BackgroundFeline gastrointestinal parasitism constitutes an issue of concern for veterinarians since parasites are widespread and affect animals’ health and welfare. Furthermore, some of these pathogens have zoonotic potential. To provide detailed data on the current epizootiology of feline endoparasitism, a multicentric survey was conducted during 2016.MethodsFaeces from 1150 cats were collected from all regions of Greece and examined by sedimentation and flotation techniques. Possible risk factors including gender, age, ownership status, living conditions and co-infections with other parasites were assessed using binary regression models for each one of the most prevalent parasites.ResultsThe overall gastrointestinal parasite prevalence in cats was 50.7%. The study population consisted of cats of both sexes, different age groups, ownership status and living conditions. A total of 10 gastrointestinal parasitic species were detected and up to 5 different parasites were isolated in the same faecal sample. The most frequently identified parasites were Toxocara cati (n = 278; 24.2%), followed by Cystoisospora spp. (n = 189; 16.4%), Ancylostomatidae (n = 186; 16.2%), Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (n = 40; 3.5%), Giardia spp. (n = 26; 2.3%), Joyeuxiella pasqualei (n = 14; 1.2%), Capillaria aerophila (n = 8; 0.7%), Dipylidium caninum (n = 3; 0.2%), Toxascaris leonina (n = 2; 0.1%) and Troglostrongylus brevior (n = 2; 0.1%). The occurrence of co-infections was 11.6%. Concerning risk factors, the likelihood of T. cati infection was higher for female cats living outdoors and for cats being infected with Cystoisospora spp. In the same frame, young, stray, male and free of A. abstrusus cats were more likely to be infected with Cystoisospora spp. Correspondingly, stray, infected with Giardia spp. but free of Cystoisospora spp. cats were more likely to be infected with Ancylostomatidae. Regarding A. abstrusus infection, a higher probability was reported for cats living outdoors and for cats free of Cystoisospora spp., while Giardia spp. infections were more common in young and co-infected with Ancylostomatidae animals.ConclusionsThe prevalence of parasitized cats in Greece was high and thus consideration should be paid to control the risk factors, to implement targeted preventive antiparasitic treatments and educate cat owners on the value of prevention for the health and welfare of their cats.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-2812-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundWith the aim to assess the occurrence of hard ticks and the pathogens they may carry in dogs from Greece, ixodid specimens (n = 757) were collected from 310 animals living in six provinces across the Greek peninsula. All ticks were morphologically identified, and genomic DNA was extracted from 344 (45.5%) representative specimens, according to their species, engorgement status and sampling area. The occurrence of Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., Hepatozoon spp., Rickettsia spp., Babesia spp., Theileria spp. and Cercopithifilaria spp. was assessed by conventional and quantitative real-time PCR.ResultsOverall, 150 dogs (48.4%) were infested by ticks, with Rhipicephalus sanguineus (sensu lato) being the most prevalent (70.1%), followed by Haemaphysalis parva (14.7%), Rhipicephalus turanicus (11.4%), and Haemaphysalis concinna (2.4%). Out of 344 specimens molecularly examined, 41 (11.1%) were positive for at least one microorganism (i.e. 5.5% for Cercopithifilaria bainae, 2.9% for Hepatozoon canis, 1.7% for Rickettsia hoogstraalii, 1.2% for Hepatozoon felis, 0.6% for Rickettsia massiliae, 0.6% for Theileria ovis, 0.3% for Anaplasma platys and 0.3% for Coxiella like-endosymbiont).ConclusionsThe results of this study show that different tick species parasitize dogs in Greece, carrying a range of microorganisms potentially pathogenic for dogs and humans. Consequently, control strategies against ticks are of great importance to prevent the risk of tick-borne diseases. The relationship between ticks infesting dogs and associated microorganisms is described according to collection site and dog lifestyle.

