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An epidemiological and molecular study was conducted to investigate the occurrence and genetic diversity of Echinococcus granulosus isolates from adult sheep and cattle in Romania. Overall, 642 sheep (aged over 3 years) and 1878 cattle (aged over 5 years) from 16 counties were examined for hydatid cysts. Of them, 421 (65.6%) sheep and 754 (40.1%) cattle were found infected by cystic echinococcosis (CE). Germinal layers were collected from 98 individual cysts (one cyst per animal; 31 from sheep and 67 from cattle), DNA was extracted and two different mitochondrial DNA genes, namely cytochrome c oxidase subunits 1 (CO1) and 12S ribosomal DNA (12S rDNA) were used as genetic markers. The assessment of the genetic diversity of the Echinococcus strains showed the presence of the E. granulosus sensu stricto complex and disclosed an apparent dominance of the G1 genotype within the G1–G3 complex. Furthermore, several mitochondrial variants were identified for the G1 and G2 genotypes of E. granulosus s.s. complex. Overall, the findings were of epidemiological relevance and highlighted a high potential risk of zoonotic infection., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Serum samples from 376 randomly selected adult cattle, from 25 farms located in 3 counties (Arad, Bihor, and Timiş) from western Romania, were sampled for Neospora caninum antibodies using a commercial ELISA-kit. Seroprevalence values and risk factors for neosporosis (cow age, breed, herd size, farming system, previous abortion, and number of farm dogs) were examined using a generalized linear mixed model with a binomial distribution. Overall, the seroprevalence of N. caninum was 27.7% (104/376) with a prevalence of 27.9% (24/86) in Arad, 26.9% (25/93) in Bihor, and 27.9% (55/197) in Timiş. Of 25 cattle herds, 23 were seropositive with a prevalence ranging from 10.0 to 52.2%. No correlation was found between N. caninum seropositivity and age, breed, herd size, breeding system, and previous abortion. The number of farm dogs was the only factor (P(Wald)  =  0.03) positively associated with seroprevalence in cows and can be considered the risk factor in the acquiring of infection. The present work is the first regarding serological evidence of N. caninum infection in cattle from western Romania.

Diarrheic fecal samples from 258 pre-weaned calves (1-30 day-old) from 9 dairy farms located in Banat region, Romania, were microscopically examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts. Overall, 65 (25%) samples were found positive. A higher percent of infection was recorded in calves aged between 8 and 14 days compared with other age categories (1-7, 8-14, 15-21 and 22-30 days; p<0.05). Genetic characterization was carried out on all Cryptosporidium-positive samples. After DNA extraction, Cryptosporidium species were determined by a nested PCR of the small subunit rRNA gene (18S) followed by RFLP analysis with SspI, VspI and MboII restriction enzymes. The restriction patterns showed that animals were infected with Cryptosporidium parvum. Subsequently, subtyping of 13 C. parvum isolates, based on sequence analysis of the 60 kDa glycoprotein (GP60) gene, showed 2 subtypes (IIaA15G2R1 and IIaA16G1R1) belonging to the subtype family IIa. This is the first molecular study of bovine Cryptosporidium infection in Romania., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)