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Parasites of veterinary importance

Subject Editor
Adnan Hodžić, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, Austria


The Parasites of veterinary importance section publishes articles relating to parasites and parasitic diseases of domestic, companion and farm animals including studies on biology, epidemiology, pathology, immunology, diagnosis and control. Studies relating to wildlife helminthic disease reservoirs and to ectoparasites and vectors of veterinary significance that do not fit within the remits of the other sections will also be considered.

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  1. The local distribution of helminths in dogs and cats and the evaluation of risk of contamination represent an important challenge for veterinarians due to their effects on animal health and their potential zoo...

    Authors: Gilles Bourgoin, Marie-Pierre Callait-Cardinal, Emilie Bouhsira, Bruno Polack, Patrick Bourdeau, Clarisse Roussel Ariza, Lisa Carassou, Emmanuel Lienard and Jason Drake
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:314
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Protozoan parasite secretions can be triggered by various modified media and diverse physicochemical stressors. Equally, host-parasite interactions are known to co-opt the exchange and secretion of soluble bio...

    Authors: Joshua Seun Olajide, Ling Xiong, Shunli Yang, Zigang Qu, Xiao Xu, Bin Yang, Jing Wang, Baohong Liu, Xueting Ma and Jianping Cai
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:245
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. Understanding the response of vector habitats to climate change is essential for vector management. Increasingly, there is fear that climate change may cause vectors to be more important for animal husbandry i...

    Authors: Paradzayi Tagwireyi, Manuel Ndebele and Wilmot Chikurunhe
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:237
    Content type: Research Published on:

  4. Some species of drosophilid flies belonging to the genus Phortica feed on ocular secretions of mammals, acting as biological vectors of the zoonotic eyeworm Thelazia callipaeda. This study describes an effective ...

    Authors: Ilaria Bernardini, Cristiana Poggi, Sara Manzi, Marcos Antonio Bezerra-Santos, Frédéric Beugnet, Josephus Fourie, Domenico Otranto and Marco Pombi
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:200
    Content type: Research Published on:

  5. Canine vector-borne disease (CVBD) has been an area of increasing interest in Europe over the last few decades, and there have been changes in the prevalence and distribution of many of these diseases. Monitor...

    Authors: Guadalupe Miró, Ian Wright, Helen Michael, Wade Burton, Evan Hegarty, Jaume Rodón, Jesse Buch, Nikola Pantchev and Georg von Samson-Himmelstjerna
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:189
    Content type: Research Published on:

  6. Due to high prevalence of anthelmintic resistance in equine helminths, selective treatment is increasingly promoted and in some countries a positive infection diagnosis is mandatory before treatment. Selective...

    Authors: Heike Boelow, Jürgen Krücken, Eurion Thomas, Greg Mirams and Georg von Samson-Himmelstjerna
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:166
    Content type: Research Published on:

  8. Helminthiasis and resistance to commercial anthelmintic compounds are major causes of economic losses for livestock producers, resulting in an urgent need for new drugs and reliable in vitro screening tests ca...

    Authors: Beatriz Munguía, Jenny Saldaña, Magdalena Nieves, María Elisa Melian, Manuela Ferrer, Ramiro Teixeira, Williams Porcal, Eduardo Manta and Laura Domínguez
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:129
    Content type: Research Published on:

  9. In canine leishmaniosis (CanL) endemic areas, pathologists often receive skin biopsies for testing with histopathologic findings suggestive—but not conclusive for a definitive diagnosis—of CanL lesions. I the ...

    Authors: Ilaria Porcellato, Giulia Morganti, Maria Teresa Antognoni, Katarzyna Małgorzata Walczak, Stefano De Arcangeli, Tommaso Furlanello, Cristina Bianca Quattrone, Fabrizia Veronesi and Chiara Brachelente
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:104
    Content type: Research Published on:

  10. Schistosomiasis is a disease that poses major threats to human and animal health, as well as the economy, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Whilst many studies have evaluated the economic impact of schis...

    Authors: Praise Adeyemo, Elsa Léger, Elizabeth Hollenberg, Nicolas Diouf, Mariama Sène, Joanne P. Webster and Barbara Häsler
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:101
    Content type: Research Published on:

  11. Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens are vector-borne zoonotic parasites which affect mainly dogs and humans worldwide. In Iran, information about the distribution of those nematodes is scant in several reg...

