scholarly journals Molecular survey of Besnoitia spp. (Apicomplexa) in faeces from European wild mesocarnivores in Spain. Short running title: Molecular survey of Besnoitia spp in faeces from wild carnivores.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David González-Barrio ◽  
Pamela C. Köster ◽  
Miguel Habela ◽  
Manuel Martín-Pérez ◽  
José Fernández-García ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Definitive Host ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Besnoitia Besnoiti ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Wild Carnivores ◽  
Molecular Survey ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Bovine Besnoitiosis ◽  
Western Spain ◽  
Free Ranging

Numerous studies have unsuccessfully tried to unravel the definitive host of the coccidian parasite Besnoitia besnoiti. Cattle infections by B. besnoiti cause a chronic and debilitating condition called bovine besnoitiosis that has emerged in Europe during the last two decades, mainly due to limitations in its control associated to the absence of vaccines and therapeutical tools. Although the exact transmission pathway of B. besnoiti is currently unknown, it is assumed that the parasite might have an indirect life cycle with a carnivore as definitive host. Current lack of studies in wildlife might underestimate the importance of free-living species in the epidemiology of B. besnoiti. Thus, the aim of the present study is to assess the presence of Besnoitia spp. in free-ranging mesocarnivores in Spain. DNA was searched by PCR on faeces collected from wild carnivores as a first approach to determine which species could be considered as potential definitive host candidates in further research. For this purpose, a total of 352 faecal samples from 12 free-living wild carnivore species belonging to the Canidae, Felidae, Herpestidae, Mustelidae, Procyonidae, and Viverridae families were collected in seven Spanish regions. PCR testing showed that Besnoitia spp. DNA was present in four faecal samples from red foxes collected in western Spain, an area with the greatest density of extensively reared cattle and associated to high incidence of bovine besnoitiosis in the country. To date, this is the first report of a Besnoitia besnoiti-like sequence (99.57% homology) from carnivore faeces in a worldwide context. Red foxes might contribute to the epidemiology of B. besnoiti, although further studies, mostly based on bioassay, would be needed to elucidate the accuracy and extent of these interesting findings.

scholarly journals Molecular survey of Besnoitia spp. (Apicomplexa) in faeces from European wild mesocarnivores in Spain.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David González-Barrio ◽  
Pamela C. Köster ◽  
Miguel Habela ◽  
Manuel Martín-Pérez ◽  
José Fernández-García ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Definitive Host ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Besnoitia Besnoiti ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Carnivore Species ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Bovine Besnoitiosis ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Western Spain ◽  
Free Ranging

Numerous studies have unsuccessfully tried to unravel the definitive host of the coccidian parasite Besnoitia besnoiti. Cattle infections by B. besnoiti cause a chronic and debilitating condition called bovine besnoitiosis that has emerged in Europe during the last two decades, mainly due to limitations in its control associated to the absence of vaccines and therapeutical tools. Although the exact transmission pathway of B. besnoiti is currently unknown, it is assumed that the parasite might have an indirect life cycle with a carnivore as definitive host. Current lack of studies in wildlife might underestimate the importance of free-living species in the epidemiology of B. besnoiti. Thus, the aim of the present study is to assess the presence of Besnoitia spp. in free-ranging mesocarnivores in Spain. DNA was searched by PCR on faeces collected from wild carnivores as a first approach to determine which species could be considered as potential candidates for definitive hosts in further research. For this purpose, a total of 352 faecal samples from 12 free-living wild carnivore species belonging to the Canidae, Felidae, Herpestidae, Mustelidae, Procyonidae, and Viverridae families were collected in seven Spanish regions. PCR testing showed that Besnoitia spp. DNA was present in four faecal samples from red foxes collected in western Spain, an area with the greatest density of extensively reared cattle and associated to high incidence of bovine besnoitiosis in the country. To date, this is the first report of a Besnoitia besnoiti-like sequence (99.57% homology) from carnivore faeces in a worldwide context. Red foxes might contribute to the epidemiology of B. besnoiti, although further studies, mostly based on bioassay, would be needed to elucidate the accuracy and extent of these interesting findings.

