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Helminth infections are ubiquitous in grazing ruminants and cause significant costs due to production losses. Moreover, anthelmintic resistance (AR) in parasites is now widespread throughout Europe and poses a major threat to the sustainability of modern ruminant livestock farming. Epidemiological data on the prevalence and distribution of gastrointestinal nematodes, cestodes and liver- and rumen-flukes in Italian small ruminants are outdated and fragmentary. However, anthelmintics are commonly used to control these infections and often without prior diagnosis. Compared to other European countries, few reports of AR in small ruminants against levamisole, ivermectin and benzimidazoles have been published in Italy, but recent studies suggest that this phenomenon is spreading. Increased and integrated research efforts in developing innovative approaches to control helminth infections and AR are needed and must be tailored to the peculiarities of each context in order to be effectively implemented. This manuscript provides an overview on helminth prevalence and distribution, sustainable treatment strategies and integrated control approaches in small ruminants in Italy. The implementation of targeted treatments and targeted selective treatments is discussed based on different parameters, such as fecal egg count, degree of anaemia (FAMACHA© method), milk production and body condition score. In addition, several Italian studies have also investigated the implementation of alternative strategies such as the use of different natural bioactive compounds or genetic selection for resistance and resilience to helminth infections. These concrete solutions for helminth management in small ruminant farms in the country are reported and discussed, representing a valid example for other Mediterranean countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Coenurus cerebralis; epidemiology; genetic structure; meta-analysis; Taenia multiceps EN Coenurus cerebralis epidemiology genetic structure meta-analysis Taenia multiceps 1607 1622 16 11/08/22 20221001 NES 221001 Introduction I Taenia multiceps i is a ubiquitous taeniid cestode that circulates in a 2-host life cycle including various canids as definitive hosts. Intermediate hosts Many domestic and wild ungulates can serve as intermediate hosts for I T. multiceps i ; however, sheep and goats are the most frequently infected, most likely due to the close association with dogs. Our epidemiological findings indicate that sheep and goats are highly susceptible to cerebral than to non-cerebral coenurosis with the latter being more common in goats than sheep, but no clear explanation for this difference has yet been published. Stray and shepherd dogs as well as wild canids can acquire I T. multiceps i after feeding on the coenuri in dead sheep carcasses left on pasture of offal of slaughtered sheep on farms (Vasileiou I et al i ., 2015; Al-Riyami I et al i ., 2016). The dog-sheep/goat cycles appear to be the most important transmission dynamics (Varcasia I et al. i , 2022). [Extracted from the article]

Cystic echinococcosis (CE), a zoonotic disease caused by the species complex of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.), is endemic in Middle East and the Mediterranean basin, where pastoral activity is widespread. Despite the chronic endemicity of the disease in Lebanon and neighbouring countries, recent data are scant. The objectives of this survey were to evaluate the current epidemiology of CE in Lebanon, investigate the prevalence and determine the infecting genotypes in locally raised sheep and goats. A multidimensional approach combining post-mortem inspection of slaughtered animals and molecular diagnosis of the parasite was conducted to this end. From 2018 to 2020, 62.9% of the sheep and 20.9% of the goats were found positive for CE. The presence of hydatids varied between organs, showing higher prevalence in the liver of sheep vs the lungs of goats, however, a higher fertility rate of hydatid cyst was observed in lungs for both animals. Molecular diagnosis based on partial mitochondrial cox1 gene (795 bp) showed that the majority of isolates were identified as E. granulosus sensu stricto (98.7%) and only one isolate from goat was identified as Echinococcus canadensis (genotype G7; 1.3%). Echinococcus granulosus s.s. population among the sheep and goats was represented by 22 haplotypes having very little genetic differentiation and relatively moderate haplotype diversity. Population demographics explored through neutrality indices suggested expanding population within the intermediate hosts. These results document the high prevalence of CE in the livestock of Lebanon and reveal for the first time the presence of three different genotypes G1, G3 and G7. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]