Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Pathogens Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II)

Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Related Special Issue
Published Papers

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitic Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024 | Viewed by 11421

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Stefania Perrucci

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: endo and ectoparasites (helminths, protozoa, arthropods); animals (domestic, wild, exotic); zoonotic parasite species
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In infected animals, parasitic diseases may greatly impair growth, welfare, fertility, and production, as well as cause severe health problems and death. Moreover, a high number of parasites may infect both animals and humans and may have public health relevance.

In wild, exotic and zoo animals, parasitic diseases may affect population dynamics and animal behavior and greatly increase mortality, often with dramatic effects in endangered and fragmented populations and wildlife conservation.

Wildlife, including exotic species, can be the reservoirs or occasional hosts of many parasites shared with domestic animals and humans that can be relevant for public health and economy. Moreover, disease emergence and potential spillovers of parasitic diseases to humans often take place at the complex human/domestic animals/wildlife interface.

The understanding of parasite epidemiology, diagnosis, pathology, host–pathogen interaction, zoonotic, and spillover potential with far-reaching significance also for human medicine, is fundamental for planning effective measures for the control of parasitic diseases. In many cases, knowledge of parasites of some wild and exotic animals is very limited, while it is fundamental for wildlife conservation plans and to avoid the introduction of exotic parasites.

As a second edition of the Special Issue 'Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals', we aim to continue to collect original papers and/or review papers dealing with those aspects of parasitic diseases of wild, domestic, and exotic animals that can be relevant for animal and public health and welfare, economy, and conservation. Work exploring the implementation of the knowledge of parasites of wild and exotic animal species and all aspects useful for the control of parasitic diseases in wild, domestic, and exotic animals is also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Stefania Perrucci
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

parasites
wild animals
exotic animals
domestic animals
zoonosis
economy
wildlife conservation
exotic parasites
control

Related Special Issue

Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals in Pathogens (13 articles)

Published Papers (9 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Other

11 pages, 466 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Revealing the Prevalence of Toxoplasma in Sierra Morena’s Wild Boar: An ELISA-Based Study Using Meat Juice

by José María Castillo-Castillo, Pablo José Rufino-Moya, Álvaro Martínez-Moreno, Ángela Salvador Castaño, Francisco Javier Martínez-Moreno and Rafael Zafra Leva

Pathogens 2024, 13(4), 281; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13040281 - 26 Mar 2024

Viewed by 707

Abstract

This research work focused on the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in wild boar from the Sierra Morena region. We conducted an ELISA analysis using meat juice samples. A total of 892 samples from six hunting seasons (2013–2019) were collected from the provinces that constitute the Sierra Morena Mountain range. These samples were analyzed using the Pigtype^® ELISA kit, specifically developed for detecting T. gondii in meat juice. The overall prevalence of T. gondii in Sierra Morena was 23.2%. The highest prevalences were observed in Córdoba (31.6%) and Jaén (25.9%). These provinces exhibit the highest density of wild boar as well as the greatest presence of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). Further in-depth studies are necessary, but it appears that the presence of wild felids and scavenger behavior may be associated with this observation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II))

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 1641 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies and Risk Factors in Two Sympatric Invasive Carnivores (Procyon lotor and Nyctereutes procyonoides) from Zgorzelec County, Poland

by Natalia Osten-Sacken, Jutta Pikalo, Peter Steinbach and Mike Heddergott

Pathogens 2024, 13(3), 210; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13030210 - 28 Feb 2024

Viewed by 1069

Abstract

The intracellular protozoan Toxoplasma gondii is distributed worldwide and infects many species of warm-blooded animals. Most mammals, including humans, can serve as intermediate hosts. This pathogen, with its zoonotic potential, causes toxoplasmosis, a condition that can range from subclinical to fatal in humans. It is therefore important to assess the occurrence of the pathogen, even if only indirectly through the detection of antibodies. Epidemiological data on the seroprevalence in wild animals, including invasive species, are rare in Poland. Therefore, we tested 197 wild raccoons (Procyon lotor) and 89 raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) from Zgorzelec County, southwestern Poland, for the presence of antibodies. Samples were collected between January 2019 and December 2020 and analysed using a commercial indirect modified agglutination test (MAT, cut-off 1:25). The statistical analysis revealed significant differences in seroprevalence between the two predatory species. Of the 197 surveyed raccoons, 96 (48.73%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 41.73–55.73%) tested positive, while 25 of the 89 raccoon dogs (28.09%; 95% CI: 18.70–37.48%) were positive. Regarding risk factors, body weight and sex influenced the presence of T. gondii antibodies in both the species, with a higher likelihood of seropositivity among heavier animals and females, respectively. For raccoon dogs, juveniles were more likely to be seropositive than adults at a given weight. Our results suggest that T. gondii infection is widespread in the regional raccoon and raccoon dog populations, indicating a high level of parasite circulation in the environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II))

