A spatial assessment of Culicoides spp. distribution and bluetongue disease risk areas in Austria.

Bluetongue disease (BT) was introduced into Central Europe in the summer of 2006 and has since affected most European countries. In this study we analysed the distribution of the biting midge vector Culicoides spp. in Austria and modelled Bluetongue disease risk zones.

Changes in lymphocyte populations in suckling piglets during primary infections with Isospora suis.

Isospora suis, a common intestinal parasite of piglets, causes neonatal porcine coccidiosis, which results in reduced and uneven weaning weights and economic losses in pig production. Nevertheless, there are no detailed studies available on the immune response to I. suis.

Infection with Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy: seroepidemiological studies in Austria.

Seropositivity among pregnant woman in Austria has decreased from 48% to 50% at the end of the 1970s to 35% in recent years. Despite this decrease, knowledge of possible sources and risk factors for Toxoplasma infection remains important. We reviewed seroepidemiological studies that were undertaken to assess the roles of undercooked meat and oocysts in cat faeces as potential sources of infection in pregnant women.

Ticks and haemoparasites of dogs from Praia, Cape Verde.

In February 2008 an epidemiological field study on arthropod-borne infections in dogs was carried out in Praia, the capital city of Cape Verde. For this purpose 130 dogs were included in the study. Of these, 94.

Age, not infection dose, determines the outcome of Isospora suis infections in suckling piglets.

Data from 13 trials involving 124 suckling piglets experimentally infected with Isospora suis were evaluated for the effects of infection dose and age on the clinical and parasitological outcome of infection in four different models, infections with 1,000 oocysts on the 1(st) day of life (d.o.l.

Porcine coccidiosis--investigations on the cellular immune response against Isospora suis.

Porcine neonatal coccidiosis is caused by the protozoan Isospora suis and affects mainly piglets in the first three weeks of life. High morbidity with diarrhoea and reduced weight gain lead to economic losses, affecting pig-breeding worldwide. Infection causes damage of the mucosal surface in the jejunum and ileum and transient non-haemorrhagic diarrhoea.

Diagnostic markers for encephalitozoonosis in pet rabbits.

Encephalitozoonosis is a common disease in pet rabbits, routinely diagnosed in vivo by serological examination or post mortem by histopathology. Recently molecular techniques have become increasingly important as diagnostic tools. The application of different diagnostic markers for in vivo and post mortem determination of E.

Parasites on paper--The use of FTA Elute((R)) for the detection of Dirofilaria repens microfilariae in canine blood.

Storage of blood samples for subsequent DNA extraction without loss of integrity can be difficult under field conditions. Filter-based technologies are known to deliver good results for viral, bacterial and protozoan material but have not been tested for blood-dwelling stages of nematodes. In this study Whatman FTA Elute (Whatman plc, Middlesex, UK) filter technology was tested for its ability to stabilise DNA from blood samples of dogs naturally infected with Dirofilaria repens for storage prior to PCR.

Encephalitozoonosis in pet rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus): pathohistological findings in animals with latent infection versus clinical manifestation.

Encephalitozoon cuniculi is a common infectious agent of rabbits. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution and extent of histological lesions in the brain and in the kidney of naturally infected pet rabbits with or without clinical encephalitozoonosis. In 71 animals (33 with symptoms) which died or were euthanised, histopathological examination including staining of spores (Ziehl-Neelsen, acid-fast trichrome) was performed and changes were described quantitatively.

Cytosolic glutathione S-transferases of Oesophagostomum dentatum.

Oesophagostomum dentatum stages were investigated for glutathione S-transferase (GST) expression at the protein and mRNA levels. GST activity was detected in all stages (infectious and parasitic stages including third- and fourth-stage larvae of different ages as well as males and females) and could be dose-dependently inhibited with sulfobromophthalein (SBP). Addition of SBP to in vitro larval cultures reversibly inhibited development from third- to fourth-stage larvae.

Porcine isosporosis: infection dynamics, pathophysiology and immunology of experimental infections.

Isospora suis, an intestinal protozoan parasite of swine, is the causative agent of neonatal coccidiosis, a disease with high morbidity in affected pig-breeding units and consequently of high economic importance. Infection leads to damage of the mucosal surface in the jejunum and ileum and to non-haemorrhagic diarrhoea. As a result, weight gain of piglets is reduced and secondary infections with other enteric pathogens may lead to increased mortality.

Comparison of scratching behaviour of growing pigs with sarcoptic mange before and after treatment, employing two distinct approaches.

In a closed pig breeding and finishing herd suffering from sarcoptic mange, two selected groups of pigs were filmed during a period of 10 days before and after treatment. The observation always commenced each hour and lasted for 15 min. Before treatment, observations was done round the clock, after treatment from 8:00 to 22:15.

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.

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.

Ecdysis of Oesophagostomum: possible involvement of eicosanoids and development of a bioassay.

Bioassays were developed and applied to test the role of eicosanoids and pH changes in ecdysis of Oesophagostomum dentatum. Exsheathment (80-100%) was achieved by subjecting third-stage larvae (L3) either to chlorine (hypochlorite assay) for 5 min or by incubating them in HCl followed by addition of NaHCO3 (pH-change assay) with subsequent cultivation at 38.5 degrees C/10% CO2 for 1 week.

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.

On the substantial variation in serological responses in pigs to Sarcoptes scabiei var. suis using different commercially available indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

Two trials were carried out to compare the use of different enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the detection of antibodies against Sarcoptes scabiei var. suis. In the first trial, we employed four tests and 70 selected sera from a closed pig farm with sarcoptic mange.

Histology of the skin and determination of blood and serum parameters during the recovery phase of sarcoptic manage in cattle after avermectin (Ivomec) treatment.

Calves experimentally infested with Sarcoptes bovis were treated 14 weeks post infectionem with an avermectin pour-on preparation (Ivomec). On day 0 before and 14, 28 and 56 days after treatment mite count, scabies lesion score, histological sections of the skin, blood- (number of erythrocytes, PCV, Haemoglobin, MCV, MCH, MCHC, number of leukocytes, differential blood picture) and serum parameter (GOT/AST, GGT, GLDH, glucose, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, sodium, potassium and chloride) and Sarcoptes specific immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M were determined. 14 days after treatment no mites could be found in skin scrapings and the mange lesions were in recovery stage.