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Special Issue "Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II)"

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A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitic Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 29 February 2024 | Viewed by 5681

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Prof. Dr. Stefania Perrucci

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Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa, Viale delle Piagge 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: endo and ectoparasites (helminths, protozoa, arthropods); animals (domestic, wild, exotic); zoonotic parasite species
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Dear Colleagues,

In infected animals, parasitic diseases may greatly impair growth, welfare, fertility, and production, as well as cause severe health problems and death. Moreover, a high number of parasites may infect both animals and humans and may have public health relevance.

In wild, exotic and zoo animals, parasitic diseases may affect population dynamics and animal behavior and greatly increase mortality, often with dramatic effects in endangered and fragmented populations and wildlife conservation.

Wildlife, including exotic species, can be the reservoirs or occasional hosts of many parasites shared with domestic animals and humans that can be relevant for public health and economy. Moreover, disease emergence and potential spillovers of parasitic diseases to humans often take place at the complex human/domestic animals/wildlife interface.

The understanding of parasite epidemiology, diagnosis, pathology, host–pathogen interaction, zoonotic, and spillover potential with far-reaching significance also for human medicine, is fundamental for planning effective measures for the control of parasitic diseases. In many cases, knowledge of parasites of some wild and exotic animals is very limited, while it is fundamental for wildlife conservation plans and to avoid the introduction of exotic parasites.

As a second edition of the Special Issue 'Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals', we aim to continue to collect original papers and/or review papers dealing with those aspects of parasitic diseases of wild, domestic, and exotic animals that can be relevant for animal and public health and welfare, economy, and conservation. Work exploring the implementation of the knowledge of parasites of wild and exotic animal species and all aspects useful for the control of parasitic diseases in wild, domestic, and exotic animals is also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Stefania Perrucci
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

parasites
wild animals
exotic animals
domestic animals
zoonosis
economy
wildlife conservation
exotic parasites
control

Related Special Issue

Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals in Pathogens (13 articles)

Published Papers (5 papers)

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8 pages, 528 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prevalence and Molecular Characterisation of Blastocystis sp. Infecting Free-Ranging Primates in Colombia

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Pathogens 2023, 12(4), 569; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12040569 - 06 Apr 2023

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Abstract

Infection with Blastocystis sp. has been reported in free-living and captive non-human primates (NHPs); however, surveys on Blastocystis sp. from north-western South America are scarce. This study aimed to identify Blastocystis sp. in free-ranging NHPs living in Colombia. A total of 212 faecal samples were collected from Ateles hybridus, Cebus versicolor, Alouatta seniculus, Aotus griseimembra, Sapajus apella, and Saimiri cassiquiarensis. Smears and flotation were used for morphological identification. For samples microscopically classified as positive for Blastocystis sp., we used conventional PCR to amplify and sequence two regions of the SSU rRNA gene and used Maximum Likelihood methods and Median Joining Network analyses for phylogenetic analyses. Via microscopy, 64 samples were Blastocystis sp. positive. Through molecular analyses, 18 sequences of Blastocystis sp. subtype 8 (ST8) were obtained. Strain and allele assignment together with a comparative phylogenetic approach confirmed that the sequences were ST8. Alleles 21, 156, and 157 were detected. Median Joining network analyses showed one highly frequent haplotype shared by specimens from Colombia and Peru and close relationships between haplotypes circulating in NHPs from Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, and Mexico. This survey could support the elaboration of a more accurate epidemiological picture of the Blastocystis sp. infecting NHPs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II))

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13 pages, 1737 KiB

Open AccessArticle

East Coast Fever Carrier Status and Theileria parva Breakthrough Strains in Recently ITM Vaccinated and Non-Vaccinated Cattle in Iganga District, Eastern Uganda

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Pathogens 2023, 12(2), 295; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12020295 - 10 Feb 2023

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Abstract

East Coast fever (ECF) is a tick-borne disease of cattle that hinders the development of the livestock industry in eastern, central and southern Africa. The ‘Muguga cocktail’ live vaccine, delivered by an infection and treatment method (ITM), remains the only immunisation strategy of controlling ECF. However, there are challenges of the live vaccine inducing ECF carrier status in immunised animals and the possibility of lack of protection from parasite strains that are antigenically different from the vaccine strains. In Uganda, there are insufficient data regarding the ECF carrier status and T. parva genetic diversity in vaccinated and associated non-vaccinated cattle to assess the effectiveness of ITM vaccination. Blood was collected from recently ECF vaccinated (98) and non-vaccinated (73) cattle from Iganga district in Eastern Uganda at 120 days post-vaccination. The p104 gene nested PCR was used to screen for T. parva DNA, 11 minisatellite and 3 microsatellite markers (SSR) were used for genotyping. Two minisatellite markers (MS7 and MS19) were used to determine whether ECF carrier status was due to the T. parva vaccine or local strains. The prevalence of T. parva based on p104 nPCR was 61.2% (60/98) (RR 2.234, 95% CI 1.49–3.35, p-value < 0.001) among recently vaccinated cattle and 27.4% (20/73) (RR 1.00) among associated non-vaccinated cattle. The Muguga cocktail vaccine strains were responsible for carrier status in 10 (58.8%) by MS7 and 11 (64.7%) by MS19 in vaccinated cattle. Genotypes of T. parva with different-sized alleles to the vaccine strains that could be potential ‘breakthroughs’ were detected in 2 (11.8%)) and 4 (23.5%) isolates from vaccinated cattle based on MS7 and MS19 minisatellite markers, respectively. Using 14 SSR markers, T. parva diversity was higher in vaccinated (Na = 2.214, Ne = 1.978, He = 0.465) than associated non-vaccinated (Na = 1.071, Ne = 1.048, He = 0.259) cattle. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed isolates from vaccinated cattle were closely related to those from non-vaccinated cattle. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed high genetic variation (96%) within T. parva isolates from vaccinated and non-vaccinated cattle but low variation (4%) between vaccinated and non-vaccinated cattle. This study reveals the role of ITM in inducing the carrier status and higher T. parva genetic diversity in vaccinated cattle. The low genetic variation between T. parva isolates in both vaccinated and non-vaccinated cattle may be suggestive of the protective role of vaccine strains against genetically related local strains in the study area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II))