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 567 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gastrointestinal Parasite Infections and Environmental Sustainability of the Ovine Sector: Eimeria spp. Infections and Nitrogen and Phosphorus Excretions in Dairy Sheep in Italy

by Irene Sodi, Mina Martini, Federica Salari and Stefania Perrucci

Pathogens 2023, 12(12), 1459; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12121459 - 16 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1186

Abstract

In sheep farming, gastrointestinal parasites can be responsible for significant reductions in animal health and production. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fecal excretions are the main determining factors for N₂O emissions from manure management and may pose other environmental problems, such as the acidification and eutrophication of natural habitats. By using the Mini-FLOTAC technique on fecal samples from sheep of different ages and physiological status from 19 dairy sheep farms in Tuscany (central Italy), gastrointestinal parasite infections were evaluated. The animal N and P fecal contents were also assessed, with the aim of evaluating possible relationships between the identified parasites and the environmental sustainability of the examined farms. The obtained results showed that Eimeria spp. (86.36%) and gastrointestinal strongyle (54.55%) infections are prevalent in the examined farms. Moreover, significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) P and Eimeria oocyst/gram-of-feces (OPG) values were found in fecal samples from animals < 1 year of age, and a significant (p ≤ 0.05) positive correlation resulted between N content and Eimeria OPG in fecal samples from animals in the first month of lactation. The findings from this study suggest for the first time that Eimeria spp. infections may have an impact on the environmental sustainability of sheep farming. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II))

► Show Figures

Figure 1

8 pages, 528 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prevalence and Molecular Characterisation of Blastocystis sp. Infecting Free-Ranging Primates in Colombia

by Silvia Rondón, Serena Cavallero, Andrés Link, Camila González and Stefano D’Amelio

Pathogens 2023, 12(4), 569; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12040569 - 06 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1142

Abstract

Infection with Blastocystis sp. has been reported in free-living and captive non-human primates (NHPs); however, surveys on Blastocystis sp. from north-western South America are scarce. This study aimed to identify Blastocystis sp. in free-ranging NHPs living in Colombia. A total of 212 faecal samples were collected from Ateles hybridus, Cebus versicolor, Alouatta seniculus, Aotus griseimembra, Sapajus apella, and Saimiri cassiquiarensis. Smears and flotation were used for morphological identification. For samples microscopically classified as positive for Blastocystis sp., we used conventional PCR to amplify and sequence two regions of the SSU rRNA gene and used Maximum Likelihood methods and Median Joining Network analyses for phylogenetic analyses. Via microscopy, 64 samples were Blastocystis sp. positive. Through molecular analyses, 18 sequences of Blastocystis sp. subtype 8 (ST8) were obtained. Strain and allele assignment together with a comparative phylogenetic approach confirmed that the sequences were ST8. Alleles 21, 156, and 157 were detected. Median Joining network analyses showed one highly frequent haplotype shared by specimens from Colombia and Peru and close relationships between haplotypes circulating in NHPs from Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, and Mexico. This survey could support the elaboration of a more accurate epidemiological picture of the Blastocystis sp. infecting NHPs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II))

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1737 KiB

Open AccessArticle

East Coast Fever Carrier Status and Theileria parva Breakthrough Strains in Recently ITM Vaccinated and Non-Vaccinated Cattle in Iganga District, Eastern Uganda

by Stephen Oligo, Ann Nanteza, Julius Nsubuga, Abubakar Musoba, Anne Kazibwe and George Willy Lubega

Pathogens 2023, 12(2), 295; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12020295 - 10 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1636

