samples for Toxoplasma gondii oocysts are lacking. This is partly due to the lack of a readily available, reliable immunomagnetic separation technique (IMS).

Occurrence of , and in wild rhesus macaques () living in urban and semi-rural North-West India.

spp., and spp. are intestinal protozoa capable of infecting a range of host species, and are important causes of human morbidity and mortality.

Establishment of Canine-Derived Giardia duodenalis Isolates in Culture.

Researchers continue to rely on axenic cultivation of Giardia duodenalis trophozoites in vitro to study the life cycle and host-parasite interactions of G. duodenalis and to develop vaccines and drugs to prevent and treat giardiasis. The majority of in vitro studies of G.

Treatment of feline giardiasis during an outbreak of diarrhoea in a cattery: potential effects on faecal Escherichia coli resistance patterns.

Objectives: An outbreak of diarrhoea involving 16 cats at a cattery in Norway was investigated. Treatment and control of the outbreak were the primary objectives, but the effects of treatment on the antimicrobial resistance profiles of Escherichia coli isolated from faeces were also investigated.

Methods: Faecal samples were investigated for Giardia cysts by immunofluorescence microscopy, and multi-locus genotyping was performed to determine the Giardia genotype.