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Evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of pyrantel embonate, febantel and praziquantel against Giardia spp. in naturally infected adult dogs
No full textEDITED BY S.E. OLSON, M.E. OLSON AND PW WALLIS
Efficacy of pyrantel embonate, febantel and praziquantel against Giardia spp. in naturally infected adult dogs
No full textSoil contamination with eggs from Nematodes of zoonotic potential.
No full textToxocara canis, zoonotic nematodes, a problem of metropolitans only? Human infections with Toxocara canis occur in the Marche Region. The Toxocara canis infection rate is twice as high in rural than urban dogs. An important proportion of dogs are used to defecate in the peridomestic environment (house surroundings, garden, kennel) . The aims of the study were to assess environmental contamination in rural areas of the Marche region with eggs from Toxocara spp. and other zoonotic nematodes, to estimate the potential risk of infection for the population. Sixty farms were randomly selected
out of 810 situated in the Camerino sanitary district. Six faecal samples and two soil samples were collected in each farm. The presence of helminth eggs in faecal (2-5g) and soil (250g) samples was revealed by a floatation technique based on a sugar-NaNO4 solution. This study revealed a high contamination of the rural environment with nematodes of zoonotic potential. The 52% prevalence of Toxocara spp eggs, measured in the peridomestic soil of the farms, is among the highest values reported in literature. re attention should be payed to the evaluation of zoonotic risk in rural areas. This would allow public health authorities to develop adequate preventive measures
Endo-parasitic infection patterns in angora goats and merino sheep kept in a fibre animal farm in Central Italy
No full textSheep breeding and extensive cattle husbandry, once constituting an important zootechnical branch in Italy, now face extinction in many areas. The inconveniences connected to the breeder life style, such as the necessity to care for the animals 7 days a week and outside common working hours, are not rewarded with an acceptable income. Rendering sheep and goat breeding more profitable by switching to fibre-producing species may be a strategy to reverse this trend. Precious mixed fibres can be yielded by merino sheep, angora goats and alpacas reared together. However, health management requirements may differ according to the species. This study compares internal parasitoses in angora goats and merino sheep, reared together with alpacas on a farm (Maridiana, Umbertide) in Central Italy.
During the study year 2003, the flock was composed of about 20 merino sheep and 60 angora goats. The animals were kept in mixed groups, separated by sex, at a density of 7.6 animals/ha. Pastures were used all year round and recovery of the animals in shelters was practiced at night and in adverse weather conditions. All goats and sheep were included in the longitudinal study and faecal samples from the rectum were taken each month. The identification and quantification of oocysts, eggs and larvae was performed according to the standard procedures of copromicroscopy. Totally 634 faecal samples were examined from angora goats and 200 samples from merino sheep. Antihelmintic (ivermectin, benzimidazole) and anti-coccidian (sulfadimetoxine-trimetoprime) treatments were administered to all animals twice and once a year, respectively. Pasture rotation and good sanitation in shelters was practiced to reduce the transmission of parasitic disease agents.
Helminthic infections were very common in both merino sheep and angora goats. In 83.5% (CI95 78.3-88.7) and 96.6% (CI95 94.0-97.2) of the respective faecal samples, eggs or larvae were found. In merino sheep, the more frequently encountered helminths were gastro-intestinal strongyles (78.5%; CI95 72.8-84.2) such as Trichostrongylus axei, T. vitrinus, Oesophagostomum spp., Cooperia spp., Haemonchus spp. and Ostertagia spp. In particular, Nematodirus spp. eggs were found in 26.5% (CI95 20.3-32.7) and Trichuris spp. eggs in 22.5% (CI95 16.7-28.3) of the faecal samples. Angora goats were infected at similar rates by intestinal strongyles (83.4%; CI95 80.5-86.3; OR 1.3 p=0.111) whereas their Trichuris infection rate (84.2%; CI95 81.4-87.1) was about 4 times higher than that of merino sheep (OR 18.4; p<10-4). In addition, larvae from lungworms (Dictyocaulus filaria, Protostrongylidae) were found more frequently (20.7%; CI95 17.5-23.8; OR 7.2 p<10-4) in angora goats, whereas faecal samples positive for Nematodirus eggs were relatively rare (6.6%; CI95 4.7-8.6; OR 0.196 p<10-4). Coccidian infections were also observed more often in goats than in sheep: oocysts from Eimeria intricata and other Eimeria spp. were found in 77.8% (CI95 74.5-81.0) and 56.5% (CI95 49.6-63.4; OR 2.7 p<10-4) of the samples from the respective animal species. The analysis of monthly prevalences per parasite genus (group) did not reveal any relation to season in either merino sheep or angora goats. Goats not only were more frequently infected than sheep, but they also harboured higher parasite loads. The geometric mean egg or oocysts per gram, calculated on the positive faecal samples of angora goats, amounted to 562 (CI95 434-640) for Eimeria spp., to 348 (CI95 318-381) for Trichuris spp., and to 269 (CI95 236-306) for intestinal strongyles. The respective values in merino sheep were about 1/2 for Eimeria spp. (t=5.23; p<10-4), 1/3 for Trichuris spp. (t=7.40; p<10-4), and 1/2 for strongyles (t=4.45; p<10-4). Accordingly, pathologic manifestations, such as anaemia, diarrhoea and weight loss, were sporadically reported by the breeder in goats but not in sheep. As the two species shared the same environment and received the same alimentation and anti-parasitic treatments, the differences in parasite prevalence and density appeared to be related to a relatively lower natural resistance of angora goats. Thus, especially where animals are kept at a rather high density, care should be taken to lower their exposure to infective larvae/eggs by frequent pasture rotation. Parasite loads should be regularly monitored, to intervene promptly with treatment if necessary
Preliminary report on frequency and abundance of internal parasites in alpacas (Lama Pacos) reared in the Umbria Region (Central Italy).
