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Background: Skrjabingylus spp. are nematodes that parasitize in the frontal and nasal sinuses of small mustelids. In Europe, the two species S. nasicola and S. petrowi are known, although records of S. petrowi are extremely rare, except in the former part of the USSR. The aim of the present study was to screen pine martens (Martes martes) from Poland for the first time for the presence of S. petrowi., Methods: Three road-killed pine martens were collected in 2018 and 2020 in the province Lower Silesian in southwestern Poland. A complete necropsy was performed on the fresh pine marten heads and especially the frontal sinuses and paranasal sinuses were examined for the presence of Skrjabingylus spp. The species identity of the recovered nematodes was determined by morphological measurements and genetic barcoding., Results: One of three pine martens examined showed infection with 12 Skrjabingylus spp. in the right frontal sinus. Measurements of the spicule length of the males revealed a range of 480-521 µm which is characteristic of S. petrowi. There was a close match between the COI sequence reported here and of S. petrowi sequences reported from Germany., Conclusion: This is the first report of infection of a pine marten with the sinus worm S. petrowi in Poland., (© 2021. Witold Stefański Institute of Parasitology, Polish Academy of Sciences.)

Background: Cryptosporidium spp. are protozoan parasites that cause enteric infection in a wide range of mammals, including humans. The raccoon (Procyon lotor) is an invasive species in many parts of the world and studies have shown that they can be infected with Cryptosporidium spp. both outside and in their original distribution area. The aim of the present study was to determine the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. antigens in the faeces of raccoons in Luxembourg., Methods: Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we tested 81 faeces samples, collected between 2014 and 2018, for the presence of Cryptosporidium spp. coproantigens. Samples with an optical density equal to or greater than 0.15% were considered positive., Results: Antigens were detected in 12.35% (10/81; 95% CI 6.68-21.26) of the tested samples. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. infection between the sexes and age categories. Cryptosporidium spp.-positive raccoons were found in 7 of the 12 Luxembourg administrative districts (Clervaux, Diekirch, Echternach, Mersch, Remich, Vianden and Wiltz)., Conclusion: The results show that Cryptosporidium infections are not uncommon in Luxembourg raccoons and suggest possible transmission of Cryptosporidium by raccoons.