    Authors: Seyed Hossein Hosseini, Fateme Manshori-Ghaishghorshagh, Mohammad Ramezani, Hassan Nayebzadeh, Mohammad Bagher Ahoo, Ahdieh Eslamian, Minoo Soltani, Shahram Jamshidi, Marcos Antonio Bezerra-Santos, Fatemeh Jalousian, Alireza Sazmand and Domenico Otranto
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:90
    Content type: Research Published on:

  12. Taenia multiceps is a taeniid cestode that inhabits the small intestines of both wild and domestic carnivores. The larval stage, Coenurus cerebralis, is typically found in the central nervous system (CNS) of a wi...

    Authors: Antonio Varcasia, Claudia Tamponi, Fahad Ahmed, Maria Grazia Cappai, Francesca Porcu, Naunain Mehmood, Giorgia Dessì and Antonio Scala
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:84
    Content type: Review Published on:

  13. Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) disease continues to increase and spread, remaining one of the most important and pathogenic parasitic diseases of dogs, despite the regular use of macrocyclic lactones (MLs) in pr...

    Authors: Molly D. Savadelis, Tom L. McTier, Kristina Kryda, Steven J. Maeder and Debra J. Woods
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:82
    Content type: Review Published on:

  14. Administration of four to six consecutive monthly doses of 24 µg/kg moxidectin alone shows high effectiveness in preventing the maturation of macrocyclic lactone (ML)-resistant heartworm strains, Dirofilaria immi...

    Authors: Jamie A. E. Myers, Susan Holzmer, John W. McCall, Sean P. Mahabir, Tom L. McTier, Steven J. Maeder and Kristina Kryda
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:81
    Content type: Research Published on:

  15. Pest management has been facing the spread of invasive species, insecticide resistance phenomena, and concern for the impact of chemical pesticides on human health and the environment. It has tried to deal wit...

    Authors: Marco Friuli, Claudia Cafarchia, Riccardo Paolo Lia, Domenico Otranto, Marco Pombi and Christian Demitri
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:79
    Content type: Review Published on:

  16. Parasitic bronchopneumonia in domestic cats in Europe, which can manifest with moderate to severe clinical signs, is frequently caused by Troglostrongylus brevior. Data on epizootiological and clinical relevance ...

    Authors: Donato Traversa, Katharina Raue, Hannah Ringeisen, Katrin Blazejak, Katrin Bisterfeld, Angela Di Cesare, Mariasole Colombo, Claudia Böhm, Christina Strube and Matthias Pollmeier
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:66
    Content type: Research Published on:

  17. This review focuses on the most reliable and up-to-date methods for diagnosing trypanosomoses, a group of diseases of wild and domestic mammals, caused by trypanosomes, parasitic zooflagellate protozoans mainl...

    Authors: Marc Desquesnes, Marisa Gonzatti, Alireza Sazmand, Sophie Thévenon, Géraldine Bossard, Alain Boulangé, Geoffrey Gimonneau, Philippe Truc, Stéphane Herder, Sophie Ravel, Denis Sereno, Vincent Jamonneau, Sathaporn Jittapalapong, Philippe Jacquiet, Philippe Solano and David Berthier
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:64
    Content type: Review Published on:

  18. Horses are host to a plethora of parasites. Knowledge of the seasonality of parasite egg shedding and transmission is important for constructing parasite control programs. However, studies describing these pat...

    Authors: Ashley E. Steuer, Haley P. Anderson, Taylor Shepherd, Morgan Clark, Jessica A. Scare, Holli S. Gravatte and Martin K. Nielsen
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:50
    Content type: Research Published on:

  19. Nature conservation with reduced drainage of pastures has been increasingly promoted in agriculture in recent years. However, moisture on pastures is a crucial factor for the development of free-living stages ...

    Authors: Katharina May, Katharina Raue, Katrin Blazejak, Daniela Jordan and Christina Strube
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:33
    Content type: Research Published on:

  20. This study evaluated the timing of dog owner ectoparasiticide purchases to estimate administration compliance and assess the consequent impact of dose purchase gaps on the proportion of time that dogs were pro...

    Authors: Robert Lavan, Dorothy Normile, Imran Husain, Amita Singh, Rob Armstrong and Kathleen Heaney
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:32
    Content type: Research Published on:

  21. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) host numerous ectoparasitic species in the eastern USA, most notably various species of ticks and two species of deer keds. Several pathogens transmitted by ticks to hum...

    Authors: Karen C. Poh, Jesse R. Evans, Michael J. Skvarla, Cody M. Kent, Pia U. Olafson, Graham J. Hickling, Jennifer M. Mullinax and Erika T. Machtinger
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:31
    Content type: Research Published on:

  22. The possibility that Dermanyssus gallinae, the poultry red mite, could act as a vector of infectious disease-causing pathogens has always intrigued researchers and worried commercial chicken farmers, as has its u...

