A report of Bilharziella polonica cercariae in Knowsley Safari, Prescot, United Kingdom, with notes on other trematodes implicated in human cercarial dermatitis.

As part of surveillance of snail-borne trematodiasis in Knowsley Safari (KS), Prescot, United Kingdom, a collection was made in July 2021 of various planorbid (n = 173) and lymnaeid (n = 218) snails. These were taken from 15 purposely selected freshwater habitats. In the laboratory emergent trematode cercariae, often from single snails, were identified by morphology with a sub-set, of those most accessible, later characterized by cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) DNA barcoding. Two schistosomatid cercariae were of special note in the context of human cercarial dermatitis (HCD), Bilharziella polonica emergent from Planorbarius corneus and Trichobilharzia spp. emergent from Ampullacaena balthica. The former schistosomatid was last reported in the United Kingdom over 50 years ago. From cox1 analyses, the latter likely consisted of two taxa, Trichobilharzia anseri, a first report in the United Kingdom, and a hitherto unnamed genetic lineage having some affiliation with Trichobilharzia longicauda. The chronobiology of emergent cercariae from P. corneus was assessed, with the vertical swimming rate of B. polonica measured. We provide a brief risk appraisal of HCD for public activities typically undertaken within KS educational and recreational programmes.

Profitability of moderate intensive grazing of diary cows in the northeast.

Empirical analysis of the profitability of moderate grazing are presented based on sample dairy farms in Pennsylvania and New York. Net income per cow was higher for dairy farms that employed moderate intensive grazing than for dairy farms that employed extensive grazing. Income appeared to be adequate for family living expenses, but moderate intensive grazing could not be considered a high profit system. Detailed analyses of dairy farms that employed moderate and extensive grazing in northern Pennsylvania indicated that returns to management and owner equity were higher for pasture enterprises than for corn silage or hay enterprises. Positive dairy profits were related to lower feed costs. Milk production was lower on farms that employed moderate grazing than on farms that employed extensive grazing. Logit regression analysis characterized farms that employed moderate intensive grazing as oriented toward dairy rather than toward crop production; these farms had lower culling rates and a greater dependence on milk sales as a share of total sales. The reduced use of fertilizers and chemicals suggests that moderate grazing had environmentally sustainable features.