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At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Endoparasites of birds of paradise in Papua New Guinea.

General endoparasitiasis in 16 species of captive birds of paradise (BOP) in Papua New Guinea ranged from 60.0 to 79.6% during 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983 and 1984. Percent prevalence of the three major groups of parasites during the five survey years was as follows: haematozoa, 36.7-53.0%; coccidia, 42.2-63.3% and helminths, 35.6-67.3%. Percent prevalence of blood parasites in the years 1977 and 1984 was: Haemoproteus 14.3, 20.0; Plasmodium 10.2, 4.5; Haemoproteus or Plasmodium 18.4, 8.9; Leucocytozoon 6.1, 6.7; Trypanosoma 8.2, 6.7; microfilaria 10.2, 4.5. Oocysts of Eimeria paradisaeai, Isospora raggianai and I. volki were common, as were oocysts morphologically distinct from these three species. The most frequently observed cestode eggs belonged to Raillietina and Biuterina species. Eggs of Strongyloides, Capillaria, Syngamus and Trichuris species of nematodes were also recovered. The Magnificent Bird of Paradise (Diphyllodes magnificus) had the highest mean eggs per gram (EPG) during the five survey years, except in 1978 when the highest mean was recorded from the Lesser Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea minor). Highest mean oocysts per gram (OPG) for the first 3 years were also recorded from D. magnificus, but Paradisaea raggiana had the highest mean OPG in 1983 and 1984. Possible causes for the greatest prevalence of endoparasites in the birds during 1977 and 1984, despite their having been regularly treated prophylactically, are considered.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Ticks parasitising the Indian buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and their possible role in disease transmission.

A total of 13 ixodid tick species, Boophilus microplus, Haemaphysalis bispinosa, Haemaphysalis cornupunctata, Haemaphysalis himalaya, Heamaphysalis montgomeryi, Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum, Hyalomma dromedarii, Hyalomma marginatum isaaci, Hyalomma (Hyalommina) brevipunctata, Hyalomma (Hyalommina) hussaini, Nosomma monstrosum, Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides, and R. turanicus were collected off 424 buffaloes from the northwestern states of India. Ten tick species, Amblyomma testudinarium, B. microplus, Haemaphysalis anomala, Haemaphysalis arborensis, Haemaphysalis bispinosa, Haemaphysalis intermedia, Haemaphysalis nepalensis, Haemaphysalis neumanni, R. haemaphysaloides, and R. turanicus parasitising 194 buffaloes were collected from the northeastern states of India. In addition to tick-buffalo relationships, the incidence of haemoparasites in buffalo from these two regions was studied and the possible role of these ticks in disease transmission was discussed. Examination of blood films and lymph smears revealed Anaplasma marginale and Babesia bigemina in 6.2 and 2.6%, respectively, of buffaloes tested in the northeastern states, and 14.9 and 4.7%, respectively, in the northwestern states.

Anaplasmosis↗
PubMed1989

A Neospora-like protozoon found in an aborted bovine placenta.

Portions of the placenta and kidneys from a 5-month-old bovine fetus were examined histologically. The placental cotyledonary villi were necrotic and protozoa were found in lesions. The organisms were in trophoblasts, periodic acid Schiff-negative and did not react in an immunoperoxidase test using anti-Toxoplasma gondii serum. Individual zoites were approximately 5 x 2 microns and the biggest collection was 45 x 35 microns. The organism in the present case was structurally distinct from Sarcocystis spp. and Toxoplasma gondii, but resembled Neospora caninum.

Abortion, Veterinary↗
PubMed1992

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of antibody to the parasitic dinoflagellate Amyloodinium ocellatum in Oreochromis aureus.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using antibody to affinity-purified Oreochromis aureus immunoglobulin and antigens from the parasitic dinoflagellate amyloodinium ocellatum was developed. The ELISA was then used to evaluate the immune response of the tilapine fish to immunization with the parasite. Fish immunized with antigens of the dinospore stage, either live or sonicated, produced a specific immune response that was detectable by this ELISA. Combinations of serial dilutions of A. ocellatum antigen and fish anti-A. ocellatum serum were examined to determine which dilutions provided optimal differentiation of seropositive from seronegative fish. Fresh and heat-inactivated serum from both seropositive and seronegative fish produced similar results.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Canine neosporosis in South Africa.

Neospora caninum was identified in tissues of one neonatal and two adolescent dogs by a specific immunohistochemical technique during a retrospective study. The histological lesions included multifocal polymyositis, multifocal parasitic myocarditis, interstitial pneumonia, severe multifocal encephalitis and myelitis with perivascular cuffing. This report extends the known range of the parasite to the African continent.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Unidentified Toxoplasma-like tissue cysts in the brains of three cats.