    Authors: Antonella Schiavone, Nicola Pugliese, Domenico Otranto, Rossella Samarelli, Elena Circella, Caterina De Virgilio and Antonio Camarda
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:29
    Content type: Review Published on:

  23. Due to the complexity of retrieving skin-dwelling microfilariae, filarioids of dogs presenting dermal microfilariae (e.g. Cercopithifilaria spp., Onchocerca lupi) are relatively unknown compared to Dirofilaria sp...

    Authors: Alireza Sazmand, Zahra Bahiraei, Farzad Nemati, Giada Annoscia, Marcos Antonio Bezerra-Santos, Hassan Nayebzadeh, Amir Masoud Salemi, Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi, Seyed Mahmoud Sadjjadi and Domenico Otranto
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:28
    Content type: Research Published on:

  24. Due to increased anthelmintic resistance, alternative methods to drugs are necessary to control gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs). Some of the most promising alternatives are based on the immune response of th...

    Authors: Leire Ortega, Jessica Quesada, Antonio Ruiz, María Magnolia Conde-Felipe, Otilia Ferrer, Francisco Rodríguez and José Manuel Molina
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:25
    Content type: Research Published on:

  25. Strongyloides stercoralis, a soil-transmitted helminth, occurs in humans, non-human primates, dogs, cats and wild canids. The zoonotic potential between these hosts is not well understood with data available on p...

    Authors: Aida Vafae Eslahi, Sima Hashemipour, Meysam Olfatifar, Elham Houshmand, Elham Hajialilo, Razzagh Mahmoudi, Milad Badri and Jennifer K. Ketzis
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:21
    Content type: Research Published on:

  26. Cytauxzoon spp. infection is believed to be a newly emerging tick-borne disease in felids in Europe, with three species of the haemoparasite having recently been differentiated in wild felids. In Switzerland, rar...

    Authors: Barbara Willi, Marina L. Meli, Chiara Cafarelli, Urs O. Gilli, Anja Kipar, Alina Hubbuch, Barbara Riond, Judith Howard, Daniel Schaarschmidt, Walter Regli and Regina Hofmann-Lehmann
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:19
    Content type: Research Published on:

  27. Leishmaniasis is endemic in Tunisia and presents with different clinical forms, caused by the species Leishmania infantum, Leishmania major, and Leishmania tropica. The life cycle of Leishmania is complex and inv...

    Authors: Moufida Derghal, Abir Tebai, Ghofrane Balti, Hajer Souguir-Omrani, Jomaa Chemkhi, Adel Rhim, Ali Bouattour, Ikram Guizani, Youmna M’Ghirbi and Souheila Guerbouj
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:12
    Content type: Research Published on:

  28. The species composition of cattle gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) communities can vary greatly between regions. Despite this, there is remarkably little large-scale surveillance data for cattle GIN species whi...

    Authors: Eranga Lakshitha De Seram, Elizabeth Mary Redman, Felicity Kaye Wills, Camila de Queiroz, John Ross Campbell, Cheryl Lynne Waldner, Sarah Elizabeth Parker, Russell William Avramenko, John Stuart Gilleard and Fabienne Dominique Uehlinger
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:17
    Content type: Research Published on:

  29. Human and animal pathogens that are transmitted by arthropods are a global concern, particularly those vectored by ticks (e.g. Borrelia burgdorferi and tick-borne encephalitis virus) and mosquitoes (e.g. malaria ...

    Authors: Apolline Maitre, Alejandra Wu-Chuang, Justė Aželytė, Vaidas Palinauskas, Lourdes Mateos-Hernández, Dasiel Obregon, Adnan Hodžić, Claire Valiente Moro, Agustín Estrada-Peña, Jean-Christophe Paoli, Alessandra Falchi and Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2022 15:4
    Content type: Review Published on:

  30. Trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (TPP6) is a key enzyme in the trehalose biosynthesis pathway. The accumulation of TPP6 inside the body is harmful to the pathogen, but almost nothing is currently known about ...

    Authors: ZhaoHai Wen, XinRan Xie, Muhammad Tahir Aleem, Kalibixiati Aimulajiang, Cheng Chen, Meng Liang, XiaoKai Song, LiXin Xu, XiangRui Li and RuoFeng Yan
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:611
    Content type: Research Published on:

  31. Gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) epidemiology is changing in many regions of the world due to factors such as global warming and emerging anthelmintic resistance. However, the dynamics of these changes in nort...