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11 pages, 780 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of the Impact of Early Diagnosis and Early Treatment in the Integrated Control of East Coast Fever (ECF) Involving Acquired Immunity Induced by Natural Infection in Ankole Cattle

and

George William Lubega

Pathogens 2023, 12(1), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12010115 - 10 Jan 2023

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Abstract

The integrated control of East Coast fever (ECF) by early diagnosis and treatment involving acquired immunity induced by natural infection in Ankole cattle was assessed. A longitudinal study was carried out in Kiruhura district, southwestern Uganda for six months on 244 Ankole breed of cattle from 18 herds under natural tick challenge and relaxed tick control measures. Calves aged three to six months old were recruited and monitored daily by farmers for detection of ECF clinical symptoms. The reported sick animals were treated using Buparvaquone and treatment outcome determined. Monthly follow-ups and blood collections were done to monitor ECF status. Blood was analyzed for Theileria parva parasites by microscopy, DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The overall prevalence of ECF clinical disease within six months period was 30.3% (74). The major symptoms of early clinical ECF disease were fever and enlarged parotid or prescapular lymph nodes. Clinical cases were categorized as mild, 24% (18) or moderate, 76% (56). There was an overall recovery rate of 100% (74) of the ECF cases whereby 94.6% (70) recovered promptly and 5.4% (4) recovered slowly. Based on blood analysis, prevalence of ECF at baseline was 3.7% (9) by microscopy, 31.1% (76) by PCR and 38.1% (93) by ELISA. A significant increase (p < 0.05) was shown by the increased number of calves with T. parva specific antibodies in the sera from 38.1% at baseline to 68.8% after six months. High antibody levels (positive percentage ≥ 50%) were detected in all ECF-treated and recovered calves at the end of six months. The acquired immunity to ECF was high in treated and recovered cattle, indicating that natural exposure to infection, accurate early diagnosis and effective treatment enhance development of immune-protection in indigenous cattle in an endemic area. The prominent early clinical symptoms for ECF could be exploited in the development of decision support tools for chemotherapy and other integrated control measures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II))

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9 pages, 1080 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Occurrence and Genetic Diversity of the Zoonotic Enteric Protozoans and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in Père David’s Deer (Elaphurus davidianus) from Beijing, China

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Pathogens 2022, 11(11), 1223; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11111223 - 23 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 896

Abstract

Cryptosporidium spp., Blastocystis, Giardia duodenalis, Balantioides coli, Pentatrichomonas hominis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are enteric protozoan parasites and fungal species in humans and animals. Père David’s deer is an endangered species in China, but the prevalence of enteric protozoans in this species still needs to be further studied. Thus, we investigated the prevalence and genetic diversity of zoonotic parasites in Père David’s deer during the period of 2018–2021. Among the 286 fecal samples collected from Père David’s deer in the Nanhaizi Nature Reserve, 83 (29.0%) were positive for Blastocystis, 70 (24.5%) were positive for E. bieneusi, while other protozoan parasites were negative. Based on a phylogenetic analysis, three Blastocystis subtypes (ST10, ST14, and ST21) and ten E. bieneusi genotypes (Genotype D, MWC_d1, HLJD-V, Peru6, BEB6, BJED-I to BJED-I V) were identified. In addition, the Blastocystis subtype ST14 and the E. bieneusi genotype D and Peru6 were first detected in Père David’s deer. Our study first reports the presence of two enteric protozoans in Père David’s deer during a 4-year active surveillance and provides more information about zoonotic subtypes/genotypes of Blastocystis and E. bieneusi in deer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II))

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6 pages, 889 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Tetratrichomoniasis in the Geese Flock—Case Report

Piotr Falkowski

Andrzej Gaweł

and

Kamila Bobrek

Pathogens 2022, 11(11), 1219; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11111219 - 22 Oct 2022

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Abstract

Infections caused by tetratrichomonas are commonly observed in geese. Most cases are subclinical, and the clinical form of the disease manifests itself with a greater mortality and the presence of caseous content in ceca. We describe the case of tetratrichomoniasis in a geese flock caused by Tetratrichomonas gallinarum, with the genetic analysis of the isolate being based on the fragments of 18SrRNA and ITS1-5.8rRNA-ITS2. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases of Domestic, Wild, and Exotic Animals (Volume II))

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