scholarly journals Draft Genome Sequence and Annotation of the Apicomplexan Parasite Besnoitia besnoiti

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (46) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gereon Schares ◽  
Pratap Venepally ◽  
Hernán A. Lorenzi
Keyword(s):  
Genome Sequence ◽  
Causative Agent ◽  
Definitive Host ◽  
Draft Genome ◽  
Sequence Assembly ◽  
Apicomplexan Parasite ◽  
Draft Genome Sequence ◽  
Besnoitia Besnoiti ◽  
Genome Sequence Assembly ◽  
Bovine Besnoitiosis

ABSTRACT The apicomplexan parasite Besnoitia besnoiti is the causative agent of bovine besnoitiosis that affects livestock, particularly cattle. The definitive host of B. besnoiti is unknown and its transmission only partially understood. Here, we report the first draft genome sequence, assembly, and annotation of this parasite.

scholarly journals Wild carnivores as source of zoonotic helminths in north-eastern Italy

2008 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Cerbo ◽  
M. Manfredi ◽  
M. Bregoli ◽  
N. Milone ◽  
M. Cova
Keyword(s):  
Echinococcus Multilocularis ◽  
Toxocara Canis ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Wild Carnivores ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Zoonotic Parasites ◽  
Trichuris Vulpis

AbstractTwo hundreds and sixty red foxes, eighteen badgers and eight stone martens from north-eastern Italy were examined for zoonotic parasites by SCT, with particular attention to Trichinella sp. and Echinococcus multilocularis. No adult worms of E. multilocularis were observed in the intestine of red foxes or mustelids. Out of 223 fox faecal samples analysed by a commercial CA-ELISA, 5.8 % was positive to Echinococcus coproantigens. Trichinella sp. was detected by digestion of muscle in 1.2 % of examined foxes (2/172), but not in mustelids (0/11). Toxocara canis, responsible for human toxocarosis, resulted to be common in fox population (48.5 %). This parasite was found both in young (53.3 % of cubs and 61.9 % of sub-adults) and in adult animals (42.7 %). Other zoonotic parasites as Uncinaria stenocephala (52.3 %) and Trichuris vulpis (0.4 %) were detected in fox populations.

scholarly journals Exploring alterations in hematological and biochemical parameters, enzyme activities and serum cortisol in Besnoitia besnoiti naturally infected dairy cattle

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Villa ◽  
Alessia Libera Gazzonis ◽  
Sergio Aurelio Zanzani ◽  
Silvia Mazzola ◽  
Alessia Giordano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Biochemical Parameters ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Lower Percentage ◽  
Besnoitia Besnoiti ◽  
Laboratory Parameters ◽  
Bovine Besnoitiosis ◽  
Hematological And Biochemical Parameters

Abstract Background Besnoitia besnoiti is an Apicomplexan protozoa causative of bovine besnoitiosis, a chronic and debilitating disease of cattle, with a variety of pathological findings that could alter some laboratory parameters. A study was conducted in a bovine besnoitiosis endemically infected dairy herd located in Italy characterized by high intra-herd seroprevalence and cattle with clinical signs of the disease. In the study, alterations in laboratory parameters, i.e. hematological and biochemical parameters, enzyme activities and serum cortisol levels, in Besnoitia besnoiti naturally infected cows were investigated in depth. Methods Laboratory parameters in 107 cows, of which 61 were seronegative and 46 were seropositive to B. besnoiti, including 27 with clinical signs of bovine besnoitiosis, were compared. Generalized linear models were used to evaluate the effect of Besnoitia infection on the considered laboratory parameters. Results Hematological analyses revealed that B. besnoiti infection determined a significant alteration to the leukocyte differential, with a higher percentage of granulocytes and a lower percentage of lymphocytes in seropositive and clinically affected animals (Mann–Whitney U-test, P = 0.022); erythrocyte and platelet counts did not show any difference between the considered groups of cows. Biochemistry tests evidenced that the parasite infection influenced serum protein values in seropositive cows and glutamate dehydrogenase values in clinically affected animals. No or only slight differences were revealed for all of the other biochemical and enzyme activity parameters in B. besnoiti-infected animals. In addition, despite the lack of statistical significance, seropositive and clinically affected cows evidenced higher concentrations of serum cortisol values compared to seronegative animals. Conclusions Although physiological, pathological and farm-related factors could have influenced the results in investigated animals, further studies involving more animals from different farms would be advisable to infer the role of B. besnoiti on these alterations, since laboratory parameters could help veterinarians in the diagnosis of bovine besnoitiosis in cattle.