Abstract

East Coast fever (ECF) is a tick-borne disease of cattle that hinders the development of the livestock industry in eastern, central and southern Africa. The ‘Muguga cocktail’ live vaccine, delivered by an infection and treatment method (ITM), remains the only immunisation strategy of controlling ECF. However, there are challenges of the live vaccine inducing ECF carrier status in immunised animals and the possibility of lack of protection from parasite strains that are antigenically different from the vaccine strains. In Uganda, there are insufficient data regarding the ECF carrier status and T. parva genetic diversity in vaccinated and associated non-vaccinated cattle to assess the effectiveness of ITM vaccination. Blood was collected from recently ECF vaccinated (98) and non-vaccinated (73) cattle from Iganga district in Eastern Uganda at 120 days post-vaccination. The p104 gene nested PCR was used to screen for T. parva DNA, 11 minisatellite and 3 microsatellite markers (SSR) were used for genotyping. Two minisatellite markers (MS7 and MS19) were used to determine whether ECF carrier status was due to the T. parva vaccine or local strains. The prevalence of T. parva based on p104 nPCR was 61.2% (60/98) (RR 2.234, 95% CI 1.49–3.35, p-value < 0.001) among recently vaccinated cattle and 27.4% (20/73) (RR 1.00) among associated non-vaccinated cattle. The Muguga cocktail vaccine strains were responsible for carrier status in 10 (58.8%) by MS7 and 11 (64.7%) by MS19 in vaccinated cattle. Genotypes of T. parva with different-sized alleles to the vaccine strains that could be potential ‘breakthroughs’ were detected in 2 (11.8%)) and 4 (23.5%) isolates from vaccinated cattle based on MS7 and MS19 minisatellite markers, respectively. Using 14 SSR markers, T. parva diversity was higher in vaccinated (Na = 2.214, Ne = 1.978, He = 0.465) than associated non-vaccinated (Na = 1.071, Ne = 1.048, He = 0.259) cattle. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed isolates from vaccinated cattle were closely related to those from non-vaccinated cattle. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed high genetic variation (96%) within T. parva isolates from vaccinated and non-vaccinated cattle but low variation (4%) between vaccinated and non-vaccinated cattle. This study reveals the role of ITM in inducing the carrier status and higher T. parva genetic diversity in vaccinated cattle. The low genetic variation between T. parva isolates in both vaccinated and non-vaccinated cattle may be suggestive of the protective role of vaccine strains against genetically related local strains in the study area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II))

► Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 780 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Impact of Early Diagnosis and Early Treatment in the Integrated Control of East Coast Fever (ECF) Involving Acquired Immunity Induced by Natural Infection in Ankole Cattle

by Ann Nanteza, Zachary Nsadha, Julius Nsubuga, Stephen Oligo, Anne Kazibwe, Clare Terundaja, Enock Matovu and George William Lubega

Pathogens 2023, 12(1), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12010115 - 10 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1845

Abstract

The integrated control of East Coast fever (ECF) by early diagnosis and treatment involving acquired immunity induced by natural infection in Ankole cattle was assessed. A longitudinal study was carried out in Kiruhura district, southwestern Uganda for six months on 244 Ankole breed of cattle from 18 herds under natural tick challenge and relaxed tick control measures. Calves aged three to six months old were recruited and monitored daily by farmers for detection of ECF clinical symptoms. The reported sick animals were treated using Buparvaquone and treatment outcome determined. Monthly follow-ups and blood collections were done to monitor ECF status. Blood was analyzed for Theileria parva parasites by microscopy, DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The overall prevalence of ECF clinical disease within six months period was 30.3% (74). The major symptoms of early clinical ECF disease were fever and enlarged parotid or prescapular lymph nodes. Clinical cases were categorized as mild, 24% (18) or moderate, 76% (56). There was an overall recovery rate of 100% (74) of the ECF cases whereby 94.6% (70) recovered promptly and 5.4% (4) recovered slowly. Based on blood analysis, prevalence of ECF at baseline was 3.7% (9) by microscopy, 31.1% (76) by PCR and 38.1% (93) by ELISA. A significant increase (p < 0.05) was shown by the increased number of calves with T. parva specific antibodies in the sera from 38.1% at baseline to 68.8% after six months. High antibody levels (positive percentage ≥ 50%) were detected in all ECF-treated and recovered calves at the end of six months. The acquired immunity to ECF was high in treated and recovered cattle, indicating that natural exposure to infection, accurate early diagnosis and effective treatment enhance development of immune-protection in indigenous cattle in an endemic area. The prominent early clinical symptoms for ECF could be exploited in the development of decision support tools for chemotherapy and other integrated control measures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II))