    Authors: Tong Wang, Elizabeth M. Redman, Arianna Morosetti, Rebecca Chen, Sarah Kulle, Natasha Morden, Christopher McFarland, Hannah Rose Vineer, Douglas D. Colwell, Eric R. Morgan and John S. Gilleard
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:604
    Content type: Research Published on:

  32. Leishmania infantum is the most important etiological agent of visceral leishmaniasis in the Americas and Mediterranean region, and the dog is the main host. Miltefosine was authorized to treat canine leishmanias...

    Authors: Gustavo Gonçalves, Monique Paiva Campos, Alessandra Silva Gonçalves, Lia Carolina Soares Medeiros and Fabiano Borges Figueiredo
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:599
    Content type: Short report Published on:

  33. Cyathostomins are the most important and common parasitic nematodes of horses, with > 50 species known to occur worldwide. The frequent and indiscriminate use of anthelmintics has resulted in the development o...

    Authors: Ghazanfar Abbas, Abdul Ghafar, John Hurley, Jenni Bauquier, Anne Beasley, Edwina J. A. Wilkes, Caroline Jacobson, Charles El-Hage, Lucy Cudmore, Peter Carrigan, Brett Tennent-Brown, Charles G. Gauci, Martin K. Nielsen, Kristopher J. Hughes, Ian Beveridge and Abdul Jabbar
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:597
    Content type: Research Published on:

  34. The Cimicidae are obligatory blood-feeding ectoparasites of medical and veterinary importance. We aim in the current study to assess the ability of MALDI-TOF MS to identify Cimex hirundinis swallow bugs collected...

    Authors: Fatima Zohra Hamlili, Jean-Michel Bérenger, Adama Zan Diarra and Philippe Parola
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:587
    Content type: Research Published on:

  35. Haemonchus contortus is a blood-feeding, gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) that causes significant economic losses to the small ruminant industry worldwide. Despite extensive efforts, our understanding of the molec...

    Authors: Mariam Bakshi, Wenbin Tuo, Raffi V. Aroian and Dante Zarlenga
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:580
    Content type: Research Published on:

  36. Pulsed ultraviolet (UV)-C light sources, such as excimer lasers, are used in emerging non-thermal food-decontamination methods and also have high potential for use in a wide range of microbial decontamination ...

    Authors: Jean-Luc Gala, Ott Rebane, Jérôme Ambroise, Sergey Babichenko, Omar Nyabi and Thierry Hance
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:578
    Content type: Research Published on:

  37. Arthropod-borne pathogens and their vectors are present throughout Africa. They have been well-studied in livestock of sub-Saharan Africa, but poorly in companion animals. Given the socio-economic importance o...

    Authors: Dieter Heylen, Michael Day, Bettina Schunack, Josephus Fourie, Michel Labuschange, Sherry Johnson, Samuel Maina Githigia, Foluke Adedayo Akande, Jahashi Saidi Nzalawahe, Dickson Stuart Tayebwa, Ortwin Aschenborn, Mary Marcondes and Maxime Madder
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:576
    Content type: Research Published on:

  38. Trypanosomiasis is a fatal disease that threatens the economy of at least 37 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly with regard to livestock farming. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of try...

    Authors: Issa Funsho Habeeb, Gloria Dada Chechet and Jacob K. P. Kwaga
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:560
    Content type: Research Published on:

  39. The roundworm Ascaris suum is one of the parasites with the greatest economic impact on pig farming. In this context, lower weight gain is hypothesized to be due to decreased nutrient absorption. This study aims ...

    Authors: Sarina Koehler, Andrea Springer, Nicole Issel, Stefanie Klinger, Christina Strube and Gerhard Breves
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:533
    Content type: Research Published on:

  40. Colombia’s National Army is one of the largest military institutions in the country based on the number of serving members and its presence throughout the country. There have been reports of cases of acute or ...

    Authors: Omar Cantillo-Barraza, Jeffer Torres, Carolina Hernández, Yanira Romero, Sara Zuluaga, Camilo A. Correa-Cárdenas, Giovanny Herrera, Omaira Rodríguez, María Teresa Alvarado, Juan David Ramírez and Claudia Méndez
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:519
    Content type: Research Published on:

  41. Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) are ubiquitous in small ruminant farming, representing a major health and production concern. Given their differences in pathogenicity and the current problems regarding anthel...