scholarly journals Occurrence of Helicobacter Infection in the Gastric Mucosa of Free-living Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

2004 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 548-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serpil D. Erginsoy ◽  
Mahmut Sozmen ◽  
Kadir Ozcan ◽  
Mehmet Tuzcu
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Mucosa ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Free Living

scholarly journals Real-time PCR on skin biopsies for super-spreaders’ detection in bovine besnoitiosis.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christelle Grisez ◽  
Leslie Bottari ◽  
Françoise Prévot ◽  
Jean-Pierre Alzieu ◽  
Emmanuel Liénard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Control Strategy ◽  
Real Time Pcr ◽  
Treatment Success ◽  
Acute Stage ◽  
Besnoitia Besnoiti ◽  
Skin Sample ◽  
Production Type ◽  
Bovine Besnoitiosis ◽  
Skin Biopsies

Abstract Background: Bovine besnoitiosis, an emerging disease in Europe that can be transmitted by vectors, is caused by the Apicomplexa Besnoitia besnoiti. Bovine besnoitiosis is difficult to control due to the complexity of its diagnosis in the acute stage of the disease, poor treatment success and chronically asymptomatic cattle acting as parasite reservoirs. When serological prevalence is low, detection and specific culling of seropositive cattle is feasible; however, economic considerations preclude this approach when serological prevalence is high. The aims of this study were to evaluate the accuracy of detection of super-spreaders in highly infected herds and to test their selective elimination as a new control strategy for bovine besnoitiosis. Methods: Previous real-time PCR analyses performed on skin tissues from 160 asymptomatic animals sampled at slaughterhouses showed that the tail base was the best location to evaluate the dermal parasite DNA load. All seropositive animals (N = 518) from eight dairy or beef cattle farms facing a high serological prevalence of besnoitiosis were sampled at the tail base and their skin sample analysed by real-time PCR. A recommendation of rapid and selective culling of super-spreaders was formulated and provided to the cattle breeders. Subsequent serological monitoring of naïve animals was used to evaluate the interest of this control strategy over time.Results: Among the 518 seropositive animals, a low proportion of individuals (14.5%) showed Ct values below 36, 17.8% had doubtful results (36 < Ct ≤ 40) and 67.8% had negative PCR results. These proportions were grossly similar on the eight farms, regardless of their production type (beef or dairy cattle), size, geographic location or history of besnoitiosis. Within two weeks of the biopsy, the rapid culling of super-spreaders was implemented on only three farms. The numbers of newly infected animals were lower on these farms compared to those where super-spreaders were maintained in the herd. Conclusions: Real-time PCR analyses performed on skin biopsies of seropositive cattle showed huge individual variabilities in parasite DNA load. The rapid culling of individuals considered as super-spreaders seems to be a new and encouraging strategy for bovine besnoitiosis control.

