Haemonchus contortus is a hematophagous nematode causing substantial economic losses to the livestock industry worldwide. This study aimed to investigate epidemiological determinants, morphometrics, and phylogenetic relationships of Haemonchus in small ruminants (goats and sheep) of Malakand division, Pakistan. Fecal samples (n=878) were randomly collected across four seasons (January to December, 2024) from six districts of the Malakand division to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors. Abomasa from 100 small ruminants were collected for morphometric and phylogenetic studies. Morphological identification was followed by DNA extraction from the adult worms and subsequent PCR amplification of the Cox-1 genetic marker. The overall prevalence of Haemonchus was 25.17 % (221/878), with significantly higher infection rates in small ruminants with poor health 36.19 % (38/105, P= 0.0003), those >5 years old 28.82 % (89/318, P= 0.0391), and untreated small ruminants 29.08 % (171/588, P= 0.0004), based on Chi-square test (P < 0.05), using bivariate analysis. Morphometric analysis revealed that the Haemonchus eggs were oval with an average length of 80.98 μm and a width of 45.04 μm. Male worms measured 11.9 - 13.8 mm long, while females ranged from 15 - 23.8 mm. Phylogenetic analysis based on the Cox-1 gene revealed a close genetic relationship between isolates from the Malakand division and those from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Iran. Furthermore, the study identified two distinct haplotypes, providing further insights into the genetic variability within Haemonchus populations. This study highlights the significant burden of Haemonchus infections in the region, emphasizing health status, treatment, and age as key risk factors. The findings of this study provide a foundation for the development of effective control strategies against Haemonchus infections in small ruminants.

SummaryGastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections have a significant impact on the health and productivity of small ruminants, while data on mixed-species grazing systems in Central Europe are scarce. This study aimed to compare GIN species richness and infection intensity in co-grazed dairy sheep and goats under a conventional grazing system in the Czech Republic. Over a 12-month period, 210 goat and 196 sheep faecal samples were analyzed using the McMaster method, followed by larval culture. Both hosts harboured Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus/Teladorsagia spp., and Oesophagostomum columbianum. Goats exhibited consistently higher egg shedding, with a mean peak egg count of 1240 EPG in June, whereas sheep reached a markedly lower peak of 620 EPG in February. In goats, H. contortus predominated year-round, while in sheep, Trichostrongylus/Teladorsagia spp. showed pronounced seasonal fluctuations, comprising up to 60% of larvae in autumn. Differences in infection intensity between species were statistically significant (U = 24 697.5, p < 0.001). These results support the hypothesis that co-grazing does not homogenise parasite burdens between host species and demonstrate species-specific seasonal infection dynamics. Such insights directly address the study’s aim of characterising species composition and infection intensity in co-grazed sheep and goats, providing an evidence-based basis for optimising sustainable parasite management in mixed grazing systems.

Summary Plant parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are one of the most important pests on banana plantations. This research was conducted to identify the dominant PPNs species threat in banana cultivation. The purposive sampling method was performed in banana plantations to collect the roots of banana plants and the soil around them to extract the nematodes. Nematode identification was carried out morphologically, morphometrically, and molecularly using the primer pair D2A/D3B. The highest population of PPNs from root and soil sample (respectively) in Turi were Radopholus (84 nematodes/10 gram root) and Helicotylenchus (37.3 nematodes/100 mL soil), in Kasihan were Pratylenchus (181.3 nematodes/10 gram root) and Meloidogyne (53.3 nematodes/100 mL soil), while in Jetis were both Helicotylenchus with population of 480 nematode/10 gram root and 120 nematode/100 mL soil. Phylogenetic analysis placed the population of R. similis from Turi, Yogyakarta in a monophyletic clade with R. similis from Tanzania, China, and Colombia. The Kasihan, Yogyakarta population of P. coffeae was placed in a monophyletic clade with P. coffeae from China and Tanzania. Additionally, the Jetis, Yogyakarta population of H. multicinctus was separated from H. multicinctus populations from Nigeria, China, Sudan, Vietnam, Brazil, India, Florida, Greece, and Colombia. These results could be used as the database of morphological, morphometric, and molecular characteristics of nematode species in Indonesia and as a basis for future banana parasitic nematode management.

