Effects of partial dietary substitution of groundnut meal by defatted, Aspergillus niger-fermented and heated Jatropha curcas kernel meal on feed intake and growth performance of broiler chicks.

This study was conducted to determine intake and growth performance of broiler chicks fed with Jatropha curcas kernel meal physico-chemically and biologically processed. The feed experiment lasted for 7 days with 20-day-old Ross 308 strain unsexed broiler chicks. Two dietary treatments were given each to ten animals, according to a complete randomized design. Kernels, manually obtained from J. curcas seed, were defatted, heated, and fermented with a strain of Aspergillus niger and oven-dried, in order to obtain the treated jatropha kernel meal. This latter was used to replace one third of a groundnut meal premix which was then incorporated in a commercial diet to warrant iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric characteristics of the diets. Data collected were analyzed according to ANOVA procedure. The results revealed that the animals that received the diet incorporating jatropha kernel meal had numerically higher live weight (156.1 vs. 152.7 g/animal) (P > 0.05) and average daily weight gain (12.3 vs. 11.7 g/day/animal) (P > 0.05) than the control ones, at the end of experiment. The average daily feed intake was the same for the two groups of animals (23.2 g/day/animal) (P > 0.05) with a similar feed conversion ratio (2.0 vs. 2.1 respectively for the jatropha group and the control group). The survival rate, at the end of the experiment, was 100% for the two groups of animals. Physico-chemically and biologically processed Jatropha curcas kernel could be an interesting by-product for poultry feeding.

Swimmer's Itch in Belgium: First Recorded Outbreaks, Molecular Identification of the Parasite Species and Intermediate Hosts.

BACKGROUND: Cercarial dermatitis or swimmer's itch is a skin condition in humans due to the larval forms of bird schistosomes of some species of the genus Trichobilharzia. The life cycle of these schistosomes requires freshwater snails (intermediate host) and waterfowl (definitive host). Repeated exposures to cercariae can lead to skin sensitization with the induction of pruritic skin lesions. METHODS: We describe, in this study, two outbreaks of human cercarial dermatitis at the Eau d'Heure Lakes, Belgium. In July and August 2012, a total of, respectively, 78 and 10 people reported a sudden skin rash accompanied by pruritus following recreational activities in the Plate Taille Lake. However, no ocellate furcocercariae were detected following light exposure of the snails collected between September 2012 and September 2013 (n = 402). No outbreaks were recorded in 2013 and 2014. In August 2015, about 30 new cases were recorded. Snails were collected (n = 270) in different locations around the lake. PCR was used to identify accurately the intermediate hosts and the parasite species involved. RESULTS: After light exposure, seven Radix spp. (2.6%) shed ocellate furcocercariae. Molecular identification based on the rDNA internal transcribed spacer 2 sequence ascribed the infected snails to R. balthica ( = R. peregra = R. ovata) (6/7) and R. auricularia (1/7). Based on the amplification of the D2 domain of the 28S rDNA, the cercariae were shown to belong to two different haplotypes of Trichobilharzia franki. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first record in Belgium of T. franki and associated skin condition.

Prevalence of Angiostrongylus vasorum in southern Belgium, a coprological and serological survey.

BACKGROUND: Canine angiostrongylosis, a gastropod-borne helminthic infection, is increasingly being described in North America and is now reported in many European countries. In dogs, Angiostrongylus vasorum may cause a wide spectrum of clinical signs. Respiratory distress such as coughing and dyspnoea are the most frequently described manifestations. The aim of the present study was to gain additional information on the distribution, prevalence and risk factors associated with A. vasorum infection in dog from southern Belgium through the combined used of a commercially available in-clinic assay for detection of circulating antigen (Angio Detect™, IDEXX, Westbrook, USA) and coprology in two different canine populations: dogs with clinical signs compatible with angiostrongylosis and asymptomatic dogs or dogs presented for unrelated conditions (control). RESULTS: A total of 979 dogs were enrolled in the study from November 2014 until February 2016. Seven hundred fifty-seven dogs were included in the control group, whereas 222 dogs had clinical signs compatible with angiostrongylosis. Forty-six dogs out of 979 (4.7 %) had A. vasorum circulating antigen. There was a highly significant difference between the two populations (3.6 % (27/747) and 8.6 % (19/222) in control and symptomatic dogs, respectively) (P = 0.00379). First stage larvae (L1) of A. vasorum were found in seven out of 24 serologically positive control dogs and in six out of 17 serologically positive symptomatic dogs. Interestingly, L1 of Crenosoma vulpis were detected by Baermann technique in one control and nine symptomatic dogs, respectively. Out of 17 Angio Detect™ (IDEXX, Westbrook, USA) positive dogs with negative (14) or not performed Baermann test (three), one dog was positive in both in-house ELISAs (Ag and Ab) and one dog was positive for Ag. Statistical analysis was unable to detect any risk factors associated with the direct and/or indirect detection of A. vasorum. CONCLUSIONS: This seroepidemiological study demonstrated for the first time a high seroprevalence in Southern Belgium for A. vasorum. The Angio Detect™ was found to be suitable in this context as the collection, preservation and examination of stools were difficult. Nevertheless, discrepancies were observed between the different available tests. Additional research is clearly needed. Also, coproscopy remains a very useful tool in dogs infected for less than nine weeks and for the identification of other canine lung nematodes such as C. vulpis. This study also demonstrates that asymptomatic dogs may shed A. vasorum L1 in their faeces and therefore contribute to the maintenance of A. vasorum life-cycle.

Fungalysin and dipeptidyl-peptidase gene transcription in Microsporum canis strains isolated from symptomatic and asymptomatic cats.

Microsporum canis is the main pathogenic fungus that causes a superficial cutaneous infection called dermatophytosis in domestic carnivores. In cats, M. canis causes symptomatic or asymptomatic infection. Recent conflicting data raise the question of whether the clinical status of the infected cat (symptomatic or asymptomatic) is directly correlated to the proteolytic activity of M. canis strains. Here, the transcription of fungalysin and dipeptidyl-peptidase genes (DPP) of M. canis was compared between four strains isolated from symptomatic and asymptomatic cats during the first steps of the infection process, namely in arthroconidia, during adherence of arthroconidia to corneocytes and during early invasion of the epidermis, using a new ex vivo model made of feline epidermis. There was no detectable transcription of the fungalysin genes in arthroconidia or during the first steps of the infection process for any of the tested strains, suggesting that these proteases play a role later in the infection process. Among DPP, the DPP IV gene was the most frequently transcribed both in arthroconidia and later during infection (adherence and invasion), but no significant differences were observed between M. canis strains isolated from symptomatic and asymptomatic cats. This study shows that the clinical aspect of M. canis feline dermatophytosis depends upon factors relating to the host rather than to the proteolytic activity of the infective fungal strain.