[Endo- and ectoparasites of South American camelids and their control]. / Endo- und Ektoparasiten bei Neuweltkameliden und ihre Bekämpfung.

In a literature review, common endo- and ectoparasites of South American camelids are described, presenting morphological details and clinical signs important for diagnosis. Based on the life cycle of the parasites, possibilities for prophylaxis and therapy are indicated. The review should aid the veterinarian to diagnose and control common parasitic infections in South American camelids.

Genetic epidemiology and pathology of raccoon-derived Sarcoptes mites from urban areas of Germany.

The raccoon, Procyon lotor (Carnivora: Procyonidae), is an invasive species that is spreading throughout Europe, in which Germany represents its core area. Here, raccoons mostly live in rural regions, but some urban populations are already established, such as in the city of Kassel, or are starting to build up, such as in Berlin. The objective of this study was to investigate Sarcoptes (Sarcoptiformes: Sarcoptidae) infections in racoons in these two urban areas and to identify the putative origin of the parasite. Parasite morphology, and gross and histopathological examinations of diseased skin tissue were consistent with Sarcoptes scabiei infection. Using nine microsatellite markers, we genotyped individual mites from five raccoons and compared them with Sarcoptes mites derived from fox, wild boar and Northern chamois, originating from Italy and Switzerland. The raccoon-derived mites clustered together with the fox samples and were clearly differentiated from those of the wild boar and chamois samples, which suggests a fox origin for the raccoon mange infection. These results are evidence of the cross-transmission of S. scabiei among wild carnivores. Although our results cannot elucidate whether raccoons became infected by frequent interaction with endemically or epidemically infected foxes or whether these cases resulted from occasional contacts among these animal species, they do nevertheless show that pathogens can be shared among urban populations of native and invasive carnivores.

Tick-borne fever caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Germany: first laboratory confirmed case in a dairy cattle herd.

Four cows from North-West Germany have been diagnosed with tick-borne fever (TBF) based on the demonstration of morulae in neutrophilic granulocytes in their blood smears, positive signals in real-time PCR specific for Anaplasma phagocytophilum using DNA extracted from their buffy coats, and demonstration of specific antibodies in their sera using a commercially available immunofluorescence assay. Clinical findings included high fever, decreased milk production, lower limb edema with stiff walking, eye and nasal discharge, and depression. These signs developed about a week after the animals had been brought to the pasture for the first time in their life. All cows recovered after 5-15 days, although DNA of A.phagocytophilum could be detected by real-time PCR up to 6 weeks after onset of the disease. Considering the known prevalences of A.phagocytophilum in ticks in Germany and its detection in dogs and horses, we think that underdiagnosing of TBE in cattle is highly likely. Therefore TBF should be taken into account as differential diagnosis in case of high fever and/or a sudden decrease in milk production in pastured animals.

[Effect of distribution of eggs of strongyles and Parascaris equorum in faecal samples of horses on detection with a combined sedimentation-flotation method]. / Einfluss der Verteilung von Strongyliden- und Ascarideneiern in Pferdekotproben auf den Nachweis mit einem kombinierten Sedimentations-Flotations-Verfahren.

OBJECTIVE: Results of parasitological examination of faecal aliquots may vary between diagnostic laboratories. To examine whether inhomogeneous distribution of worm eggs in faecal samples is responsible for this observation, horse faeces provided for routine diagnosis of helminth infection were examined. Distribution of worm eggs was assessed by examining aliquots taken from different locations of the faecal sample by a combined sedimentation-flotation method (KSFV). In addition, it was tested, whether the homogenization of a larger amount (minimum of 40 g) of faeces before performing KSFV improved reproducibility of the method. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 51 faecal samples of horses were examined three times in parallel by KSFV with ZnSO4 solution. 10 g aliquots were taken from the margin (R), from inside (I) and from both locations (G). The remaining amount of faeces was weighed, suspended with water 1:1 and homogenized. Subsequently, three subsamples, each consisting of 20 g of this suspension, were taken and examined by KSFV. RESULTS: The egg numbers of the nematodes (strongyles and Parascaris equorum ) found in samples that originated from different locations were similar and variation was low. The homogenization of a larger amount of faeces had no relevant impact on egg counts of these nematodes. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Nematode infections are relevant and frequently occurring in the horse, and reliable assessment of worm egg excretion is a critical aspect for rational planning of control measures. It could be shown that the distribution of nematode eggs (strongyles and Parascaris equorum ) in horse faeces is quite even and results are in principle reproducible if 10 g faeces are examined by KSFV. The homogenization of a larger amount of faeces does not improve the sensitivity or reproducibility of KSFV, and is thus dispensable. For diagnostic purposes, it is advisable to ship approximately 50g of horse faeces to the laboratory.

Fungal contamination of paraffin wax blocks in a pathology archive.

While searching for paraffin wax blocks for research purposes in our archive we detected numerous larval and some dead adult moths. Some wax blocks were riddled with a white-brown crumbling substance. The entire archive was checked and profoundly-infested blocks were separated from unaffected blocks. Mycological and parasitological investigations were performed. Fungi were identified by culture and polymerase chain reaction, which revealed high sequence homology to six different fungal species. The moths were determined to be Nemapogon personellus. A total of 8,484 wax blocks had to be removed from the archive and destroyed. Pathologists should be alerted to the importance of checking the humidity of the air where archival material is stored.