Tissue cysts of an unidentified Toxoplasma-like parasite were found in three of 103 cats that were diagnosed histologically with toxoplasmosis-like illness at the Angell Memorial Animal Hospital, Boston, MA, between 1952 and 1991. Tissue cysts in these three cats were confined to the brain and two cats had concurrent lymphoid disorders. The tissue cysts of the unidentified parasite were about twice the size of Toxoplasma gondii tissue cysts.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Biological control. Aspects of biological control--with special reference to arthropods, protozoans and helminths of domesticated animals.

Biological control describes situations in which a living antagonist (a predator, parasite, parasitoid or a pathogen) is distributed by man to lower pest (parasite) populations to acceptable sub-clinical densities or to keep the population at a non-harmful level. Ideally, biological control has no negative effects on the environment, whereas chemical control is not always so harmless. Laboratory and field observations have revealed many organisms, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoans, turbellarians, nematodes, earthworms, tardigrades, insects, copepods and mites as antagonists to parasitic arthropods, protozoans and helminths of domesticated animals. However, only very few of these antagonists have shown promising qualities as biological control agents within veterinary science. The lack of success should be linked to the lack of knowledge about complex natural biological systems and the antagonists that may be found there. This situation has restricted the interest of industry in developing biological products. In the future, however, industry may become more interested in biological control considering the increasing problems with parasite resistance to drugs in combination with the increasing cost of developing new chemical products, and because of increasing public concern about chemical residues in animal products and in the environment.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Are Tritrichomonas foetus and Tritrichomonas suis synonyms?

Tritrichomonas suis, a tritrichomonad of pigs, and the related species Tritrichomonas foetus, a tritrichomonad of cattle, are morphologically identical. The taxonomic relationship between these two tritrichomonads has been questioned ever since they were established as distinct species in 1843 and 1928, respectively. Here, we compare the similarities of morphology, ultrastructure, distribution, host specificity, characteristics of in vitro cultivation, immunology, biochemistry and analysis of molecular data from published sources between these two species. All data indicate that these two tritrichomonad species are identical. Thus, we propose that T. foetus and T. suis are synonyms.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Ultrastructural study of a tetratrichomonad species isolated from prepucial smegma of virgin bulls.

We present observations on an unusual tetratrichomonad species isolated from preputial smegma of virgin bulls. Ultrastructural studies were performed using scanning and electron microscopy techniques. This protozoan presents four anterior flagella of unequal length and a recurrent one forming the undulating membrane. It shows one anterior nucleus, a Golgi complex, an axostyle, and a costa. The hydrogenosomes are rather elongated, seen in groups, and presenting different electron densities. Vacuoles of different sizes containing bacteria and material in process of digestion were frequently found. PCR was also used in order to compare the species herein described with other trichomonad species. The amplification products were seen only with primers TFR1 and TFR2 (specific to trichomonads), but not with TFR3 and TFR4 (specific to Tritrichomonas foetus), suggesting that although collected from the genital tract of the bull, this protist was not T. foetus. We propose that the appearance of these tetratrichomonads were probably due to the sodomy practiced among bulls. Concomitant contamination of preputial cavity with feces could explain the presence of the opportunistic organism. The observations presented here show the importance of the correct diagnostic when investigating samples obtained from the urogenital tract of cattle. We also suggest that this flagellate belongs to the species Tetratrichomonas buttreyi.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

PCR detection of Tritrichomonas foetus in preputial bull fluid without prior DNA isolation.

Tritrichomonosis is a widespread, economically important venereal disease caused by Tritrichomonas foetus. The traditional diagnosis of this disease, which causes infertility and abortion in cattle, is based on the culture of the parasite. This process is time consuming, has low sensitivity, and is prone to contamination with intestinal or coprophilic trichomonadid protozoa, resulting in false positive diagnostics of T. foetus. In order to avoid the shortcomings of the traditional method, we developed a simple PCR assay based on TFR3 and TFR4 primers, which does not require parasite culturing. The sensitivity of the PCR assay resulted comparable to that of the classical method, being able to detect as few as five T. foetus parasites. In addition the method is highly specific. The analysis of preputial fluid washing samples showed that 58 out of 203 samples were positive by both, the PCR and the culture method (+/+), 9 samples were positive by PCR and negative by the traditional method (+/-) and only one sample resulted negative by PCR and negative by culture (-/+). The samples for the PCR assay can be stored for a week at 4 degrees C or 72h at room temperature. In summary, our study demonstrated that the PCR assay is an effective method for the diagnosis of T. foetus from preputial samples, and that it compares advantageously to the classical method.

