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Abstract.A harmonized sampling approach in combination with spatial modelling is required to update current knowledge of fasciolosis in dairy cattle in Europe. Within the scope of the EU project GLOWORM, samples from 3,359 randomly selected farms in 849 municipalities in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Poland and Sweden were collected and their infection status assessed using an indirect bulk tank milk (BTM) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Dairy farms were considered exposed when the optical density ratio (ODR) exceeded the 0.3 cut-off. Two ensemble-modelling techniques, Random Forests (RF) and Boosted Regression Trees (BRT), were used to obtain the spatial distribution of the probability of exposure to Fasciola hepatica using remotely sensed environmental variables (1-km spatial resolution) and interpolated values from meteorological stations as predictors. The median ODRs amounted to 0.31, 0.12, 0.54, 0.25 and 0.44 for Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Poland and southern Sweden, respectively. Using the 0.3 threshold, 571 municipalities were categorized as positive and 429 as negative. RF was seen as capable of predicting the spatial distribution of exposure with an area under the receiver operation characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.83 (0.96 for BRT). Both models identified rainfall and temperature as the most important factors for probability of exposure. Areas of high and low exposure were identified by both models, with BRT better at discriminating between low-probability and high-probability exposure; this model may therefore be more useful in practise. Given a harmonized sampling strategy, it should be possible to generate robust spatial models for fasciolosis in dairy cattle in Europe to be used as input for temporal models and for the detection of deviations in baseline probability. Further research is required for model output in areas outside the eco-climatic range investigated.

This long-term observational cohort study was carried out to evaluate the effect of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) infection on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of milk production in dairy goats. For this purpose, a dairy herd comprising both CAEV-infected and uninfected female goats was observed for 12 consecutive years. Records on daily milk yield, somatic cell count (SCC), and contents of the major milk components (fat, protein and lactose) were collected every month. In total, 3,042 records (1,114 from CAEV-positive and 1,928 from CAEV-negative animals) from 177 female goats were used for statistical analysis. The multi-trait repeatability test-day animal model using the derivative-free multivariate analysis package with the average information-REML method was applied to eliminate the influence of factors other than CAEV infection on milk production in goats. The statistical significance of the differences between estimates for seropositive and seronegative goats was evaluated using Student's t-test. The effect of age of goats (parity) on their serological status was also estimated with the one-trait repeatability test-day model. The serological status of goats was linked to parity: the higher the parity, the greater the probability of CAEV infection. No significant differences between infected and uninfected goats with respect to daily milk yield and SCC were found. On the other hand, the milk of uninfected goats contained more total protein (3.40% vs. 3.35%), fat (3.69% vs. 3.54%), and lactose (4.30% vs. 4.25%) than the milk of infected goats. Even though these differences were highly significant, they were small when expressed numerically.

Background: Prophylactic anthelmintic treatment with one of three basic classes of anthelmintics (benzimidazoles, macrocyclic lactones and imidazothiazoles) is still the mainstay of control of gastrointestinal nematode infections in small ruminants worldwide. As a consequence, anthelmintic resistance is a serious threat to small ruminant health and production. While the resistance to one class of anthelmintics has already been reported in most of countries, the newly-emerging problem is the resistance to two or even all of classes referred to as multidrug resistance. This study aimed to evidence the presence of multidrug resistance of gastrointestinal nematodes in goats in Poland. Results: The combination of one in vivo method (fecal egg count reduction test) and two in vitro methods (egg hatch test and larval development test) performed in two goat herds in the southern Poland showed the presence of gastrointestinal nematodes resistant to fenbendazole and ivermectin in both herds. Moreover, in one herd it revealed the development of resistance to the last effective anthelmintic, levamisole, in response to one-year intensive use. Haemonchus contortus was the most prevalent gastrointestinal nematode in samples in which resistance to benzimidazoles and ivermectin was found, whereas Trichostrongylus colubriformis predominated when resistance to levamisole was observed. Conclusion: This study shows for the first time that multidrug resistance of gastrointestinal nematodes to three basic classes of anthelmintics is already present in goat population in Poland. Moreover, it may indicate that different species or genera of gastrointestinal nematodes are responsible for the resistance to specific anthelmintics.

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The field survey has been performed to study the epidemiology of calf coccidiosis in Poland. It was found that the Eimeria spp. coccidia occurred on 93.0 % of the investigated farms. But the highly pathogenic species (E. bovis and E. zuernii) were found on 88.4 % of the investigated farms. Those were also found more frequently in bigger farms (92.3 %) compared to smaller ones (85.1 %). However, the intensity of E. bovis as well as E. zuernii infection remained, in most cases, low -75.4 and 79.8 % or moderate -21.3 and 18.5 %, respectively. The intensity of those infections was, respectively, 3.1x and 1.9x higher in big farms. Conclusion: The Eimeria spp. are very common pathogens in cattle farms in Poland. The highly pathogenic Eimeria occurred more frequently in big rather than in small farms.