Combination of cell culture and quantitative PCR (cc-qPCR) to assess disinfectants efficacy on Cryptosporidium oocysts under standardized conditions.

Oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum are resistant to environmental conditions and many disinfectants. A combination of cell culture and quantitative real time PCR (cc-qPCR) is established for evaluation of anticoccidial disinfectants against C. parvum. C. parvum oocysts were treated with disinfectants, washed and oocysts were incubated with HCT-8 cell monolayers in the presence of excystation medium for 3h. Subsequently, unbound parasites were removed by washing with growing medium and the infected monolayers were further maintained in fresh growing medium for 48h. Genomic DNA was extracted from each sample and qPCR performed targeting a specific sequence of the 70kDa heat shock protein gene in order to quantify development. Treatment of oocysts with cresolic disinfectants demonstrated dose dependent reduction of viability of oocysts. More than 98% inactivations were recorded with at least 2% concentration of cresolic disinfectants after 2h of treatment. Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) at 6% solution induced 92.7% inactivation of C. parvum oocysts after 2h. Thermally treated oocysts (56 and 70 degrees C for 20min) demonstrated complete inactivation, whereas at 38 degrees C no inactivation was observed. Application of Neopredisan((R)) 135-1 and Aldecoc((R)) TGE (4% for 2h) as recommended according to the current guidelines stipulated by DVG (German Veterinary Society) consistently inactivated more than 99.5% of oocysts. The suggested cc-qPCR method appeared to be suited for standardized testing of inactivation measures, particularly for evaluation of chemical disinfectants and thus cc-qPCR is proposed as an alternative to the established chicken infectivity model for Eimeria tenella for testing anticoccidial disinfectants. A minimum inactivation of 99.5% in cc-qPCR model is claimed as a suitable threshold for certification of chemical products for disinfection of coccidia oocysts.

[Tropical and subtropical helminthoses]. / Tropische und subtropische Helminthosen.

Human helminthic infestations are extraordinarily common in tropical regions and represent a significant burden for those countries and their populations. The risk of intestinal helminthoses is further increased by poverty. Particularly in children helminthoses lead to malnutrition (ascariasis etc) or iron and protein deficiency (ancylostomiasis). Tropical helminthoses like schistosomiasis and filariasis can cause severe organ damage, starvation, and early death. In contrast, returning travellers very rarely acquire tropical helminthoses, if they follow simple hygienic rules. Furthermore, the worm burden in returning travelers hardly ever is high enough to cause severe illness. Therefore, tropical helminthosis is more common in immigrants from endemic areas compared to returning travelers.

[Indigenous helminthiasis]. / Einheimische Helminthosen.

Worldwide an estimated 1.5-2 billion people are infested with helminths. Over the last decades, in industrialized countries prevalence rates of human helminthic infections were decreased by means of wastewater and food control. In this article, we review the geographic distributions as well as the impact on the public health system of the most prevalent helminthiases. Special emphasis is given to Echinococcus, Enterobiasis, and Toxocariasis. Intestinal larvae or eggs of helminths can be detected in faeces. Pinworms are collected with a strip of cellophane tape with the sticky side towards the anus. Tissue helminthosis, like Toxocariasis or Trichinosis are associated with eosinophilia and can be diagnosed with sensitive immunological methods or by biopsy. Infection with Echinococcus multilocularis is the most serious parasitic disease in central Europe. Although current therapeutic options are limited, 5 year survival rates were markedly improved by the combination of medical and surgical treatment.

Occurrence of Isospora suis in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Nationwide surveys for the occurrence of Isospora suis were carried out in Germany, Austria and Switzerland including a questionnaire regarding herd size, health status and management practices and a coccidiosis sampling kit for pooled faecal samples from litters of suckling piglets. A total of 184 veterinary practices participated in the survey and returned 1745 samples (331 kits) from 324 farms in the north (n = 98), south (n = 84), centre/east (n = 42) and west (n = 10) of Germany, Austria (n = 61) and Switzerland (n = 29) with larger farms in north and centre/east (average number of sows: 270 and 500) and smaller ones in the south (95), Austria (60) and Switzerland (43). Larger farms tended to have better hygienic standards (slatted floors, disinfection of the farrowing units). The majority of the participating farms (93.5%) reported problems with diarrhoea in piglets at 2-3 weeks of age, significantly associated (P < 0.001) with uneven weaning weights (94.9%). Toltrazuril (5%; Baycox) was used only rarely; however, in these farms unevenness of weaning weights was less frequently observed (P = 0.011). A 76.2% of the farms were positive for I. suis (samples contained mostly low or moderate oocyst numbers), especially in the south (P < 0.001). Oocysts were more frequently found in samples from farms with reported diarrhoea (P = 0.011), uneven weight gain (P = 0.019) or in herds of small size (P < 0.001). Disinfection, floor type or treatment with toltrazuril did not affect the frequency of observation of oocysts.

[The flea in cultural history and first effects of its control]. / Der Floh in der Kulturgeschichte und erste Versuche zu seiner Bekämpfung.

The knowledge about the biology and the origin of fleas from different periods of time as well as different geographical regions are described, starting from antiquity. Among this, the role of fleas in literature and art, for example in fairy tales and legends, proverbs and fables, painting and music and also the so called "circus of fleas" are covered. In connection with those aspects of cultural history the first efforts of control of flea plagues are mentioned. In addition to magic spells, these also include more or less complicated fleatraps for fleas and attempts of chemical control.