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Gastrointestinal worm infections (GWI) constrain pig production and zoonotic pig parasites make pork unsafe for human consumption. This study determined the distributions, determinants and dynamics of GWI and also the effect of the infection on production parameters in pigs reared in Enugu State, Nigeria. The GWI were determined by faecal egg counts following standard procedure. Sixty piggeries and 564 pigs were randomly selected for the study. Questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain data on some production parameters and risk practices aiding GWI in the piggeries. An overall prevalence of 88.3% (53/60) and 68.1% (384/564) at farm and individual pig levels respectively were recorded. High egg counts of single and mixed infections involving Strongyle, Ascaris and Trichuris species were found. The infection predominated in young (74.1%, 240/324) and female (72.3%, 272/376) pigs during the rainy/wet season (74.5%, 204/274). Rearing pigs of different ages together, feeding pigs with untreated abattoir/poultry waste, and unhygienic on-farm feed compounding were the major risk practices underpinning acquisition and spread of GWI. Infected piggeries had less litter weight and reduced mean weight at weaning and maturity. Pre-weaning piglet mortality was 15.5%. The seasonality and preponderance of the infection in young and female pigs are useful epidemiological findings which could be exploited for development of an effective control strategy against the parasitic infections. An overhaul of parasitic disease control measures in piggeries in Enugu State is imperative for greater productivity and profitability in swine production, and to boost availability of safe and wholesome pork for human consumption. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12639-021-01377-y.

Human trichuriasis is a neglected tropical disease which affects millions of people worldwide, mostly living in low socio-economic conditions. Numerous studies have been conducted over the past 10 years to compare the different techniques for T. trichiura eggs detection. Our study provides the first geometric morphometric analysis for the specific detection of eggs of Trichuris sp. isolated from stools of macaque (M. sylvanus), colobus (C. g. kikuyensis), grivets (C. aethiops) and the Brazza's monkey (C. neglectus) from zoos in Spain. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) arises as an efficient method to determine Trichuris spp. eggs. The selected measurements to be included in the PCA were proposed for the first time in the present work, as far as we know, as we could not find previous studies reporting standardized parameters. Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (CGL2017-83057), which included FEDER funds Junta de Andalucía (BIO-338) V Plan Propio de Investigacion of the University of Seville

A study to determine the prevalence and morphotype diversity of soil-transmitted helminths in captive non-human primates (NHPs) in northern Nigeria was conducted. Simple flotation and sedimentation methods were used to examine fecal samples. A Morphometric analysis was done on Trichuris spp. eggs to determine the diversity of whipworm circulating in NHPs in the study area. High prevalence (60%) of infection was recorded in captive NHPs; Patas Monkey (n=17), Tantalus Monkey (n=9), Mona Monkey (n=7), Vervet Monkey (n=2), Mangabey Monkey (n=1), Baboon (n=14), and Chimpanzee (n=8) from parks and zoological gardens located in four Nigerian states (Borno, Gombe, Kano, and Plateau) and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Captive NHPs examined were infected with helminths either as single, double or triple infections. Four zoonotic soil transmitted helminth (STH) genera, Trichuris, Strongyloides, Ancylostoma, and Enterobius were detected in the examined animals. Eggs of Trichuris spp. were the most prevalent with four morphotypes suggesting several morphotypes of whipworm were circulating among the NHPs in this region. Further studies are required to elucidate the epidemiologic and public health implications of these findings.

Background\ud IgE to α-Gal is a cause of mammalian meat allergy and has been linked to tick bites in North America, Australia, and Eurasia. Reports from the developing world indicate that α-Gal sensitization is prevalent but has been little investigated.\ud \ud Objective\ud We sought evidence for the cause(s) of α-Gal sensitization and lack of reported meat allergy among children in less developed settings in Ecuador and Kenya.\ud \ud Methods\ud IgE to α-Gal and total IgE were assessed in children from Ecuador (n = 599) and Kenya (n = 254) and compared with children with (n = 42) and without known (n = 63) mammalian meat allergy from the southeastern United States. Information on diet, potential risk factors, and helminth infections was available for children from Ecuador. IgG4 to α-Gal and antibodies to regionally representative parasites were assessed in a subset of children.\ud \ud Results\ud In Ecuador (32%) and Kenya (54%), α-Gal specific IgE was prevalent, but levels were lower than in children with meat allergy from the United States. Sensitization was associated with rural living, antibody markers of Ascaris exposure, and total IgE, but not active infections with Ascaris or Trichuris species. In Ecuador, 87.5% reported consuming beef at least once per week, including 83.9% of those who had α-Gal specific IgE. Levels of α-Gal specific IgG4 were not high in Ecuador, but were greater than in children from the United States.\ud \ud Conclusions\ud These results suggest that in areas of the developing world with endemic parasitism, α-Gal sensitization is (1) common, (2) associated with Ascaris exposure, and (3) distinguished by a low percentage of specific/total IgE compared with individuals with meat allergy in the United States.

