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Egg and poultry industry products are affected by the bacteriological quality of eggs. Contamination of edible contents of eggs with Salmonella may either lead to disease outbreaks in human or to weak/diseased hatched chicks. In order to obtain a baseline data on the occurrence of these bacteria in hen eggs in Cameroon, eggs were collected from layer farms in the West Region of Cameroon and examined for Salmonella contamination using standard bacteriological methods. A total of 140 table eggs from 20 flocks belonging to 19 layer farms were sampled. The mean age of the sampled farms and layers were 11.35 ± 10.30 years and 50.44 ± 23.07 weeks respectively. The flock size varied between 500 and 7000 layers. All the 19 sampled farms were positive for at least one Salmonella isolate. Three serovars were recorded in the flocks: S . Enteritidis present in nearly all the sampled flocks (19 out of 20) and on all the farms (19/19), S. Paratyphi present in 35% of sampled flocks (7 out of 20), and S . Typhimurium present in 30% of sampled flocks (6 out of 20). Over all, the prevalence of Salmonella in the sampled eggs was 88.6% (124 out of 140). The highest prevalence was obtained with S. Enteritidis (75.7%), followed by S . Paratyphi (8.6%) and finally S. Typhimurium (4.3%). S. Enteritidis was found to be the most widespread isolate, recorded in all the sampled localities. The occurrence of these zoonotic Salmonella serovars constitutes a big challenge for poultry and egg industry, and for public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cross-sectional serological survey was carried out to screen the small ruminants of Thessaly, Greece, for infection with Haemonchus contortus, lungworms (i.e. Cystocaulus ocreatus, Muellerius capillaris, Protostrongylus rufescens and Neostrongylus linearis) as a group, and for Cysticercus tenuicolis, Linguatula serrata and Oestrus ovis. A second objective was to determine the risk factors related to herd characteristics, management practices, farmer status and bioclimatic variables associated with these parasitic infections. A total of 361 sheep and 179 goat serum samples were examined. The seroprevalences were 33.9%, 41.5%, 14.1%, 4.6% and 1.4% for H. contortus, lungworms, L. serrata, C. tenuicolis and O. ovis, respectively. The final logistic regression model showed that farm location and temperature were associated with H. contortus, lungworm and L. serrata infections. Anthelmintic treatment, class of anthelmintic and rotation of grazing were associated with H. contortus and lungworm infections, while grazing with other herds was associated with lungworm and L. serrata infections; rain was associated with H. contortus and L. serrata infections. Farm type and age of farmer were associated with H. contortus infections and elevation was associated with lungworm infection. The results may help to formulate appropriate control strategies in Greece and other areas with similar climatic conditions in order to channel limited resources to mitigate only those risk factors which are significant to protect the profitability of the livestock industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maximum entropy ecological niche modeling was utilized to describe the global geographic distribution of Trichinella species and genotypes and to assess their invasive risk in new areas other than the ones currently known. Also, space–time scan statistic was utilized to identify global spatiotemporal clusters of infection. A database containing 3209 records for 12 species and genotypes identified at the International Trichinella Reference Center (ITRC) as well as climate, elevation, and land cover data extracted from various databases were used. Ecological niche modeling implemented in the Maxent program indicated new potential ranges for T. spiralis (T1), T. nativa (T2), T. britovi (T3), T. pseudospiralis (T4), T. murrelli (T5), T6, T. papuae (T10), and T. zimbabwensis (T11). The area under the curve values for the test data of the models ranged from 0.901 to 0.998, indicating that the models were very good to excellent. The most important bioclimatic factor in modeling the ranges for T. spiralis (T1), T. nativa (T2), T. britovi (T3), T6, and T. zimbabwensis (T11) was temperature, for T. pseudospiralis (T4) and T. papuae (T10) was precipitation, and for T. murrelli (T5) was land cover. T. spiralis (T1), T. britovi (T3), and T. pseudospiralis (T4) had the same primary land cover which was “Grass Crops”. The primary land covers were “Conifer Boreal Forest” for T. nativa (T2), “Cool Fields and Woods” for T. murrelli (T5), “Upland Tundra” for T6, “Tropical Rainforest” for T. papuae (T10), and “Crops and Town” for T. zimbabwensis (T11). The scan statistic analyses revealed the presence of significant spatiotemporal clusters ( p < 0.05) for T. spiralis (T1), T. nativa (T2), T. britovi (T3), T. pseudospiralis (T4), T. murrelli (T5), T6, and T. nelsoni (T7). No significant clusters were found for T. papuae (T10) and T. zimbabwensis ( T11 ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Maximum entropy ecological niche modelling was utilised to predict the geographic range for fluke genotypes and haplotypes in south-eastern Europe, using the Maxent program. The lowest (0.832) and the highest (0.947) area under the curve values were observed in the models for the haplotypes CtCmt1 and CtCmt2.2, respectively. Precipitation and temperature contribute equally to model building of the genotypes based on the 28S rDNA gene. In regard to the mtDNA gene region, precipitation is the most important factor in modelling the CtCmt1 haplotype range, while temperature appears to be the most important factor in modelling the CtCmt2.1 and CtCmt2.2 haplotype ranges. The highest level of probability for the geographic