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Veterinary Parasitology

Feline Leishmania infection in a canine leishmaniasis endemic region, Portugal

Canine leishmaniasis (CanL) caused by Leishmania infantum is a serious zoonotic public health and veterinary problem in the Mediterranean basin. Leishmania infection in domestic cats (Felis catus domesticus) has been reported in several countries where this zoonosis is endemic, such as Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Israel, Palestine and Brazil. The aim of this study […]
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Canine leishmaniosis. Modulation of macrophage/lymphocyte interactions by L. infantum.

Canine leishmaniosis, caused by Leishmania infantum, is a systemic disease with variable clinical signs and a progressive evolution. This disease is characterized by impaired T cell-mediated immune response, which has been associated with disease chronicity and high mortality. Protective immunity against leishmaniosis is thought to be mediated by T cell and cytokine production.
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Risk factors for canine leishmaniasis in an endemic Mediterranean region.

Human visceral leishmaniasis is an emergent/re-emergent parasitic zoonotic disease in Europe caused by Leishmania infantum, with domestic dog as its main reservoir host. This study presents the results of a canine epidemiological survey in a mediterranean region where human and canine leishmaniasis (CanL) are endemic – Portugal.
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Molecular characterisation of Cryptosporidium isolates from pre-weaned calves in Romania: is there an actual risk of zoonotic infections?

Diarrheic fecal samples from 258 pre-weaned calves (1-30 day-old) from 9 dairy farms located in Banat region, Romania, were microscopically examined for the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts. Overall, 65 (25%) samples were found positive.
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Prevalence and genetic diversity of Babesia and Anaplasma species in cattle in Sudan

Disease prevalence studies are one of the most valuable tools to demonstrate the risk or impact of certain infections in local and global economies. The data obtained in these studies contribute to develop strategies for disease control.
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Echinococcus granulosus in Portugal: The first report of the G7 genotype in cattle

Although cystic echinococcosis (CE) has been a recognized public health problem in Portugal, molecular data regarding the types and prevalence of infecting strains of its etiological agent (Echinococcus granulosus) are still scarce. Over the last years we have been evaluating the prevalence of CE in the country, and in this report we determined the parasite genotypes infecting sheep, goats, cattle and human in Portugal.
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Intestinal parasites in dogs and cats from the district of Évora, Portugal.

Intestinal parasites, both helminths and protozoa, are commonly found in domestic animals, and the possible transmission of enteric parasites from dogs and cats to humans may constitute a global potential health risk worldwide.
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Detection of Wolbachia in Dirofilaria infected dogs in Portugal

Wolbachia pipiens, an intracellular endosymbiont bacteria of filarial nematodes, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of filarial diseases, in particular in heavy Dirofilaria spp. infections. Antibiotic therapy (doxycycline) against Wolbachia has been proven to be suitable adjunct therapy, prior to adulticide treatment of canine dirofilariosis.
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Theileria infection in domestic ruminants in northern Ethiopia

Piroplasmosis caused by different tick-borne hemoprotozoan parasites of the genera Theileria and Babesia is among the most economically important infections of domestic ruminants in sub-Saharan Africa. A survey for piroplasm infection was conducted in three locations in Northern Ethiopia. Of 525 domestic ruminants surveyed, 80% of the cattle, 94% of the sheep and 2% of the goats were positive for different Theileria spp. based on PCR of blood followed by DNA sequencing.
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Toxoplasma gondii prevalence in cats from Lisbon and in pigs from centre and south of Portugal

Toxoplasmosis is an important zoonosis worldwide. Here we determined the presence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in sera and T. gondii DNA in faeces of 215 domestic cats from veterinary clinics in the Lisbon area; 44 (20.5%) had anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies by the modified agglutination test (cut-off 1:40) and DNA was detected in 16 (35.6%) of 45 cat faeces tested.
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