Domestic animals are source of protein and additional income in most families in Okpokwu Local Government Area BenueState. This study determined the prevalence of geohelminths in the faecal deposits from some domestic animals in OkpokwuLocal Government Area. A total of 480 faecal deposits were collected into the sterile specimen bottles and examined forpresence of helminthes eggs using test tube floatation technique. Of the 480 faecal samples examined, 161(33.5%) werepositive for one or more eggs of helminth parasites. The prevalences were 20%, 15.2%, 9.8%, 5.2% and 3.8% for Ascarisspecies, Toxocara species, Ancylostoma species, Strongloides and Trichuris species, respectively. The highest prevalence of48% was recorded in Ojigo ward and the least prevalence rate of 23% in Okpale/Ingle ward with no significant difference(p>0.05) in the distribution of eggs in the twelve (12) wards sampled. The public health importance of geohelminths eggs infaecal deposits cannot be underestimated therefore, community health education and restriction of animals from roaming arerecommended. Keywords: Geohelminths, Domestic animals, Faeces, Okpokwu.

The aim of this study was to identify Trichuris species in wild ruminants from 32 localities in the Czech Republic using morphological and molecular methods (ITS1-5.8S RNA-ITS2 region polymorphisms). Trichurids were obtained from 176 wild ruminants (roe deer, sika deer, red deer, fallow deer and mouflons) that were culled between 2009 and 2017. Trichuris discolor is the predominant trichurid of all of the above-mentioned wild ruminants, whereas Trichuris ovis was identified less frequently in roe deer, fallow deer, sika deer and mouflons. Red deer were parasitised exclusively by T. discolor. Young hosts under 1 year of age were more intensively infected by trichurids than were adults (χ2 = 32.02, p = 0.00). Trichurid prevalence results obtained through coprological methods and those based on parasitological dissections differed significantly (χ2 = 16.26, p = 0.00). The regression analysis indicated that the eggs per gram (EPG) threshold (20 EPG) was exceeded only if the host was parasitised by more than 7 trichurid females. Full concordance between the positive results obtained by the coprological methods and those obtained via direct dissections was achieved when the number of trichurid females per host exceeded 51.

The whipworm Trichuris muris was recovered from the caecum of the wild rodent Psammomys obessus trapped from Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. The cuticular surface ultrastructure is described using SEM. T. muris is closely related to other Trichuris species but can be distinguished from them mainly by differences in the posterior end of males. Details of the surface such as the bacillary gland, cuticular inflations and several morphological details obtained by scanning electron microscopy confirmed the characteristics that differentiate the species. P. obessus (Cretzschmar, 1828) is considered a new host record and Sinai is considered a new locality for the genus. This may through light on the spread of T. muris between Asia and Africa.

Despite high prevalence of Trichuris trichiura infection, PCR-based analysis on T. trichiura from archaeological samples has not been established so far. In the present study, we sought to perform PCR-based amplification of T. trichiura aDNA using the sediments from medieval tomb of Korea. The presence of Trichuris eggs were first detected by microscopic observation; then confirmed by PCR-based aDNA analysis. Obtained sequence showed 100% homology to that of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSUrRNA) gene of T. trichiura but distinct from that of other Trichuris species. PCR-based aDNA analysis in this study can serve as effective method to confirm the presence of T. trichiura eggs in the soils or coprolites collected from archaeological sites.

Background On St. Kitts, a high number of cats are found to be infected with Trichuris. Necropsies have shown pathologic changes related to the infections. In order to determine if these changes were related to a particular Trichuris species, a review of the original identifications of Trichuris campanula and Trichuris serrata was conducted. Findings Based on the review of published descriptions of T. campanula and T. serrata, it is hypothesized that the presence or absence of a vulvar projection and a bacillary band can be used to differentiate the two species and these criteria are more accurate than nematode or egg size. The Trichuris in cats on St. Kitts were similar in size to the description of T. campanula, but had both a vulvar projection and bacillary band. Conclusions Based on the morphological characteristics, all of the Trichuris found in twelve domestic cats were determined to be T. serrata. Cats without pathologic changes are required to further investigate if the changes are species or strain related.

