First record of Cathaemasia hians (Trematoda: Cathaemasiidae) in a new bird host, the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca).

An injured young individual of the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca; Accipitridae) from the Protected Bird Area "Medzibodrozie" in the south-eastern Slovakia was subjected to the complete clinical examination at the Clinic for Birds and Exotic Animals of the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy. Adult trematodes were isolated from the pharynx of the eagle after oesophagoscopy. The morphological and molecular identification of the flukes confirmed a trematode Cathaemasia hians (Cathaemasiidae), the obligate parasite of black storks (Ciconia nigra) and white storks (Ciconia ciconia). This finding represents the first documented case of C. hians in new bird host species and indicates broader spectrum of definitive hosts of the fluke.

Does in Vitro and in Vivo Exposure To Medicinal Herbs Cause Structural Cuticular Changes in Haemonchus Contortus?

The health and production of small ruminants in constantly menaced by parasitic infections, especially those caused by the blood-sucking gastrointestinal nematode Haemonchus contortus. The aim of this study was to assess the structural cuticular changes in adult H. contortus induced by the use of extracts from local medicinal plants and to examine their ovicidal activity. Previous studies have confirmed the beneficial effect of herbal mixtures in preventing haemonchosis in lambs by lowering fecal egg production and improving immunocompetence. We exposed adult H. contortus to Herbmix (a mixture of medicinal plants) under in vivo and in vitro conditions for observation by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). For the in vivo observations, adult worms were isolated from the abomasa of experimentally infected lambs from a Herbmix group and a control group. Surface structure did not differ significantly between the exposed and control groups. The ovicidal activity of an aqueous Herbmix extract was assessed in vitro, establishing the inhibition of hatching with an ED50 of 6.52 mg/mL. Adult worms for in vitro examination were isolated from experimentally infected lambs and incubated in Herbmix aqueous extracts for 24 h. SEM observations indicated that none of the worms had prominent ultrastructural changes on their cuticles. This study suggests that previously demonstrated antiparasitic effects of medicinal plants did not negatively affect adult parasites by damaging their external structures.

Multiple Anthelmintic Resistance at a Goat Farm in Slovakia.

Cases of parasite resistance to the main classes of anthelmintics are increasingly reported from small ruminants at farms in Europe. We visited a goat farm in Slovakia in November 2019 with suspected parasite problems that reduced productivity and performed an in vivo faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) and an in vitro larval development test (LDT) for all three main classes of anthelmintics. The lowest efficacy (60 %) detected by FECRT was for ivermectin (IVM). Benzimidazole (BZ) efficacy ranged between 80.3 and 86.5 %, and levamisole (LEV) efficacy was 94 %. The results from the in vivo FECRT test were confirmed by the in vitro LDT. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) 173.6 ng/ml for IVM several times exceeded the recommended threshold of 21.6 ng/ml. Mean LD50 for BZ was equal to the threshold concentration, but the other threshold criteria indicated a low level of resistance in the population. The LDT did not indicate the presence of resistance only for LEV. The MIC 1.0 µg/ml for LEV was evaluated as susceptible with respect to species composition. Teladorsagia was the dominant genus after treatment with BZ, IVM, and LEV. Haemonchus contortus was identifi ed after treatment with BZ and LEV.

Development of resistance to eprinomectin in gastrointestinal nematodes in a goat herd with pre-existing resistance to benzimidazoles.

We described a first case of resistance to eprinomectin in goat herd in Poland in which resistance to benzimidazoles had been previously reported. The herd was established in 2011 by purchasing several goats from a single herd in south-eastern Poland. Resistance to benzimidazoles in the herd was first reported in 2017. Shortly after the owner started to signal low effectiveness of the treatment with eprinomectin. In June 2018 the larval development test from pooled faecal sample was performed and the results indicated the presence of resistance to macrocyclic lactones and levamisole. In July 2018 a faecal egg count (FEC) reduction test was performed in 39 animals with levamisole, eprinomectin and one untreated control group. Drugs were used in doses recommended for goats. Three methods of calculation of FEC reduction were compared. After eprinomectin treatment, FEC reduction ranged from 0 to 20%, depending on the method of calculation. FEC reduction following levamisole treatment was 100%. Main species present in the faecal samples after treatment and in larvicidal concentrations in larval development test was Haemonchus contortus. This is the first report of anthelminthic resistance to macrocylic lactones (eprinomectin) in goats in Poland.

Changes in Haematological Parameters in Wild Ruminants Experimentally Infected with Haemonchus Contortus.

Our study describes changes in haematological parameters in wild ruminants with parasitic infection. Six European mouflons (Ovis musimon), six fallow deer (Dama dama) and six roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) were experimentally infected with the resistant strain of the model parasite 8000 L3 Haemonchus contortus. The blood samples were collected on Day 0, 16, 37, 58, 77, and 99 of the experiment. Mild anaemia was observed in mouflons and roe deer while red blood cells increased in red blood counts (total erythrocytes, haematocrit and haemoglobin). As for the white blood cells count, leucopenia with neutrophilia and lymphopenia was recorded in mouflons, in the fallow deer and roe deer leucocytosis with neutropenia and lymphocytosis were observed. Changes in the dynamics of haematological parameters were statistically insignificant.

Anthelmintic resistance in goat herds-In vivo versus in vitro detection methods.