Background Canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) represent a wide group of diseases of major significance for canine health. In addition to their veterinary importance, many of these diseases are of great zoonotic concern, posing a risk of potential transmission to humans. To date, there has been scant knowledge regarding the prevalence, distribution and risk factors of CVBDs in Greece. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were to update the current knowledge on the seroprevalence of Dirofilaria immitis , Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi ( sensu lato ) in dogs in Greece and, furthermore, to assess possible environmental and any other risk factors associated with these infections. A total of 1000 apparently healthy and randomly selected dogs, presented in veterinary clinics, were involved at the national level ( n = 66 municipalities). Serum samples were obtained from each individual dog and were tested using the SNAP ® 4Dx ® Plus kit from IDEXX Laboratories. Possible risk factors were assessed using binary regression models, including dogs’ lifestyle, climatological parameters and the altitude of the region. Results Overall, 21.8% (95% CI: 19.4–24.5%) of the sampled dogs were found to be seropositive to at least one of the four pathogens examined. The most prevalent pathogen was Ehrlichia spp. (12.5%, 95% CI: 10.6–14.7) followed by D. immitis (9.0%, 95% CI: 7.8–11.5) and Anaplasma spp. (6.2%, 95% CI: 4.9–7.9). The lowest prevalence (0.1%) was recorded for B. burgdorferi ( s.l. ) where only one dog was found to be positive. Among the examined risk factors, low mean temperature was found to increase the prevalence of Ehrlichia spp. ( P ≤ 0.001) and Anaplasma spp. ( P ≤ 0.001), while low minimum temperature increased the prevalence of D. immitis ( P ≤ 0.001). In addition, low total annual rainfall had an effect of the prevalence of Ehrlichia spp. ( P ≤ 0.01). Altitude also had a significant effect on the prevalence of D. immitis ( P ≤ 0.05) and Anaplasma spp. ( P ≤ 0.01). Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first large-scale seroepidemiological study of CVBDs in Greece. It has been evidenced that environmental factors such as temperature, rainfall and altitude can influence the prevalence and distribution of CVBDs.

The poultry red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae), an obligatory blood feeding ectoparasite, is primarily associated with laying hens where it is estimated to cause losses of ∼e231 million per annum to European farmers. Moderate to high infestation levels result in negative impacts on hen welfare, including increased cannibalism, irritation, feather pecking, restlessness, anemia, and mortality. Acaricides are currently the prevailing method of population control for D. gallinae, although resistance against some classes of acaricide has been widely reported. The development of resistance highlights a growing need for research into alternative control methods, including the development of a suitable and effective vaccine. Understanding the genetic structure of D. gallinae populations can support improved management of acaricide resistance and sustainability of future vaccines, but limited data are currently available. The aim of this study was to characterize D. gallinae isolates from Europe, targeting the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene to gain an insight into population structure and genetic diversity of currently circulating mites. Dermanyssus gallinae isolates were collected from Albania,

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Background Infections by protozoans of the genus Giardia are a common cause of diarrhea in dogs. Canine giardiosis constitutes a disease with a zoonotic potential; however, it is often underestimated due to its challenging diagnosis. The objective of the study was to assess the diagnostic performance of an immunochromatographic strip test (SpeedTMGiardia, Virbac, France) comparing it with microscopy (zinc sulfate flotation) by utilizing the combination of an enzyme immunoassay (ProSpecTTMGiardia EZ Microplate Assay, Oxoid Ltd., UK) and the PCR as the gold standard. A positive result in both ELISA and PCR was set as the gold standard. Methods Initially, fecal samples from dogs with clinical signs compatible with giardiosis were tested with the SpeedTMGiardia test and separated into two groups of 50 samples each: group A (positive) and group B (negative). Thereafter, all samples were examined by zinc sulfate centrifugal flotation technique and assayed by the ProSpecTTMGiardia Microplate Assay and PCR. The performance of the SpeedTMGiardia and zinc sulfate centrifugal flotation tests were calculated estimating sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratio; the chi-square and McNemar tests were used for the comparison of the two methods. Results Giardia cysts were not detected by microscopy in 16 out of the 50 samples (32%) of group A and in none of group B samples. Eight out of 50 samples in group B (16%) were tested positive both with the ProSpecTTMGiardia Microplate Assay and PCR. Fecal examination with the SpeedTMGiardia test was more sensitive (86.2%) than the parasitological method (58.6%, P < 0.001) while the specificity of both methods was 100%. Conclusions The SpeedTMGiardia test is an easy-to-perform diagnostic method for the detection of Giardia spp., which can increase laboratory efficiency by reducing time and cost and decrease underdiagnosis of Giardia spp. infections. This immunochromatographic strip test may be routinely exploited when a rapid and reliable diagnosis is required, other diagnostic techniques are unavailable and microscopy expertise is inefficient. In negative dogs with compatible clinical signs of giardiosis, it is recommended either to repeat the exam or proceed with further ELISA and PCR testing.