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International audience; Studies of the impact of parasites on host performance have mainly focused on body mass, a phenotypic trait that responds relatively slowly to the presence of parasites, and the expectedly faster response of physiological parameters has been mostly overlooked. We filled the gap by measuring the impact of endoparasites on four hematological/biochemical parameters (hematocrit, albumin, creatinine and fructosamine) in two contrasting free-living populations of roe deer. We generally found negative relationships between parasites and physiological parameters. Our findings also indicate little role of host sex on parasite impact and strongest parasite effects on young and senescent hosts. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

International audience; Bovine cysticercosis is a foodborne disease caused by the cestode Taenia saginata with cattle as the intermediate host and humans as the final host. This disease is responsible for direct financial losses for farmers. It is also economically important because human infestation through raw or undercooked meat consumption can have a negative impact on the confidence the consumer has in the food industry. This study aimed to determine the apparent and true prevalence of bovine cysticercosis in France and describe the locations of identified cysticercosis lesions. The study sample included 4,564,065 cattle slaughtered in 2010 in France, among which 6491 were detected as harbouring cysticercosis lesions using the current EU meat inspection process. The overall apparent prevalence (including both viable and degenerated cysticerci) was estimated at 0.142% [0.142-0.143]. The true overall prevalence defined as the estimation of the prevalence after taking into account the sensitivity of meat inspection (detection fraction) was 1.23% [0.83-1.93]. The true prevalence of cattle with at least one viable cysticercus was 0.113% [0.076-0.189]. Taking into account both our results and those of a previous study on the prevalence of human cysticercosis in France, we estimated that one carcass could infest an average of 8-20 individuals. The spatial distribution of viable cysticerci showed that the highest apparent prevalence was found in eastern France. This study, the largest survey ever conducted on bovine cysticercosis in France, indicated a low but spatially heterogeneous prevalence of the parasite among the cattle population. Considering French eating habits, according to which it is not uncommon to consume undercooked meat, the possibility of humans being infested even though viable cysticerci are not detected during meat inspection is high. Increasing the detection sensitivity of meat inspection through the use of a risk-based meat inspection procedure should improve prevention of human infestation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

International audience; Canine babesiosis (or piroplasmosis) is an emerging tick-borne disease caused by intraerythrocytic protozoa of the genera Babesia and Theileria. In dogs, infection by these parasites usually induces a haemolytic syndrome that can be fatal when complicated. Canine babesiosis prevalence is high in France, with Babesia canis thought to be the main etiological agent of the disease. This article presents the results of a multiregional prospective longitudinal survey on canine babesiosis conducted in France from October 2006 to December 2007. A total of 836 cases were reported by veterinarians using a multiple choice questionnaire and blood samples from 70 dogs were analyzed using PCR-RFLP to identify species responsible for canine babesiosis cases across the country. The main clinical signs reported were lethargy (98%), anorexia (98%) and hyperthermia≥39°C (80%) followed by pale mucous membranes (54%), modification of urine aspect (45%) and splenomegaly (33%). The dog population at risk was mainly represented by young dogs living in rural areas. Twenty-five out of the 70 blood samples (36%) tested by diagnostic PCR were found to contain Babesia/Theileria genus-specific DNA and all had profiles similar to that of Babesia canis genomic DNA after restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses. The survey results provide a reference for further molecular studies to assess the species and vectors involved in the transmission of the disease in France and across the Mediterranean basin.