Anthelmintic resistance (AR) is a serious threat to animal health and has a major economic impact worldwide due to production and financial losses. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of AR on 30 goat farms in Slovakia during the pasturing seasons and to compare three widely used in vitro and in vivo methods for detecting AR in field conditions. A three-year survey was conducted during the pasturing seasons of 2014-2016. Goats on each farm were split into treated and control groups and were treated by recommended (5 mg/kg body weight) and double doses (10 mg/kg b.w.) of albendazole. Comparisons between percent reduction in a faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) and an egg hatch test (EHT) and the presence of L3 larvae in a larval development test (LDT) using resistant concentrations of benzimidazole (BZ) were monitored after treatment. The FECRT indicated percent reductions of 69.2-86.2% for the single dose and of 36.3-45.4% for the double dose. The EHT indicated that all farms had BZ-resistant nematodes. Low (<15% hatching) and high (>15% hatching) levels of resistance were detected on 13 and 17 farms, respectively. The LDT failed to detect resistant larvae on seven farms but detected low and high levels of resistance on seven and 14 farms, respectively. The data indicate a moderate correlation between in vitro and in vivo tests for detecting BZ resistance among the 30 goat farms. The hatching detected by the EHT and the presence of L3 larvae by the LDT at resistant BZ concentrations provided reasonable identification of low levels of resistance in the parasite populations, but the use of a double dose for a treatment may underestimate the real occurrence of low levels of resistant parasites on goat farms.

Detection of ivermectin resistance by a larval development test--back to the past or a step forward?

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of the larval development test for the detection of ivermectin (IVM) resistance in Haemonchus contortus of sheep. Single infections with 5000 third-stage larvae of five resistant and two susceptible isolates of H. contortus were given to sheep. Fecal samples were collected four times during patency, and the micro-agar version of the larval development test (MALDT) was performed. Three macrocyclic lactone drugs (IVM, eprinomectin and IVM aglycone) were tested. The results of the tests are presented as LC50 and LC99 values. The MALDT was well able to distinguish between susceptible and resistant isolates. Resistance factors (RF) for the LC99 values were generally higher than those obtained by comparing LC50 values. The highly resistant isolates were readily distinguishable from the susceptible isolates, particularly when using IVM aglycone and eprinomectin, with RFs above 20.

Comparison of in vitro methods and faecal egg count reduction test for the detection of benzimidazole resistance in small strongyles of horses.

The objective of the study was to compare the in vitro egg hatch test (EHT), larval development test (LDT) and in vivo faecal egg count reduction test (FECR test) for the detection of benzimidazole resistance in equine strongyles. The presence of resistant or susceptible strongyle populations was determined in 25 stud farms using the in vivo FECR test and in vitro EHT. On the basis of the FECR values, resistance to fenbendazole was detected on 15 of the 25 farms (60%). The ED50 value (anthelmintic concentration producing 50% inhibition of hatching) for suspected resistant populations varied from 0.110 to 0.222 microg/ml thiabendazole (TBZ). Final LD50 values (anthelmintic concentration inhibiting development of 50% of eggs into L3 infective larvae) above 0.029 microg/ml TBZ in the in vitro larval development test on samples from 11 stud farms revealed the presence of populations of small strongyles suspected of being benzimidazole-resistant.

Benzimidazole resistance in equine cyathostomes in Slovakia.

The present study included 19 stud farms, including 243 horses, that were investigated for the occurrence of anthelmintic resistant cyathostomes. The number of horses on the farms varied from nine to more than 100, and horses of all ages were included. A minimum of seven horses were used for faecal egg count reduction (FECR) tests. The anthelmintics included were: fenbendazole (paste formulation), ivermectin (paste formulation) and pyrantel (powder). Resistance to benzimidazoles was detected on 14 farms, with FECR values ranging from 65.1 to 86.3%. Larval cultures after fenbendazole treatment revealed exclusively cyathostome larvae. Ivermectin was tested on eight farms and proved to be effective on all. Pyrantel was tested on two farms and FECR test indicated high efficacy (92-97%). Egg hatch assay (EHA) results showed that mean concentrations of thiabendazole that inhibited hatching in 50% of the eggs (ED(50)) in resistant populations were over 0.1 microg ml(-1). The results of our study suggest widespread resistance to fenbendazole in equine cyathostomes in Slovakia, and possible strategies to delay anthelmintic resistance are discussed briefly.

Lung nematodes of chamois, Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica, from the Tatra National Park, Slovakia.

A larvoscopic examination of faeces collected from localities inhibited by chamois in the Tatra National Park (TANAP) in 1997 demonstrated the presence of the lung nematodes Muellerius spp. (likely to be M. tenuispiculatus and M. capillaris) and Neostrongylus linearis. The overall prevalence of lung nematodes in chamois herds in TANAP was 48.4% with prevalences of 45.6% and 11.9% for Muellerius spp. and N. linearis, respectively. No significant differences in lung nematode prevalences were observed in the biotopes of TANAP with prevalence values of 44.9% being recorded in the High Tatras and 58.5% in the Belianske Tatras. Individual species were in equal proportion in both biotopes, although N. linearis was significantly less prevalent (11.2-13.8%). The prevalence of lung nematodes in the High Tatras varied from 25.0 to 84.2% within individual localities, while in the Belianske Tatras it was more proportionate (50.0-85.7%). In the High Tatras, the prevalence of lung nematodes in the chamois herds peaked during August, declining to its lowest in October. A similar prevalence was also recorded for Muellerius species, while the minimum prevalence of N. linearis was found in July. In the Belianske Tatras, the prevalence of lung nematodes including both species of Muellerius peaked in July and gradually decreased until October. On the other hand, N. linearis was most prevalent in October. The mean L1 count per gram faeces was low (7.6 +/- 13.2 larvae g-1).