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A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2024) | Viewed by 19442

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luca Villa

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Guest Editor

Department of Veterinary Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
Interests: ruminants; parasitic diseases; Apicomplexa; neosporosis; epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Aleksandra Uzelac

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Guest Editor

Institute of Medical Research Yugoslavia Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: parasitology; zoonoses; genetic diversity and molecular mechanisms of virulence of Toxoplasma gondii

Dr. Ivana Klun

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Guest Editor

Institute of Medical Research Yugoslavia Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: parasitology; zoonoses; food/waterborne protozoa; immunological and molecular diagnostics of parasitic diseases; parasitic diseases of livestock

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, entitled “Parasitic Diseases in Livestock”, aims to present recent research on any aspect (i.e., etiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention) of parasitic diseases of livestock. These diseases are caused by both endoparasites (helminths and protozoa) and ectoparasites, including those responsible for the transmission of vector-borne pathogens. The term “livestock” refers to any domesticated animal species raised to provide food and other products, including cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, equines, and poultry. Parasitic diseases pose severe risks to animal health, welfare, and productivity, which in turn impacts the economy. Households which produce food of animal origin for their own sustenance or as a means of earning a living—that is, ‘family farms’—are particularly vulnerable. Indeed, parasites may impact animal reproduction and productivity, and eventually also cause mortality, all of which are associated with monetary loss to the farmer. Additionally, the economic consequences of some parasitic diseases for large-scale farming operations can be devastating on a country-wide level. Moreover, since many parasite species are zoonotic, the burden on human health and the effect on well-being should also be considered. In the spirit of One Health, the control of parasitic diseases in animals and the correct diagnostic approach are of the utmost importance for improving and achieving optimal human health. Due to the rapid emergence of antiparasitic drug resistance, insight into resistance mechanisms and the development of appropriate treatment schemes are urgently needed.

This Special Issue’s focal points include, but are not limited to, the following:

Epidemiology of parasitic diseases in the livestock industry.
Impact of parasites on herd economy.
Zoonotic parasites of livestock.
Molecular characterization and influence on virulence.
Implementation of innovative tools for diagnostics.
Treatment and drug resistance.
Control and prevention.

Reviews, original research papers, and communications are welcome.

Dr. Luca Villa
Dr. Aleksandra Uzelac
Dr. Ivana Klun
Guest Editors

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1159 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Long Time No Hear, Magnificent Wohlfahrtia! Morphological and Molecular Evidence of Almost Forgotten Flesh Fly in Serbia and Western Balkans

by Stanislav Simin, Snežana Tomanović, Ratko Sukara, Marijana Stefanov, Milan Savović, Bojan Gajić and Vesna Lalošević

Microorganisms 2024, 12(2), 233; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12020233 - 23 Jan 2024

Viewed by 1706

Abstract

The “beautiful viviparous fly”, Wohlfahrtia magnifica, may have a magnificent appearance due to its striking morphology; however, it is a potentially deadly agent of obligate traumatic myiasis in humans and animals, with a serious impact on welfare and economics. The fly is found across the Palearctic realm, including the Western Balkan region, with reports from former Yugoslavian countries from the first half of the 20th century. In this paper, a recent case of wohlfahrtiosis recorded in Northern Serbia is evidenced using morphological and molecular techniques. Larvae were collected from two adult sheep with severe hoof myiasis and two young sheep with genital and interdigital myiasis. Morphological identification was performed for adults bred from the infested vulva and third-stage larvae (L₃) collected from the hoof wounds, supported with barcoding sequences of the COI gene obtained from larval pairs from the hoof wounds of older and the genitalia of younger sheep. W. magnifica was identified according to the appearance of male fly terminalia and the morphology of L₃, which was confirmed after the comparison of representative sequences of the COI gene (deposited in GenBank™ under accession numbers MT027108–MT027114) to those available in GenBank™. This finding represents the first reported case of wohlfahrtiosis in the Western Balkans in 80 years, highlighting the need to re-inform relevant stakeholders to achieve adequate disease control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in Livestock)