Populations of Trichuris spp. isolated from six species of sigmodontine rodents from Argentina were analyzed based on morphological characteristics and ITS2 (rDNA) region sequences. Molecular data provided an opportunity to discuss the phylogenetic relationships among the Trichuris spp. from Noth and South America (mainly from Argentina). Trichuris specimens were identified morphologically as Trichuris pardinasi, T. navonae, Trichuris sp. and Trichuris new species, described in this paper. Sequences analyzed by Maximum Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian inference methods showed four main clades corresponding with the four different species regardless of geographical origin and host species. These four species from sigmodontine rodents clustered together and separated from Trichuris species isolated from murine and arvicoline rodents (outgroup). Different genetic lineages observed among Trichuris species from sigmodontine rodents which supported the proposal of a new species. Moreover, host distribution showed correspondence with the different tribes within the subfamily Sigmodontinae., Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias

HUMAN beings can become infected by a number of canine intestinal helminths, some of which are considered to be potential public health problems worldwide. However, intestinal worms of dogs currently receive less attention than their protozoan counterparts. This may be partly due to the decline in endemicity reported in developed countries, where dogs are likely to receive more attention and anthelmintic treatment from their owners. To illustrate the importance of veterinary care, a longitudinal study in Japan revealed that progress in prophylactic drug administration against dirofilariosis had reduced the prevalence of several intestinal nematodes in dogs (Asano and others 2004). The low levels of prevalence among canine hosts translate into a reduction in potential zoonotic risk for human beings in a given area. However, endemicity has been found to vary markedly from one region to another, and is also influenced by aspects of the survey protocols, such as subject choice and the diagnostic techniques that are employed (Robertson and others 2000). This short communication describes part of an ongoing study on the zoonotic helminths of Japan. It details a coprological survey of dogs in Aomori, the northernmost prefecture on the mainland, where no such information is currently available. The analyses focused on hunting dogs, as the way in which they are managed and their field activities makes them more susceptible to acquiring a variety of zoonotic helminths, either directly or indirectly from wildlife. Faecal samples were collected from 134 hunting dogs and 86 companion dogs between December 2003 and March 2005. Two different diagnostic techniques were employed: a centrifugal flotation technique (Ito 1980) with a sucrose solution with a specific gravity of 1·27, and a formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation technique (Young and others 1979). With the exception of Trichuris species and Taeniidae, all eggs were identified to genus, or genus and species, on the basis of morphological characteristics. The eggs of T vulpis are morphologically similar to those of other Trichuris species (Bundy and Cooper 1989), and parasitic eggs may be excreted after being acquired from other animals through coprophagy (Traub and others 2002). A total of 100 randomly selected trichurid eggs from positive faecal specimens were therefore re-examined according to the dimensions described by Yoshikawa and others (1989). Given the difficulty of distinguishing between taeniid tapeworm eggs on the basis of shape and size (Thompson 1995), Taenia and Echinococcus species were differentiated using nested PCR (Dinkel and others 1998). Pearson’s chi-squared test was used to assess differences in the egg prevalence of each helminth between both groups. McNemar’s chi-squared Hunting dogs Companion dogs Helminth species Number (%) positive 95% CI Number (%) positive 95% CI

Studies were conducted to determine the prevalence of helminthes parasites affecting cattle slaughtered at the Wukari Local Government abattoir, in Taraba State North-Eastern Nigeria. The Standard saturated salt (NaCl) floatation technique was used, and examined microscopically to determine the parasites and the number of eggs per gram. Of the 350 samples examined 122 (34.90%) were infected with one or more intestinal helminthes. In order of prevalence, Paramphistomum species recorded 83 (23.70%); Oesophagastomum radiatum 50 (14.30%); Fasciola gigantica 31 (8.90%); Trichuris species 28 (8.00%) and Monezia expansa 23 (6.60%). A Chi-Squared analysis revealed that the prevalence of Gastro-intestinal helminthes between male and female animals varied significantly, so it is between the young and the adult cattle (P

Trichuris eggs were found in Kerodon rupestris (Rodentia, Caviidae) coprolites collected in archaeological layers dated from 30,000 yr BP (before present) to 8,450 yr BP. Adult worms and eggs of this genus were not found in a search of living mammals of the region. Results indicate that K. rupestris was a host for an unknown Trichuris species not found in this rodent presently. Climate changes that occurred by 10,000 yr ago in the region could be the cause of its disappearance. The finding of parasites in archaeological material can show the antiquity of host-parasite relationships and parasite losses through time.

Specimens from Thoimomys bottae bottae are larger than those described by Hall, 1916, from Thomomys fossor in Colorado, the males measuring 28 to 30 mm in length, and the females 28 to 33 mm. In Hall's specimens, which were probably immature, the anterior portion of the body exceeded the posterior portion in length, but in my mature specimens the posterior portion equals or exceeds the anterior portion in length. The specimens agree in the bilobed end of the male body, the bell-shaped, spiny, spicular sheath, and the length of the spicule (about 1.5 mm long in my specimens). The spicule flares slightly a short distance behind the tip. The cloacal tube is about 2.5 mm long, and is joined by the spicular tube near the middle of its length. The ejaculatory duct joins the vas deferens at about the middle of the length of the posterior portion of the body. In the female the vulva is not situated on a prominence, and the ovejector is from 1.1 to 2 mm long, gradually widening into the uterus. The anus is subterminal. The eggs, not seen by Hall, are relatively broad, measuring 64 to 68 microns by 35 to 38 microns.