distribution of Fasciola hepatica genotypes and haplotypes covered the regions of southern Bulgaria and central and northern Greece which contain a high concentration of potential ruminant hosts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Salmonella is among the pathogens jeopardizing poultry industry in Cameroon. • The Salmonella isolates identified are both of veterinary and public health importance. • Supporting risk factors for the occurrence of Salmonella are present. • The One health approach should be used to address Salmonella problem on poultry farms in the country. Salmonella infections in poultry farms are overlooked in many African countries; yet these infections are mostly zoonotic with impact on both poultry industry and public health. Considering the impact of Salmonella in laying hens, and the role of laying hens as a source of Salmonella outbreak in human, knowledge of the status of Salmonella on laying hen farms as well as the factors influencing the presence of Salmonella is important. In a cross sectional study, cloacal swabs were collected from 270 commercial laying hens on 27 farms located in Menoua Division. These samples were cultured on standard media. A questionnaire was used to collect information on animals, farms and farmer's characteristics. The prevalence of Salmonella was 93.34%; three zoonotic isolates namely S. Enteritidis (75.90%), S. Paratyphi (11.90%), and S. Typhimurium (5.60%) were identified. The location of farms was significantly associated with presence of Salmonella , and the risk of infection was 10-fold higher in Nkong-ni than Santchou (p < 0.05). Other potential risk factors such as flock size, age of the farm (infrastructure), or water source were not associated with Salmonella infection. The prophylactic measures against avian diseases in the country must include measures against Salmonella to protect poultry industry and public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A cross-sectional serological study was carried out to screen the sheep and goat population of Thessaly, Greece for evidence of infection with Toxoplasma, Toxocara, Leishmania, and Echinococcus and to determine the risk factors related to herd characteristics, herd management practices, farmer status, and the bioclimatic variables associated with these zoonotic parasitic infections. A total of 540 sheep and goat serum samples were examined. The seroprevalence of infection in all examined animals was 24.5% for Toxoplasma, 32% for Toxocara, 0% for Leishmania and 85.9% for Echinococcus. The final logistic regression model showed that the species of small ruminant, herd size, anthelmintic treatment, class of anthelmintic treatment, grazing with other herds, educational level of farmer, elevation of farm location, and generalized land cover were associated with Toxoplasma gondii infections, while the species of small ruminant, farm type, anthelmintic treatment, class of anthelmintic treatment, rotation of grazing, age of farmer, elevation of farm location, and generalized land cover were associated with Toxocara canis infections. Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 102 (28.3%) of 360 sheep and in 30 (16.8%) of 179 goats. Animals in small flocks (150–300 animals) had an approximately 0.42-fold lower risk of having positive cases of T. gondii among animals compared with large flocks (>300 animals). Antibodies to T. canis were found in 155 (42.9%) of 361 sheep and 18 (10.1%) of 179 goats. The later finding constitutes the first report of seropositive goats to Toxocara. The risk of positivity for T. canis was 7.71-fold higher in sheep than in goats. Geographically, animals from plain areas had 2.9 and 2.01-fold higher risk of having positive cases of T. gondii and T. canis respectively. The significant bioclimatic variables (p<0.05) associated with the occurrence locations of T. gondii infection were related to higher temperature, lower precipitation, and lower elevation compared to the absence locations of T. gondii. The significant bioclimatic variables (p<0.05) associated with occurrence locations of T. canis infection were related to lower temperature and higher precipitation compared to absence locations of T. canis. These findings are useful to formulate appropriate control strategies for zoonotic parasites of sheep and goats in Greece and other areas with similar climatic conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Gastrointestinal (GI) parasitic infections of beef cattle were investigated in 15 farms from 3 different regions of Greece, characterized by temperate Mediterranean climate, during two years. A total of 262 faecal samples were collected. Helminth eggs were detected in 42 (16%) samples. Strongyle-type eggs were found in 28 (10.7%) samples, Strongyloides spp. and Toxocara spp. eggs in 8 (3.1%) samples each, and Capillaria spp. and Moniezia spp. eggs in 1 (0.4%) sample each. Coccidian oocysts were found in 123 (46.9%) samples. A logistic regression model showed that the age of animals, the number of employees, and the region of animals were associated with coccidian infections. There was almost a four-fold increase in the risk of coccidian infections in calves less than 12months old compared with animals that were more than 36months old (p<0.05). The risk of coccidian infections was 0.07, 0.18 and 0.27-fold lower for farms with 1, 2 and 3 employees respectively compared to farms with 4 employees; farms with less than 4 employees had a protective effect (p<0.05 in all cases). Almost a four-fold increased risk of coccidian infections was shown for animals from Epirus compared with those from Thessaly (p<0.05). These findings are useful to formulate appropriate control strategies for coccidian parasites of beef cattle in Greece and other areas with similar climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]