Article
Microbiology
Tautvile Sukyte, Dalius Butkauskas, Evelina Juozaityte-Ngugu, Saulius Svazas, Petras Prakas
Summary: The study aimed to identify Sarcocystis species in intestinal scrapings of Northern Goshawks and Eurasian Sparrowhawks in Lithuania. Sarcocystis calchasi, a protozoan parasite causing respiratory and neurological diseases in birds, was detected for the first time in Lithuania. Different Sarcocystis species were identified, and the prevalence and species richness were higher in Northern Goshawks compared to Eurasian Sparrowhawks. This study provides important insights into the distribution and diversity of Sarcocystis species in avian hosts.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Ondrej Maca, David Gonzalez-Solis
Summary: The white-tailed eagle has been confirmed as the definitive host for S. lutrae in the Czech Republic based on morphometric and molecular analyses. One of the eagles carried oocysts and sporocysts in the intestinal mucosa, with sequencing showing high similarity to published sequences of S. lutrae from other hosts.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Anders Pape Moller, Tapio Solonen, Jan Tottrup Nielsen, Risto Tornberg, Marcus Wikman
Summary: Selection by predators affects prey through competition for resources, with consequences for both direct mortality and disturbance. Changes in predator selection on prey may impact prey population sizes and their interactions in the short- or long-term. This study assessed if predation by northern goshawks modified prey community composition consistently over time, showing long-term consistency in prey susceptibility to predation. Tracking six goshawk populations in Denmark and Finland from 1949-2019, the results showed weak relationships in susceptibility to goshawk predation between different time periods in Denmark, while shared prey species in Finland had positive relationships in susceptibility. The differences in susceptibility between periods were higher in Denmark compared to Finland. Susceptibility to goshawk predation increased with latitude and prey body mass, and decreased with time period and prey population density, suggesting changes in local prey characteristics.
Article
Biology
Zhipeng Wu, Jun Sun, Junjie Hu, Jingling Song, Shuangsheng Deng, Niuping Zhu, Yurong Yang, Jianping Tao
Summary: This study investigated the morphology and molecular characteristics of S. masoni cysts found in an alpaca in China, as well as completed the parasite's life cycle through experimental animal infection. The results showed that S. masoni is closely related to S. cameli in dromedary camels, and the definitive host of S. masoni in South American camelids remains unknown.
Article
Parasitology
Sydney P. Rudko, Brooke A. McPhail, Ronald L. Reimink, Kelsey Froelich, Alyssa Turnbull, Patrick C. Hanington
Summary: To control swimmer's itch in northern Michigan inland lakes, the relocation of common mergansers has been attempted since 2015. However, this study suggests that targeting a single species of parasite and removing the common merganser is not an effective control strategy, likely due to parasite contributions from non-resident birds.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Paul W. Snyder, Chloe T. Ramsay, Carmen C. Harjoe, Emily S. Khazan, Cheryl J. Briggs, Jason Todd Hoverman, Pieter T. J. Johnson, Daniel Preston, Jason R. Rohr, Andrew R. Blaustein
Summary: Losses in biodiversity can increase disease risk by altering host species composition. In amphibians, the presence of highly susceptible species can change disease dynamics and increase infection risk and mortality in co-occurring species.
Article
Parasitology
Petras Prakas, Egle Rudaityte-Lukosiene, Donatas Sneideris, Dalius Butkauskas
Summary: The study found that American minks serve as hosts for many Sarcocystis species, with some infected minks carrying multiple Sarcocystis species, possibly originating from different species of deer. This raises concerns about compliance with game waste management rules by hunters and game processing companies. Further research on the involvement of mustelids in the transmission of various Sarcocystis spp. from different geographical locations is needed.
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Donatas Sneideris, Monika Stalpes, Dalius Butkauskas, Petras Prakas
Summary: This study investigated the potential use of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) as an alternative method for identifying Sarcocystis species in birds. The results suggest that RFLP could be successfully used for identifying closely related avian Sarcocystis species with just two nucleases.
PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Katrina M. Morris, Anamika Mishra, Ashwin A. Raut, Eleanor R. Gaunt, Dominika Borowska, Richard I. Kuo, Bo Wang, Periyasamy Vijayakumar, Santhalembi Chingtham, Rupam Dutta, Kenneth Baillie, Paul Digard, Lonneke Vervelde, David W. Burt, Jacqueline Smith
Summary: Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses, such as H5N1, pose a serious threat to animal agriculture, wildlife, and public health. This study aimed to understand the susceptibility and tolerance of different avian species to HPAI challenge by examining the response of six species to low pathogenic avian influenza (H9N2) and two strains of H5N1 with differing virulence. The study revealed important discoveries regarding the viral loads, neuro-inflammatory response, differential gene regulation, and immune response timing in different avian species.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lauren K. Common, Petra Sumasgutner, Rachael Y. Dudaniec, Diane Colombelli-Negrel, Sonia Kleindorfer
Summary: Generalism in invasive parasites is advantageous initially, but can lead to specialization to avoid costly hosts later on. By examining the mortality of avian vampire flies in different host nests, it was found that there are differences in survival rates across host species, indicating potential evolution towards host specialization.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Petras Prakas, Jolanta Stankeviciute, Saulius Svazas, Evelina Juozaityte-Ngugu, Dalius Butkauskas, Rasa Vaitkeviciute-Balce
Summary: Wildfowl meat infected with S. rileyi macrocysts is not suitable for human consumption. Ducks are important game birds in Europe, and S. rileyi infections cause significant economic losses. A study in Lithuania, Russia, Belarus, and Latvia found that the prevalence of macrocysts in Mallards was similar across the countries, with higher infection rates observed in November-December compared to September-October. DNA analysis confirmed S. rileyi infection in all tested birds.
Article
Immunology
Honglei Sun, Fangtao Li, Qingzhi Liu, Jianyong Du, Litao Liu, Haoran Sun, Chong Li, Jiyu Liu, Xin Zhang, Jizhe Yang, Yuhong Duan, Yuhai Bi, Juan Pu, Yipeng Sun, Qi Tong, Yongqiang Wang, Xiangjun Du, Yuelong Shu, Kin-Chow Chang, Jinhua Liu
Summary: The study found that farmed minks are commonly infected with both human and avian influenza viruses. Human influenza viruses may be transmitted from humans to minks, while avian influenza viruses may be transmitted through feed to farmed minks. Therefore, feeding minks with raw poultry by-products should be prohibited to reduce the risk of novel pandemic virus emergence.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Daniela Doussang, Nicole Sallaberry-Pincheira, Gustavo S. Cabanne, Dario A. Lijtmaer, Daniel Gonzalez-Acuna, Juliana A. Vianna
Summary: The study found that Haemoproteus has higher prevalence and diversity compared to Plasmodium, largely influenced by their avian hosts and environmental factors. Additionally, the prevalences of Haemoproteus and Plasmodium are positively correlated with host diversity, suggesting a possible amplification effect.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Matthew S. Atkinson, Anna E. Savage
Summary: Invasive amphibian species can have significant impacts on pathogen dynamics within amphibian communities. These impacts can lead to increased pathogen diversity, prevalence, and infection intensity, or decreased host fitness. However, some invasive species may also reduce the negative impacts of pathogens on native amphibians.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Salh Nawshirwan, Nicole Heucken, Nadin Piekarek, Tim van Beers, Nicole Fulgham-Scott, Andrea Grandoch, Wolfram F. Neiss, Johannes Vogt, Mohammed Barham
Summary: This study provides a detailed description of the ultrastructure of the macrocyst wall of S. caprafelis moulei and identifies the presence of S. medusiformis in Iraqi sheep. The study also compares the prevalence of macroscopic Sarcocystis in the same region at different time periods and finds a reduction in occurrence compared to previous data from 1992.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Gabriela Rudd Garces, Anna Letko, Irene M. Haefliger, Jana Mueller, Christiane Herden, Anne Nesseler, Henrik Wagner, Martin J. Schmidt, Cord Droegemueller, Gesine Luehken
Summary: This study reported a rare early-onset neurodegenerative disorder characterized by microcephaly in purebred Kerry Hill sheep. A genetic variant in the MFSD2A gene, responsible for maintaining blood-brain barrier homeostasis and regulating brain lipogenesis, was identified as the cause. This is the first report of a spontaneous MFSD2A variant in domestic animals.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Ann-Kathrin Onkels, Christina Stadler, Udo Hetzel, Jana Mueller, Christiane Herden
VETERINARY RECORD CASE REPORTS
(2020)