► Show Figures

Figure 1

9 pages, 1080 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Occurrence and Genetic Diversity of the Zoonotic Enteric Protozoans and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in Père David’s Deer (Elaphurus davidianus) from Beijing, China

by Peiyang Zhang, Qingxun Zhang, Shuyi Han, Guohui Yuan, Jiade Bai and Hongxuan He

Pathogens 2022, 11(11), 1223; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11111223 - 23 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1157

Abstract

Cryptosporidium spp., Blastocystis, Giardia duodenalis, Balantioides coli, Pentatrichomonas hominis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are enteric protozoan parasites and fungal species in humans and animals. Père David’s deer is an endangered species in China, but the prevalence of enteric protozoans in this species still needs to be further studied. Thus, we investigated the prevalence and genetic diversity of zoonotic parasites in Père David’s deer during the period of 2018–2021. Among the 286 fecal samples collected from Père David’s deer in the Nanhaizi Nature Reserve, 83 (29.0%) were positive for Blastocystis, 70 (24.5%) were positive for E. bieneusi, while other protozoan parasites were negative. Based on a phylogenetic analysis, three Blastocystis subtypes (ST10, ST14, and ST21) and ten E. bieneusi genotypes (Genotype D, MWC_d1, HLJD-V, Peru6, BEB6, BJED-I to BJED-I V) were identified. In addition, the Blastocystis subtype ST14 and the E. bieneusi genotype D and Peru6 were first detected in Père David’s deer. Our study first reports the presence of two enteric protozoans in Père David’s deer during a 4-year active surveillance and provides more information about zoonotic subtypes/genotypes of Blastocystis and E. bieneusi in deer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II))

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

13 pages, 3571 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Comprehensive Diagnosis, Treatment, and Outcome of Taenia crassiceps Cysticercosis in a Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) from a Croatian Zoo: No Longer Unusual?

by Lea Grbavac, Ana Šikić, Petar Kostešić, Ivan-Conrado Šoštarić-Zuckermann, Vesna Mojčec Perko, Jadranko Boras, Ingeborg Bata, Andrija Musulin, Tara Kostanjšak and Tatjana Živičnjak

Pathogens 2024, 13(4), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13040283 - 27 Mar 2024

Viewed by 834

Abstract

Taenia crassiceps is a zoonotic tapeworm of the genus Taenia that is distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Wild and domestic carnivores are final hosts, while rodents and rabbits are primarily intermediate hosts, although many other mammals may harbour the larval stage, Cysticercus longicollis. This case report aims to describe C. longicollis infection in a lemur and molecularly characterise the isolated parasite. The excised lesion was subjected to morphological and histopathological examination, which revealed cysticerci of the tapeworm. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded block (FFPEB), as well as the cysticerci fixed with formalin stored for one year, were subjected to molecular analysis, which aimed at detecting the partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene of Taenia sp. Based on the morphological characteristics, the parasite was identified as a metacestode of T. crassiceps. The presence of the cox1 gene was detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in all samples. A randomly selected PCR product was sequenced and compared with other sequences from the GenBank database, confirming that the detected parasite was T. crassiceps. This article reports the first case of T. crassiceps cysticercosis in a lemur (Lemur catta) in Croatia and emphasises the potential risk of transmission from wild carnivores. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II))

► Show Figures

Figure 1

6 pages, 889 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Tetratrichomoniasis in the Geese Flock—Case Report

by Piotr Falkowski, Andrzej Gaweł and Kamila Bobrek

Pathogens 2022, 11(11), 1219; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11111219 - 22 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 873

Abstract

Infections caused by tetratrichomonas are commonly observed in geese. Most cases are subclinical, and the clinical form of the disease manifests itself with a greater mortality and the presence of caseous content in ceca. We describe the case of tetratrichomoniasis in a geese flock caused by Tetratrichomonas gallinarum, with the genetic analysis of the isolate being based on the fragments of 18SrRNA and ITS1-5.8rRNA-ITS2. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II))

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II)

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (9 papers)

Research

Other

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI