Investigations of the impact that patent infections by soil-transmitted gastrointestinal nematode parasites exert on the composition of the host gut commensal flora are attracting growing interest by the scientific community. However, information collected to date varies across experiments, and further studies are needed to identify consistent relationships between parasites and commensal microbial species. Here, we explore the qualitative and quantitative differences between the microbial community profiles of cohorts of human volunteers from Sri Lanka with patent infection by one or more parasitic nematode species (H+), as well as that of uninfected subjects (H-) and of volunteers who had been subjected to regular prophylactic anthelmintic treatment (Ht). High-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene, followed by bioinformatics and biostatistical analyses of sequence data revealed no significant differences in alpha diversity (Shannon) and richness between groups (P = 0.65, P = 0.13 respectively); however, beta diversity was significantly increased in H+ and Ht when individually compared to H-volunteers (P = 0.04). Among others, bacteria of the families Verrucomicrobiaceae and Enterobacteriaceae showed a trend towards increased abundance in H+, whereas the Leuconostocaceae and Bacteroidaceae showed a relative increase in H- and Ht respectively. Our findings add valuable knowledge to the vast, and yet little explored, research field of parasite—microbiota interactions and will provide a basis for the elucidation of the role such interactions play in pathogenic and immune-modulatory properties of parasitic nematodes in both human and animal hosts.

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bOriental theileriosis is an emerging, tick-borne disease of bovines in the Asia-Pacific region and is caused by one or more genotypes of the Theileria orientalis complex. This study aimed to establish and validate a multiplexed tandem PCR (MT-PCR) assay using three distinct markers (major piroplasm surface protein, 23-kDa piroplasm membrane protein, and the first internal transcribed spacer of nuclear DNA), for the simultaneous detection and semiquantification of four genotypes (Buffeli, Chitose, Ikeda, and type 5) of the T. orientalis complex. Analytical specificity, analytical sensitivity, and repeatability of the established MT-PCR assay were assessed in a series of experiments. Subsequently, the assay was evaluated using 200 genomic DNA samples collected from cattle from farms on which oriental theileriosis outbreaks had occurred, and 110 samples from a region where no outbreaks had been reported. The results showed the MT-PCR assay specifically and reproducibly detected the expected genotypes (i.e., genotypes Buffeli, Chitose, Ikeda, and type 5) of the T. orientalis complex, reliably differentiated them, and was able to detect as little as 1 fg of genomic DNA from each genotype. The diagnostic specificity and sensitivity of the MT-PCR were estimated at 94.0% and 98.8%, respectively. The MT-PCR assay established here is a practical and effective diagnostic tool for the four main genotypes of T. orientalis complex in Australia and should assist studies of the epidemiology and pathophysiology of oriental theileriosis in the Asia-Pacific region.T ick-borne diseases (TBDs) pose a major threat to livestock production worldwide and can have a significant impact on farming communities due to economic losses (1). Theileriosis is one of the important TBDs of cattle, sheep, and/or other ruminants, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of the world (2). In cattle, East Coast fever (ECF) and Mediterranean/tropical theileriosis are due to Theileria parva and Theileria annulata, respectively, whereas oriental theileriosis is caused by Theileria orientalis. The prevalence of various forms of theileriosis in different parts of the world is dependent on the occurrence of suitable tick vectors for their transmission (3).Oriental theileriosis is caused by one or more genotypes of the T. orientalis complex and is transmitted by ixodid ticks, primarily Haemaphysalis spp. (4-6). Presently, 11 genotypes of T. orientalis complex (designated Chitose or type 1, Ikeda or type 2, Buffeli or type 3, types 4 to 8, and N-1 to N-3) have been identified using a number of molecular markers, including major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) (7, 8), 23-kDa piroplasm membrane protein (p23) (9-11, 60), small-subunit (SSU) rRNA gene (8, 12, 13), and/or the first and second internal transcribed spacers of nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS-1 and ITS-2, respectively) (12, 14). Of these genotypes, Ikeda and Chitose are recognized to be associated with clinical outbreaks of oriental theileriosis, mainly in the Asia-Pacific region (15-21). The major clin...

BackgroundOriental theileriosis is a tick-borne, protozoan disease of cattle caused by members of the Theileria orientalis-complex. Recent outbreaks of this disease in eastern Australia have caused major concerns to the dairy and beef farming communities, but there are no published studies of the economic impact of this disease. On a farm in Victoria, Australia, we assessed whether oriental theileriosis has an impact on milk production and reproductive performance in dairy cows.MethodsBlood samples collected from all 662 cows on the farm were tested using an established molecular test. For individual cows, milk production and reproductive performance data were collected. A clinical assessment of individual cows was performed. Based on clinical findings and molecular test results, the following groups of cows were classified: group 1, with cardinal clinical signs of oriental theileriosis and molecular test-positive for T. orientalis; group 2, with mild or suspected signs of theileriosis and test-positive; group 3, with no clinical signs and test-positive; and group 4, with no clinical signs and test-negative. Milk production and reproductive performance data for groups 1, 2 and 3 were each compared with those for group 4 using linear and logistic regression analyses, respectively.ResultsAt 100 days of lactation, group 1 cows produced significantly less milk (288 l; P = 0.001), milk fat (16.8 kg; P < 0.001) and milk protein (12.6 kg; P < 0.001) compared with group 4. At this lactation point, group 2 also produced significantly less milk fat (13.6 kg; P = 0.002) and milk protein (8.6 kg; P = 0.005) than group 4. At 305 days of lactation, group 1 cows produced significantly less milk (624 l; P = 0.004), milk fat (42.9 kg; P < 0.001) and milk protein (26.0 kg; P < 0.001) compared with group 4 cows. Group 2 cows also produced significantly less milk fat (21.2 kg; P = 0.033) at this lactation point. No statistically significant difference in reproductive performance was found upon pairwise comparisons of groups 1–3 with group 4 cows.ConclusionsThe present findings demonstrate that clinical oriental theileriosis can cause significant milk production losses in dairy cattle.

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Gastrointestinal parasites cause serious illness in dogs, and some of these infections are zoonoses. Faecal samples were collected from domestic, semi-domestic and stray dogs in Hantana area to determine the prevalence, intensity and types of gastrointestinal (GI) parasites. The samples were processed by modified salt floatation, Sheather's sucrose floatation and direct iodine mounts followed by morphological identification. Of the 90 dogs examined, 81 (90.0 %) were infected with one or more GI parasites. Mixed infections were more common (72.8 %) than single infections (27.2 %). Although there was no significant difference in the prevalence of infections among the three dog categories (chi square, p > 0.05), less intensity of infections and a fewer number of parasite species were found in domestic dogs. Of the 13 parasite species found, 11 were zoonotic, Ancylostoma sp., being the most prevalent (73.3 %) followed by Toxocara canis (27.8 %) and Spirocerca lupi (22.2 %). The other zoonotic species recorded were Entamoeba sp., Toxascaris sp., Trichuris vulpis, Blastocystis sp., Strongyloides sp., Isospora sp., Capillaria aerophyla and Giardia sp., thus the prevalence of zoonotic infections in the dog population poses a threat to the people living in Hantana area. Although Toxascaris leonina was previously recorded in leopards in Kandy, this was the first record of Toxascaris sp. from dogs in Sri Lanka. The fewer helminth infections and species diversity in domestic dogs can be due to the use of broad scale antihelminthics. Regular deworming with specific antihelminthics and anti-protozoan treatments after faecal examinations should be carried out. Of the three methods used, floatation method was more reliable in recovering eggs and cysts of helminths while iodine smears were effective against protozoans. However, using a combination of methods increased the likelihood of diagnosing as many parasites as possible.

Oriental theileriosis, a tick-borne disease of bovids caused by members of the Theileria orientalis complex, has a worldwide distribution. Globally, at least 11 distinct genotypes of T. orientalis complex, including type 1 (chitose), type 2 (ikeda), type 3 (buffeli), types 4 to 8, and N1-N3, have been described based on the sequence of the major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) gene. Of these 11 genotypes, mainly ikeda and chitose are known to be pathogenic and cause considerable morbidity (including high fever, anaemia, jaundice and abortion), production losses and/or mortality in cattle. Mixed infections with two or more genotypes of T. orientalis is common, but do not always lead to a clinical disease, posing challenges in the diagnosis of asymptomatic or subclinical forms of oriental theileriosis. The diagnosis of oriental theileriosis is usually based on clinical signs, the detection of piroplasms of T. orientalis in blood smears, and/or the use of serological or molecular techniques. This paper reviews current methods used for the diagnosis of T. orientalis infections and the genetic characterisation of members of the T. orientalis complex, and proposes that advanced genomic tools should be established for investigations of these and related haemoparasites.

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