Correction to: Epidemiology of taeniosis/cysticercosis in Europe, a systematic review: eastern Europe.

In the original article [1], the authors Dr Jasmin OMERAGIC and Dr Davor ALAGIC were erroneously omitted from the co-authors list.

Epidemiology of taeniosis/cysticercosis in Europe, a systematic review: eastern Europe.

BACKGROUND: Taenia solium and Taenia saginata are food-borne parasites of global importance. In eastern Europe only fragmented information is available on the epidemiology of these zoonotic parasites in humans and animal populations. In particular for T. solium, on-going transmission is suspected. The aim of this systematic review was to collect the available data and describe the current knowledge on the epidemiology of T. solium and T. saginata in eastern Europe. METHODS: Literature published in international databases from 1990 to 2017 was systematically reviewed. Furthermore, local sources and unpublished data from national databases were retrieved from local eastern European experts. The study area included 22 countries. RESULTS: Researchers from 18 out of the 22 countries provided data from local and unpublished sources, while no contacts could be established with researchers from Belarus, Kosovo, Malta and Ukraine. Taeniosis and human cysticercosis cases were reported in 14 and 15 out of the 22 countries, respectively. Estonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia reported cases of porcine cysticercosis. Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine reported bovine cysticercosis. CONCLUSIONS: There is indication that taeniosis and cysticercosis are present across eastern Europe but information on the occurrence of T. solium and T. saginata across the region remains incomplete. Available data are scarce and species identification is in most cases absent. Given the public health impact of T. solium and the potential economic and trade implications due to T. saginata, notification of taeniosis and human cysticercosis should be implemented and surveillance and notification systems in animals should be improved.

Spotted fever group rickettsiae in ticks of migratory birds in Romania.

BACKGROUND: Birds are important hosts and dispersers of parasitic arthropods and vector-borne zoonotic pathogens. Particularly migratory species may carry these parasites over long distances in short time periods. Migratory hotspots present ideal conditions to get a snapshot of parasite and pathogen diversity of birds migrating between continents. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and diversity of Rickettsia spp. in ticks collected from birds at a migratory hot-spot in the Danube Delta, Romania, eastern Europe. METHODS: DNA was extracted from ticks that were collected from migratory birds in the Danube Delta during migratory seasons in 2011-2012. Two 360 bp  fragments of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene and a 381 bp  fragment Gene gltA were PCR amplified and analyzed by sequence analysis (performed at Macrogen Europe, Amsterdam, The Netherlands). Nucleotide sequences were compared to reference sequences available in the GenBank database, using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool. RESULTS: Four hundred ticks of four different species were found on 11 bird species. The prevalence of Rickettsia spp. infection was 14 % (56/400, CI: 11.7-29.1), with significantly more nymphs hosting rickettsial infection compared to larvae (48 vs 7; P < 0.001). Significantly more ticks in nymphal stage were hosting Rickettsia spp. infection in spring, than in autumn. Four different genospecies were found: R. monacensis (29 ticks), R. helvetica (13), R. massiliae (3) and R. slovaca (2). The seasonal distribution of different Rickettsia spp. was heterogeneous; with most of the R. monacensis-infected ticks were found in spring, while more R. helvetica were found in autumn than spring. R. massiliae was found only in autumn and R. slovaca was found only in spring. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that birds migrating through eastern Europe may carry ticks infected with a high diversity of rickettsial pathogens, with four Rickettsia spp. recorded. Migratory direction was important for pathogen burden, with seasonal differences in the occurrence of individual Rickettsia species. Here we report the first individual records of different Rickettsia spp. in H. concinna (R. monacensis), I. arboricola (R. helvetica, R. massiliae) and I. redikorzevi (R. helvetica) and also the first geographical record of occurrence of R. massiliae in Romania, representing the easternmost observation on the continent.

Prevalence of endoparasites in household cat (Felis catus) populations from Transylvania (Romania) and association with risk factors.

There is no current information regarding the prevalence of parasites in Romanian cats. Consequently, we conducted a study to evaluate the prevalence of endoparasites in a sample of household cats in the Transylvania region, to point out the risk factors for parasite infection and to evaluate the knowledge of cat owners about the zoonotic potential of some parasites. Four hundred fourteen faecal samples were collected and examined by sodium chloride flotation followed by microscopy. Also, questionnaires were administered to cat owners (196). The overall prevalence of endoparasites in household cats was 34.3% (142/414; CI 29.8-39.1). Concurrent infections with two or more parasites were recorded in 17.6% cats. The detected parasites were Toxocara cati (20.3%), Ancylostoma spp. (10.1%), Isospora rivolta (8.9%), Isospora felis (5.3%), Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (5.6%), Strongyloides spp. (3.4%), Capillaria aerophila (3.1%), Taenia taeniaeformis (2.7%), T. gondii/H. hammondi (1.2%), Sarcocystis spp. (1%), Giardia duodenalis (0.7%) and Dypillidium caninum (0.2%). Risk factors for infection with parasites in cats were identified to be age and medium (rural or urban area). Thus, I. felis, I. rivolta and T. cati were more common in cats less than/equal to 1-year old, and Ancylostoma spp. and A. abstrusus were more prevalent in cats older than 1-year of age. 72.4% of the owners applied anthelmintic treatments to their cats, more commonly in urban areas (87.3%) (4 treatments/year) than in rural areas (12.7%) (1 treatment/year). 66.3% of the owners knew about the zoonotic potential of some parasites from cats, and the main source of information was veterinarians (65.4%). In conclusion the prevalence of endoparasites in household cats from Transylvania is high. Consequently, consideration should be given to the use of anthelmintics and to pet owner education.