Abortion, Veterinary↗
PubMed2006

Improved detection of Tritrichomonas foetus in bovine diagnostic specimens using a novel probe-based real time PCR assay.

A Tritrichomonas foetus-specific 5' Taq nuclease assay using a 3' minor groove binder-DNA probe (TaqMan MGB) targeting conserved regions of the internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS-1) was developed and compared to established diagnostic procedures. Specificity of the assay was evaluated using bovine venereal microflora and a range of related trichomonad species. Assay sensitivity was evaluated with log(10) dilutions of known numbers of cells, and compared to that for microscopy following culture (InPouch TF test kit) and the conventional TFR3-TFR4 PCR assay. The 5' Taq nuclease assay detected a single cell per assay from smegma or mucus which was 2500-fold or 250-fold more sensitive than microscopy following selective culture from smegma or mucus respectively, and 500-fold more sensitive than culture followed by conventional PCR assay. The sensitivity of the conventional PCR assay was comparable to the 5' Taq nuclease assay when testing purified DNA extracted from clinical specimens, whereas the 5' Taq nuclease assay sensitivity improved using crude cell lysates, which were not suitable as template for the conventional PCR assay. Urine was evaluated as a diagnostic specimen providing improved and equivalent levels of T. foetus detection in spiked urine by both microscopy following culture and direct 5' Taq nuclease detection, respectively, compared with smegma and mucus, however inconclusive results were obtained with urine samples from the field study. Diagnostic specimens (n=159) were collected from herds with culture positive animals and of the 14 animals positive by 5' Taq nuclease assay, 3 were confirmed by selective culture/microscopy detection (Fisher's exact test P<0.001). The 5' Taq nuclease assay described here demonstrated superior sensitivity to traditional culture/microscopy and offers advantages over the application of conventional PCR for the detection of T. foetus in clinical samples.

5' Untranslated Regions↗
PubMed2006

Bayesian estimation of Tritrichomonas foetus diagnostic test sensitivity and specificity in range beef bulls.

Accuracy of culture for diagnosis of Tritrichomonas foetus was investigated in 2832 naturally exposed range beef bulls from 124 herds. Preputial fluid samples were inoculated into the culture medium, incubated at 37 degrees C, and daily examined. Diagnostic test was evaluated using Bayesian techniques to estimate sensitivity and specificity without a gold standard. Median posterior test sensitivity was 72.04% (95% probability interval: 58.07-86.38%) and specificity was 95.37% (95% probability interval: 94.07-96.65%). Low diagnostic test accuracy may have resulted from host and/or diagnostic test procedure related factors. Under natural range conditions, more accurate methods for T. foetus diagnostic and repeated preputial samplings of bulls may be necessary on trichomonosis control programs.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Morphological differentiation of Tritrichomonas foetus from other protozoa of the bovine reproductive tract.

Tritrichomonas foetus is a protozoan parasite associated with reproductive failure in the bovine. Its incidence has effectively been controlled in the UK, as in many other countries, through a policy of testing of breeding animals and the widespread use of artificial insemination (AI). As a result there have been only two cases of bovine trichomoniasis in the UK over the past 20 years. Despite the virtual absence of T. foetus in bovine preputial and vaginal samples, routine examinations have occasionally revealed the presence of motile protozoa which require careful identification. In this paper, the morphological characteristics of T. foetus, and other protozoa isolated from the bovine reproductive tract, are presented.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Intestinal parasites in returned travelers.

Travelers returning from third-world countries may become infected with a variety of intestinal parasites. Although protozoan infections are more frequently seen, intestinal worms are also encountered. If considered in the differential diagnosis, these infections usually are readily diagnosed and treated.

Humans↗
PubMed2000

Comparison of growth rates of Tritrichomonas foetus isolates from various geographic regions using three different culture media.

The growth rates of 16 isolates of Tritrichomonas foetus from three distinct geographic regions were investigated in modified Diamond's medium, liver infusion broth medium and a commercially available culture kit. While some differences in growth characteristics were detected for different isolates and in the three different media, all isolates grew. Trichomonads reached peak concentrations from an initial concentration of 10(4) trichomonads/ml on Days 2, 3 and 4 in modified Diamond's medium, on Days 2-6 (excluding CAPTF102) in the commercial culture kit and on Days 2-7 in liver infusion broth medium. Viable parasites were detectable for longer periods in liver infusion broth medium and the commercial culture kit than in Diamond's medium. Peak concentrations for isolates tended to be higher in modified Diamond's medium than in liver infusion broth medium or the commercial culture kit. Results show that these three media are suitable for the growth of all 16 T. foetus isolates from three continents and suggest that these media could be used effectively throughout the world.

Animals↗