Summary Crenosoma vulpis is a nematode from the superfamily Metastrongylidea, which parasitizes the respiratory tracts of carnivores, primarily red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), and occasionally domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). This study aimed to assess the presence of C. vulpis in red foxes in western Poland, an area where its occurrence had not been previously documented. We examined lung tissue from 47 red foxes obtained during the regular hunting season (2017 – 2018) using the Baermann method to detect the presence of nematode larvae. Larvae, identified based on morphology as C. vulpis, were found in 12.8 % of the foxes (6/47; 95 % CL = 4.8 – 25.7 %). This is the first confirmed report of Crenosoma vulpis in red foxes in Poland, highlighting the potential need for further epidemiological studies on its distribution and impact on both wildlife and domestic animals.

Fasciolosis is a parasitic disease that affects both humans and animals. Due to parasitic resistance to chemical drugs, there has been a growing focus on studying the anthelmintic properties of plants. In vitro, studies were conducted on the ovicidal activity of ethanolic extracts of 29 plants against eggs of liver flukes from cattle. Plants were selected due to their availability and previous literature reports. Each plant's ethanolic extract was tested at a concentration of 20 % of the raw extract. The incubation period was 15 days at 28°C for all treated eggs, while control samples were treated with ethanol and water. Mortality levels of eggs ranged from 0 to 100 %. Moringa oleifera, Ananas comosus, and Foeniculum vulgare caused the highest mortality levels of 100 %, 100 %, and 90 %, respectively, followed by Cymbopogon nardus and Artemisia afra, which caused mortality levels of 62 % and 60 %, respectively. The plant extracts were then used in a concentration-response experiment using 5 %, 10 %, and 20 % extracts. Extracts from Moringa oleifera and Ananas comosus showed the highest ovicidal activity at the three concentrations, followed by F. vulgare, C. nardus, and A. afra. At the 5 % concentration, M. oleifera and A. comosus extracts were both ovicidal, with rates of 83 % and 80 %, respectively.

SummaryThe search for hitherto undiscovered larvae of Anisakis sp. from marine habitat in the Indian sub-continent yielded A. typica (Dujardin) larvae hitherto unconfirmed. The present study is the maiden attempt to report 3rd stage larvae of A. typica from the reef-associated Sillago sihama in Arabian Sea off the coast of Goa, which has been identified recently as reef-populated area within the maritime boundary of India. The morphometry of 3rd stage larvae has been presented with a record of molecular characterization. In the context of current study, the natural prevalence of A. typica larvae in marine piscine hosts of Arabian Sea in India was 6.84 % and of co-occurring Rotundocollarette capoori (Yadav, Kapoor and Malhotra) in the same fish was 13.65 %. The roundworms were confirmed to be A. typica by application of the molecular and genetic characterization based on ITS1, ITS2 and 18S rDNA sequence analysis. The infestation of reef-associated fishes in this study by anisakid worms study provided an opportunity to explore mechanism of ecological associations of coral reefs with parasitization in future.

SummaryThe development of turkey farming is significantly restrained by parasitic diseases, which have become widespread and cause significant economic losses to specialized- and homestead farms. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of endoparasites in turkeys of different age groups under different maintenance systems and the nature of patho-anatomical changes depending on the course of the disease. A total of 1,869 samples of fecal from turkeys were studied. From turkeys kept in poultry houses, 925 fecal samples and 944 fecal samples from free-range turkeys were examined. In turkeys that were kept in a poultry house, the total infection with endoparasites was 59.8 %, while in free range, it was 63.3 %. The most common in turkeys 30-60 days old from poultry houses are Histomonas meleagridis (21.5 %), Eimeria spp. (11.5 %) and Cryptosporidium baileyi (15.5 %) and in free-range turkeys – Histomonas meleagridis (15.6 %), Eimeria spp. (7.2 %) and Cryptosporidium baileyi (10.8 %). Cryptosporidium baileyi was not observed in turkeys 360 days old or older. Tetratrichomonas gallinarum was most frequently recorded in turkeys 90 – 120 days old from poultry houses (3.8 %) and turkeys 150 – 180 days old in free range (3.7 %). Ascaridia dissimilis is most common in free-range turkeys 90 – 120 days old (11.8 %) and turkeys 150 – 180 days old from poultry houses (9.5 %). Heterakis gallinarum was primarily recorded in turkeys 150 – 180 days old under both systems of keeping with a value range from 16.2 to 17.2 %. Infestation of 150 – 180-day-old free-range turkeys by cestodes Davainea meleagridis and Raillietina echinobothrida was 15.0 % and 12.9 %, respectively. Thus, the diversity and prevalence of gastrointestinal tract invasions depend on the age and housing system of the poultry.