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15 pages, 821 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Satureja hortensis L. and Calendula officinalis L., Two Romanian Plants, with In Vivo Antiparasitic Potential against Digestive Parasites of Swine

by Mihai-Horia Băieş, Vlad-Dan Cotuţiu, Marina Spînu, Attila Mathe, Anamaria Cozma-Petruț, Vlad I. Bocǎneţ and Vasile Cozma

Microorganisms 2023, 11(12), 2980; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11122980 - 13 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1504

Abstract

Internal parasitic diseases of swine constitute a major welfare and health concern in low-input livestock farming. Due to an increase in chemical resistance, phytotherapeutic remedies have become an alternative for the prophylaxis and therapy of digestive parasitosis, albeit few remedies have been subjected to scientific validation. Low-input swine farming in Romania has adopted the traditional use of phytotherapy for controlling pathogens in livestock. The current study aimed to assess the antiparasitic potential of Calendula officinalis and Satureja hortensis against digestive parasites of swine in two low-input farms. The fecal samples were collected from sows, fatteners, and weaners, and were tested using the following coproparasitological methods: centrifugal sedimentation, flotation (Willis, McMaster egg counting technique), Ziehl–Neelsen stain modified by Henricksen, modified Blagg method, and in vitro nematode larvae/protozoan oocyst cultures. Six species of digestive parasites were diagnosed, namely Ascaris suum, Trichuris suis, Oesophagostomum spp., Balantioides coli, Eimeria spp., and Cryptosporidium spp., in various combinations, dependent on the swine category. A dose of 140 mg/kg bw/day of C. officinalis and 100 mg/kg bw/day of S. hortensis powders administered for 10 consecutive days revealed a strong antiprotozoal and anthelmintic activity on the aforementioned parasites. The curative efficacy can be attributed to the presence of polyphenols, sterols, tocopherols, and methoxylated flavones. In conclusion, our results indicate that S. hortensis and C. officinalis are promising alternatives to the commercially available antiparasitics, enabling their use as natural antiparasitic products against gastrointestinal parasites in pigs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in Livestock)

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16 pages, 4538 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Parasite Diversity in a Freshwater Ecosystem

by Amana Shafiq, Farzana Abbas, Muhammad Hafeez-ur-Rehman, Bushra Nisar Khan, Ayesha Aihetasham, Iffat Amin, Hmidullah, Ramzi A. Mothana, Mohammed S. Alharbi, Imran Khan, Atif Ali Khan Khalil, Bashir Ahmad, Nimra Mubeen and Muneeba Akram

Microorganisms 2023, 11(8), 1940; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11081940 - 29 Jul 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5136

Abstract

Parasites are a significant component of biodiversity. They negatively affect fish appearance, growth, and reproduction. In this study, the prevalence of infection, diversity, and mean intensity of parasites were examined in 9 freshwater fish species (45 samples per fish species). Ecto-parasites were examined on the skin, gills, and fins with a hand lens. Wet mounts were prepared using mucosal scrapings from all the external and internal organs of the sampled fish. Microscopy, muscle compression, and the pepsin-HCL artificial digestion technique were also performed. In this study, 26 species of parasites were identified including three taxa belonging to 9 species of protozoan parasites, 11 treamtodes, and 6 monogenean parasites. The identified protozoan parasites were Entamoeba histolitica, Chilodonella sp., Coccidia sp., Costia sp., Cryptobia sp., Ichthyopthiris-multifilis, Microsporidia, Piscinoodinium sp., and Ichthyobodo necator. The identified trematode parasites were Fasciola gigantica, Echinostoma revolutum, Fasciola hepatica, Haplorchis pumilio, Brachylaima cribbi, Echinostoma cinetorchis, Neascus sp., Deropegus sp., Trematode Soldier, Centrocestus formosanus, and Clinostomum marginatum. The identified monogenean parasites were Dactylogyrus limipopoensis, Dactylogyrus anchoratus, Dactylogyrus myersi, Dactylogyrus vastator, Gyrodactylus salaris, and Ancyrocephalus. The diversity of parasites was maximum at the Okara site. The host’s organs that were targeted for parasitic infection included the intestine, liver, gills, fins, skin, and kidneys. The majority of the parasites were identified in Labeo rohita followed by Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Ctenopharyngodon idella, Oreochromis niloticus, Cyprinus carpio, and Wallagu attu. Two species appeared to be resistant species because none of the parasites were observed in Notopterus notopterus or Sperata seenghala. This study also concluded that the prevalence of parasites increased with increasing length, size, and age of fish. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in Livestock)

