Search

Fascioloides magna is a parasite of high veterinary importance due to its pathogenicity for wild and domestic ruminants. The aim of our study was to describe the presence of trematode infection in the red deer population in the Lower Silesian Wilderness, one of the established fascioloidosis foci in Central Europe, and to assess the overall prevalence of F. magna in the studied area. In order to achieve this, a coprological study of different cervid species was performed.

Common parasites of the European bison include gastro-intestinal and pulmonary nematodes, liver flukes (Fasciola hepatica), tapeworms, and protozoa of the genus Coccidia. This study compared the extensiveness and intensities of European bison parasitic invasions in three north-eastern Polish forests in different seasons and queried the role of parasitological monitoring in sanitary and hygienic control of feeding places.

Parafasciolopsis fasciolaemorpha is a liver fluke typically parasitising moose in Central and Eastern Europe. The aim of our studies was to describe a case of fatal moose parafasciolopsosis, with special emphasis on the histopathological changes caused in the liver tissue by around 10,000 flukes.

Nematodes of the genus Thelazia are the causative agents of eye diseases in wild and domestic animals. Species, occurring in Bovidae are: Thelazia gulosa, T. rhodesi and T. skrjabini. Flies from the genus Muscidae are intermediate hosts of the parasite. Pathological changes in eyeballs of infected animals are caused by mechanical irritation of conjunctiva and cornea, and by toxic effect of the parasite metabolites. Infected individuals exhibit lacrimation, eyelid edema, acute conjunctivitis and hyperemia, corneal opacity and ulceration, as well as serous and purulent exudate, causing eyelids clumping. In some cases, parasitosis could lead to blindness. This manuscript has discussed biology and pathogenicity of Thelazia nematodes, has presented results of previous studies concerning thelaziasis in European bison and cattle in Poland, and has also considered diagnostic aspects and treatment of this parasitosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of European bison Bison bonasus Linnaeus, 1758 has been stormy since its extinction in the wild after the First World War. Due to the fact that the species was restored from just 12 founders, further expansion has suffered from low genetic variability, rendering the bison vulnerable to various pathogens due to inbreeding depression. Parasites are recognised as a key biological threat to bison population. Thus, parasitological examination including monitoring of the level of anthelmintic resistance in a herd should be a routine procedure involved in management and protection of European bison. This study was conducted in a group of 27 bison kept in a European bison breeding centre in Sweden. In April 2015, a faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) was performed in animals with ≥ 100 gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) eggs per gram faeces, to determine effectiveness of fenbendazole (FBZ) treatment. Additionally, the third stage larvae were cultured for molecular examination by a conventional PCR as well as by real-time quantitative PCR (q-PCR) for detection of the blood-sucking nematode Haemonchus contortus. Faecal sampling was conducted 1 day before and 8 days after deworming each animal. Anthelmintic treatment turned to be entirely efficient toward intestinal nematodes of genera Nematodirus and Trichuris, whereas shedding of strongylid eggs from the subfamily Ostertagiinae was reduced from 81 to 30%. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on cultured third-stage larvae (L3) before treatment was positive for H. contortus, Ostertagia ostertagi and Cooperia oncophora, whereas post-treatment examination revealed exclusively the DNA of H. contortus. Thus, only H. contortus was involved in post-treatment faecal egg count (FEC). FECRT showed that the reduction in strongylid FEC to FBZ in the examined bison herd was 87% (95%-confidence intervals [95% CI] = 76-93), suggesting reduced efficacy of FBZ to strongylid GIN including mainly H. contortus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]