The World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology recently released new recommendations for the design of fecal egg count (FEC) reduction tests for livestock. These provide suggestions as to the number of animals to be sampled and the minimum number of eggs that must be counted to produce statistically meaningful results. One of the considerations for study design is the multiplication factor of the FEC method to be used; methods with lower multiplication factors require fewer animals to be sampled because they are presumed to count more eggs per test. However, multiplication factor is not the sole determinant of the number of eggs counted by any given method, since different techniques use very different sample extraction methodologies that could affect the number of eggs detected beyond just the amount of feces examined. In this light, we compared three commonly used manual FEC methods (mini-FLOTAC, McMaster and Wisconsin) and two automated methods (Imagyst and Parasight All-in-One) with respect to how many equine strongylid and ascarid eggs they counted in the same samples. McMaster and mini-FLOTAC (multiplication factors of 25x and 5x, respectively) produced the most accurate results of the methods tested but mini-FLOTAC counted approximately 5-times more eggs than McMaster. However, Wisconsin and Parasight (multiplication factor = 1x) counted 3-times more ova than mini-FLOTAC, which was less than the 5-fold difference in their multiplication factors. As a result, these tests perform with multiplication factors more akin to 1.6x relative to mini-FLOTAC. Imagyst, due to its unique sample preparation methodology, does not have a traditional multiplication factor but performed similarly to McMaster with respect to egg recovery.

The continuous challenges of land use change have brought potential threats to biodiversity and the spread of zoonotic diseases. In this study, synanthropic rodents and their helminth parasites were used as sentinels to assess the potential impact of land use on zoonosis. Rats were collected in different ecosystems, namely agricultural, agroforest, and residential areas in the northeastern sub-watersheds of Mount Makiling, Laguna, Philippines. Three (3) species of rats were captured, namely, Rattus tanezumi, Rattus norvegicus, and Rattus exulans. Of the total 180 rats collected, 92.7 % were found infected with helminth parasites, namely Hymenolepis diminuta, Hymenolepis nana, Taenia pisiformis, and Strobilocercus fasciolaris (cestodes); Angiostrongylus cantonensis, Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, Strongyloides ratti, Capillaria hepatica, Trichuris muris, and Rictularia sp. (nematodes); and Echinostoma ilocanum (trematode). Of these 11 species, nine (9) were considered zoonotic. This study provides important information on the helminth parasites of rats in the northeastern sub-watersheds of Mount Makiling and the potential threat of zoonotic transmission due to increasing land use change and urbanization in the area. Moreover, urbanization can provide favorable eco-epidemiological conditions for rodent-borne pathogens, such as parasites, that are seriously threatening agricultural settings and human settlements in these areas.

Trypanorhynch cestode larvae were found parasitizing specimens of dusky flounder Syacium papillosum (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Southeastern Gulf of Mexico (s-GoM). Plerocercoids were recovered from a total of 194 flatfish, embedded in the intestine and stomach wall. Trypanorhynch were identified using morphology and a molecular phylogeny using newly sequenced partial 28S (region D1-D3) ribosomal DNA in combination with data derived from other species of trypanorhynchs available from GenBank. Larvae representing three genera of trypanorhynch cestodes, Nybelinia Poche, 1926; Kotorella Euzet & Radujkovic, 1989 and Oncomegas Dollfus, 1929 were found in dusky flounder specimens in the s-GoM. These plerocercoids represent six species: Nybelinia sp. 1, Nybelinia sp. 2, Nybelinia sp. 3, Nybelinia sp. 4, Kotorella pronosoma (Stossich, 1901) and Oncomegas wageneri (Linton, 1890) Dollfus, 1929. All cestode specimens in this study represent new locality records for their respective species.