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12 pages, 658 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Pork Industry in the Backyard: An Analysis of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Serbia’s Pigs

by Aleksandra Uzelac, Nikola Betić, Nedjeljko Karabasil, Vladimir Ćirković, Olgica Djurković-Djaković and Ivana Klun

Microorganisms 2023, 11(7), 1857; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11071857 - 23 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1618

Abstract

As pork is an important source for Toxoplasma gondii infection, we have analyzed T. gondii genotypes and toxoplasmosis prevalence in pigs in Serbia in the context of production statistics and economics to assess the specific risk to public health. Genotyping was performed using MnPCR-RFLP; T. gondii-specific IgG antibodies were detected using a modified agglutination test (MAT); and statistical data were extracted from official records and provided by government authorities. The results indicate that, from 2006 to 2021, the median number of annually slaughtered pigs was 5.6 million, yet only 36.1% were processed by abattoirs. The remainder were “backyard pigs” slaughtered on family farms and homesteads. Toxoplasmosis seroprevalence in market-weight (MW) pigs prior to 2006 was 15.2%, and was 15.1% in 2019. The seroprevalence in owned city cats, likely infected by livestock meat, was 33.2%. ToxoDB#1 was identified in pig tissues. The results indicate that backyard pigs are the backbone of the industry and provide as much as 60% of the pork in Serbia. The seroprevalence in pigs and city cats shows that farms are reservoirs for the parasite. Thus, innovative means of reducing T. gondii infection designed with backyard farmers in mind are needed to reduce the risk to public health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in Livestock)

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19 pages, 2297 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effects of Coriandrum sativum L. and Cucurbita pepo L. against Gastrointestinal Parasites in Swine: An In Vivo Study

by Mihai-Horia Băieş, Vlad-Dan Cotuţiu, Marina Spînu, Attila Mathe, Anamaria Cozma-Petruț, Doina Miere, Sorana D. Bolboacǎ and Vasile Cozma

Microorganisms 2023, 11(5), 1230; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11051230 - 6 May 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3026

Abstract

Parasitic diseases are responsible for substantial losses in reproduction and productivity in swine, creating a major impairment to efficient and profitable livestock management. The use of phytotherapeutic remedies has notably increased over the past decade due to their bioavailability, decreased toxicity, non-polluting nature, and to some extent due to their antiparasitic effect. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiparasitic potential of Cucurbita pepo L. and Coriandrum sativum L. against protozoa and nematodes found in swine. The samples were collected from weaners, fatteners, and sows and examined via flotation (Willis and McMaster), active sedimentation, Ziehl-Neelsen staining as modified by Henricksen, a modified Blagg method, and eggs/oocyst culture. The parasite species detected were Ascaris suum, Trichuris suis, Oesophagostomum spp., Balantioides coli (syn. Balantidium coli), Eimeria spp., and Cryptosporidium spp., depending on age category. A dose of 500 mg/kg bw/day of C. pepo and 170 mg/kg bw/day of C. sativum powders, administered for ten consecutive days, demonstrated a pronounced anthelmintic (pumpkin) and antiprotozoal (coriander) effect against the aforementioned parasites. Future studies are required to ascertain the optimal dose that maximizes their antiparasitic effectiveness. The current study represents the first Romanian report on the in vivo antiparasitic activity of these two plants tested on digestive parasites in swine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in Livestock)