    Authors: Stephane Knoll, Giorgia Dessì, Claudia Tamponi, Luisa Meloni, Lia Cavallo, Naunain Mehmood, Philippe Jacquiet, Antonio Scala, Maria Grazia Cappai and Antonio Varcasia
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:505
    Content type: Research Published on:

  42. Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a serious parasitic zoonosis caused by the larvae of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. The development of an effective vaccine is one of the most promising strategies for control...

    Authors: Jinwen Xian, Ning Wang, Pengpeng Zhao, Yanyan Zhang, Jimeng Meng, Xun Ma, Xiaola Guo, Zhengrong Wang and Xinwen Bo
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:489
    Content type: Research Published on:

  43. Acute and chronic besnoitiosis in extensive natural-service herds can have relevant effects in the health of bulls and negative consequences in their productive performance. Recent progress has been made in or...

    Authors: David González-Barrio, Ana Huertas-López, Carlos Diezma-Díaz, Ignacio Ferre, José Joaquín Cerón, Luis Miguel Ortega-Mora and Gema Álvarez-García
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:488
    Content type: Research Published on:

  44. Trichinella spiralis is a zoonotic food-borne parasite. A disease caused by infection with T. spiralis is called trichinellosis in humans. It is important to investigate the epidemic situation and the surveillanc...

    Authors: Jian Li, Jing Ding, Xiao-Lei Liu, Bin Tang, Xue Bai, Yang Wang, Wei-Dong Qiao, Ming-Yuan Liu and Xue-Lin Wang
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:487
    Content type: Research Published on:

  45. Black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) serve as arthropod vectors for various species of Onchocerca (Nematoda: Onchocercidae) that may be associated with disease in humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. The emergenc...

    Authors: Matthew Kulpa, Kimberly J. Nelson, Alana M. Morales, Bonnie M. Ryan, Michelle L. Koschik, Jamesina J. Scott and Guilherme G. Verocai
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:478
    Content type: Research Published on:

  46. Urbanization can have profound effects on ecological interactions. For host–pathogen interactions, differences have been detected between urban and non-urban landscapes. However, host–pathogen interactions may...

    Authors: Katherine E. L. Worsley-Tonks, Stanley D. Gehrt, Chris Anchor, Luis E. Escobar and Meggan E. Craft
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:464
    Content type: Research Published on:

  47. Stable transfection systems have been described in many protozoan parasites, including Plasmodium falciparum, Cryptosporidium parvum, Babesia bovis, Babesia ovata, and Babesia gibsoni. For Babesia sp. Xinjiang (B...

    Authors: Jinming Wang, Xiaoxing Wang, Guiquan Guan, Jifei Yang, Junlong Liu, Aihong Liu, Youquan Li, Jianxun Luo and Hong Yin
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:463
    Content type: Research Published on:

  48. Leishmania tarentolae is a protozoan isolated from geckoes (Tarentola annularis, Tarentola mauritanica), which is considered non-pathogenic and is transmitted by herpetophilic Sergentomyia spp. sand flies. This s...

    Authors: Jairo Alfonso Mendoza-Roldan, Maria Stefania Latrofa, Roberta Iatta, Ranju R. S. Manoj, Rossella Panarese, Giada Annoscia, Marco Pombi, Andrea Zatelli, Fred Beugnet and Domenico Otranto
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:461
    Content type: Research Published on:

  49. Strongyloides westeri is found in the small intestine of young horses, mainly in foals up to about 16 weeks of age. The main source of infection for foals is through transmammary transmission, and foals can devel...

    Authors: Ghazanfar Abbas, Abdul Ghafar, Anson V. Koehler, Jenni Bauquier, Edwina J. A. Wilkes, Caroline Jacobson, Anne Beasley, John Hurley, Lucy Cudmore, Peter Carrigan, Brett Tennent-Brown, Charles El-Hage, Martin K. Nielsen, Charles G. Gauci, Kristopher J. Hughes, Ian Beveridge…
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:444
    Content type: Short report Published on:

  50. The family Cimicidae includes obligate hematophagous ectoparasites (bed bugs and their relatives) with high veterinary/medical importance. The evolutionary relationships of Cimicidae and their hosts have recen...

    Authors: Sándor Hornok, Tamara Szentiványi, Nóra Takács, Áron Botond Kovács, Olivier Glaizot, Philippe Christe, Nicolas Fasel, Miklós Gyuranecz and Jenő Kontschán
    Citation: Parasites & Vectors 2021 14:441
    Content type: Short report Published on:

Parasites & Vectors

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