No full textFor centuries, alpacas (Lama pacos) have been a fundamental component of the Incan civilization and lately they have become a popular investment in North America, Australia and more recently in Europe. Their fibre is appreciated for its elevated thermal capacity, its strength, its lustre and the variety of colours. In Italy, over 350 head exist and the 30 breeders are organized in the ITALPACA association. In the near future, this husbandry, may find a niche in areas abandoned by unprofitable traditional agriculture. Nutritional, reproductive and health management schemes are available from North American and Australian husbandry, however their applicability in Italian environments needs to be verified. This study focuses on infection and control of endo-parasites in alpacas raised together with merino sheep and angora goats on a farm (Maridiana, Umbertide) in Umbria.
Alpacas are kept on pasture during the day and returned to shelters at night. Grazing is supplemented with hay and concentrate according to season and nutritional status of the animals. During the study year (2003), the herd consisted of about 25 head purchased in 1997 (original unit = OU) and 54 head bought in April 2003 from a German breeder (new unit = NU). Alpacas were raised in separate groups according to sex and the new herd was kept in quarantine until the end of June. Antihelmintic treatments were administered twice and an anti-coccidian treatment was given once. Pasture rotation was performed and care was taken to regularly renew straw bedsteads in shelters. A survey of internal parasites was performed from Jan. to Dec. 2003, by collecting faecal samples from the rectum on a monthly basis. The identification and quantification of oocysts, eggs and larvae was performed according to the standard procedures of copromicroscopy.
In the OU, helminth eggs were present in 59.6% (CI95 54.1-65.1%) of the faecal samples. Positive samples were more frequently observed in 1-2 years old animals (82.6%, CI95 74.7-90.5) than in older animals (50.0%, CI95 43.3-56.7; OR 4.75, p<10-4). Coccidian oocysts were revealed in 41.4% (CI95 35.9-46.8) of the faecal samples. Parasitic infections did not vary according to sex and season. In the NU an increase of helmintic infections from 28.5% (CI95 20.6-36.3) during quarantine to 41.2% (CI95 34.8-47.6; OR 1.37, p=0.016) in the 2nd half-year, after joining OU animals, was noted. Their relatively low initial infection might be explained by the monthly anti-helmintic treatments that NU animals received before their arrival at Maridiana farm. Coccidian oocysts were present in 34.2% (CI95 29.3-39.1) of the faecal samples and similar values were seen in animals of different sex and age. Helmintic infections were most frequently caused by Trichuris spp. and gastrointestinal strongyles. On the basis of egg morphology, nematodes of the genus Nematodirus, Lamanema and possibly Marshallagia, a genus present in ovi-caprines, were identified. Occasionally, eggs or larvae from Moniezia expansa, Strongyloides papillosus and Dictiocaulus filaria were observed. Eimeria macusaniensis - among other not identified Eimeria species - was found to be implicated in coccidian infections. Oocyst and egg abundance in positive samples was constantly low. Median values of 235 (n=106) and 139 (n=84) oocysts per gram (opg) were determined for the OU and NU respectively. For comparison, counts of about 1000 opg are frequently observed in asymptomatic sheep. Similarly, the median counts of helminth eggs, 118 (n=121) and 75 epg (n=64), for the OU and NU respectively, remain clearly below 400 epg, considered the threshold value above which clinical signs may be expected in sheep. Indeed, pathologic manifestations of parasitic infection were not observed in the study animals. Alpacas use to defecate on piles restricted to a few pasture sites. This “hygienic” behaviour may make them less likely to acquire pasture-borne parasites, even if reared in herds at relatively high densities, as in this study farm. In conclusion, under the conditions provided by the Umbrian environment, alpacas appear to be rather resistant to internal parasitosis. Ongoing studies try to elucidate which parasite species’ present in the alpaca herd are probably specific for camelids and which may have been acquired from “Italian ovi-caprines”
Efficacy of pyrantel embonate, febantel and praziquantel against Giardia spp. in naturally infected adult dogs
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Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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