Isotopic evidence of individual specialization toward free-ranging chickens in a rural population of red foxes

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mickaël Jacquier ◽  
Laurent Simon ◽  
Sandrine Ruette ◽  
Jean-Michel Vandel ◽  
Arzhela Hemery ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Population ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Individual Specialization ◽  
Isotopic Evidence ◽  
Free Ranging

Flight Energetics of Free-Living Sooty Terns

The Auk ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 288-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth N. Flint ◽  
Kenneth A. Nagy
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Standard Metabolic Rate ◽  
Co2 Production ◽  
Doubly Labeled Water ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Aspect Ratios ◽  
Flight Energetics ◽  
Flight Metabolism ◽  
Sooty Tern ◽  
Free Ranging

Abstract The CO2 production of free-ranging Sooty Terns (Sterna fuscata) was measured using doubly labeled water (HTO-18). Metabolic rate during flight was determined to be 4.8 times standard metabolic rate (SMR). This value is much lower than estimates of flight metabolism predicted from previously published equations. Observations of these birds at sea indicate that flapping flight predominated at the windspeeds (0-5 m/s) that prevailed during our measurement periods, so factors other than gliding must account for the comparatively low flight metabolism we measured. Sooty Tern flight metabolism is similar to that of some other birds, such as swallows and swifts, that also have high aspect ratios and low wing loadings.

Behavioural adjustments of wild-caught kangaroos to captivity

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 213 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Munn ◽  
S. Phelan ◽  
M. Rigby ◽  
J. A. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Wild Animal ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Novel Environment ◽  
Short Period ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Free Ranging

It is important to understand how wild-caught animals may respond to captivity, and whether their behaviours in captivity are reflective of their wild counterparts. We observed the behaviour of wild-caught western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) and red kangaroos (Osphranter rufus; formerly M. rufus) that were transferred to a large naturally vegetated enclosure. Observations were made on the first day of captivity and again after 7–10 days, and were compared with the behaviour of free-living kangaroos at the same locality and over the same period. We quantified feeding, moving, grooming and non-alert behaviours. Of these, grooming was higher in captive kangaroos than in free-living animals on the first day of captivity only, and was no different to that of wild animal by 7–10 days’ captivity. Such self-directed behaviour may be indicative of heightened distress for kangaroos on the first day of captivity, but it may also be indicative of grooming to eliminate contamination of human smells or debris following capture by darting and recovery. Overall, our findings indicate that after a short period of captivity, wild-caught kangaroos adjust to a novel environment relatively quickly, and animals from each species showed behaviour patterns comparable with free-ranging counterparts within 7–10 days after capture and captivity.

scholarly journals Survey on viral pathogens in wild red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Germany with emphasis on parvoviruses and analysis of a DNA sequence from a red fox parvovirus

1998 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 433-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. TRUYEN ◽  
T. MÜLLER ◽  
R. HEIDRICH ◽  
K. TACKMANN ◽  
L. E. CARMICHAEL
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequence ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Canine Parvovirus ◽  
Domestic Dog ◽  
Interspecies Transmission ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Feline Panleukopenia Virus ◽  
Free Ranging

The seroprevalence of canine parvovirus (CPV), canine distemper virus (CDV), canine adenovirus (CAV) and canine herpesvirus (CHV) infections in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) was determined in fox sera collected between 1991 and 1995. A total of 500 sera were selected and the seroprevalences were estimated to be 13% (65 of 500 sera) for CPV, 4·4% (17 of 383 sera) for CDV, 3·5% (17 of 485 sera) for CAV, and 0·4% (2 of 485 sera) for CHV, respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed between the two (rural and suburban) areas under study.Parvovirus DNA sequences were amplified from tissues of free-ranging foxes and compared to those of prototype viruses from dogs and cats. We report here a parvovirus sequence indicative of a true intermediate between the feline panleukopenia virus-like viruses and the canine parvovirus-like viruses. The red fox parvoviral sequence, therefore, appears to represent a link between those viral groups. The DNA sequence together with a significant seroprevalence of parvovirus infections in foxes supports the hypothesis that the sudden emergence of canine parvovirus in the domestic dog population may have involved the interspecies transmission between wild and domestic carnivores.

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