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11 pages, 259 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Two Molecular Plasma-Based Diagnostic Methods to Evaluate Early Infection of Schistosoma japonicum and Schistosomiasis Japonica

by Yang Hong, Qinghong Guo, Xue Zhou, Liying Tang, Cheng Chen, Zheng Shang, Kerou Zhou, Zhizhong Zhang, Jinming Liu, Jiaojiao Lin, Bin Xu, Jun-Hu Chen, Zhiqiang Fu and Wei Hu

Microorganisms 2023, 11(4), 1059; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11041059 - 18 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1588

Abstract

The prevalence and infectious intensity of schistosomiasis japonica has decreased significantly in China in the past few decades. However, more accurate and sensitive diagnostic methods are urgently required for the further control, surveillance, and final elimination of the disease. In this study, we assessed the diagnostic efficacy of a real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR) method and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with a lateral-flow dipstick (LFD) assay for detecting early infections of Schistosoma japonicum and different infection intensities. The sensitivity of the qPCR at 40 days post-infection (dpi) was 100% (8/8) in mice infected with 40 cercariae, which was higher than in mice infected with 10 cercariae (90%, 9/10) or five cercariae (77.8%, 7/9). The results of the RPA–LFD assays were similar, with sensitivities of 55.6% (5/9), 80% (8/10), and 100% (8/8) in mice infected with 5, 10, and 40 cercariae, respectively. In goats, both the qPCR and RPA–LFD assays showed 100% (8/8) sensitivity at 56 dpi. In the early detection of S. japonicum infection in mice and goats with qPCR, the first peak in positivity appeared at 3–4 dpi, when the positivity rate exceeded 40%, even in the low infection, intensity mice. In the RPA–LFD assays, positive results first peaked at 4–5 dpi in the mice, and the positivity rate was 37.5% in the goats at 1 dpi. In conclusion, neither of the molecular methods produced exceptional results for the early diagnosis of S. japonicum infection. However, they were useful methods for the regular diagnosis of schistosomiasis in mice and goats. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in Livestock)

11 pages, 1294 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Eimeria spp. Infecting Domestic Poultry Gallus gallus in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

by Mohammed M. Mares, Saleh Al-Quraishy, Rewaida Abdel-Gaber and Mutee Murshed

Microorganisms 2023, 11(3), 795; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11030795 - 21 Mar 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3847

Abstract

Coccidiosis in chickens is one of the major problems in the poultry industry, caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria. The current study used morphological and molecular characteristics to identify Eimeria spp. infecting domestic chickens (Gallus gallus) in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia. In this study, 120 domestic poultry were examined and 30 were found to be infected with oocysts of Eimeria spp. (25%). According to the morphology of the recorded oocysts, five species were found. Eimeria necatrix was the first species discovered, and it was distinguished by oblong, ovoid-shaped oocysts with double-layered walls that measured 20 (23–23) and 17 (16–20) μm. The second species was Eimeria maxima, which had oval- to egg-shaped oocysts with double-layered walls and measurements of 28 (26–29) and 23 (20–24) μm. The third species was Eimeria tenella, characterized by oval-shaped oocysts with double-layered walls and measurements of 21 (20–24) × 17 (16–20) μm. Eimeria praecox was the fourth species that was characterized by spherical-shaped oocysts with single-layered walls and measurements of 21 (19–23) × 20 (19–20) μm. Eimeria acervulina was the last species to have oval-shaped oocysts with double-layered walls and measurements of 20 (18–25) and 17 (14–20) μm. The percentages of infection with Eimeria species were as follows: E. tenella, 10.84%; E. necatrix, 5.84%; E. acervulina, 4.16%; E. maxima, 2.5%; and E. praecox, 1.66%. Nested PCR based on the amplification of internal transcribed spacer I (ITS-I) regions confirmed the presence of the five Eimeria species in the examined fecal samples with their specific amplicon sizes: E. necatrix (383 bp), E. maxima (145 bp), E. tenella (278 bp), E. praecopx (116 bp), and E. acervulina (321 bp). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in Livestock)

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