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Between February 2007 and January 2009, a total of 776 slaughtered animals were examined for the presence of Trematoda in the liver, gall bladder, oesophagus and stomach (rumen and reticulum). Data collected were analysed by the age and breed of the animals. The percentage of cattle from which Trematoda were found was 38 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval [CI] 35 to 41 per cent); 28 per cent (95 per cent CI 25 to 31 per cent) had Fasciola hepatica, 12 per cent (95 per cent CI 10 to 14 per cent) Calicophoron daubneyi and 6 per cent (95 per cent CI 4 to 8 per cent) Dicrocoelium species. A significantly high prevalence of fasciolosis and dicrocoeliosis was observed in cattle over 10 years of age. Autochthonous Rubia Gallega cattle had the highest prevalence of fasciolosis and crossbred cattle had the highest prevalence of dicrocoeliosis (P<0.05). Twenty per cent (95 per cent CI 15 to 25 per cent) of the cattle positive for Fasciola also had Calicophoron species; 10 per cent (95 per cent CI 6 to 14 per cent) also had small liver flukes (Dicrocoelium species).

During the 2007 and 2008 hunting seasons (April-October) the skin of 367 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.), hunted in different preserves from Galicia (Northwestern Spain), were examined for ticks (Acari: Ixodidae). The overall prevalence of infestation by ticks was 83.1%. The predominant species was Ixodes ricinus (83.1%), whereas a single Dermacentor marginatus specimen appeared in one roe deer. All developmental stages of I. ricinus were found parasitizing roe deer, the adults being the most frequent (82.2%), followed by nymphs (45.6%) and larvae (27.2%). The mean intensity of infestation by I. ricinus was 43.2 ± 49.85; most of them were adults (30.7 ± 31.64) and in a lesser extend nymphs (16.9 ± 24.74) and larvae (10.7 ± 29.90). Ixodes ricinus was present all over the study with percentages that oscillated between 100% in spring and 57.4% in autumn. CHAID algorithm showed the sex of roe deer as the most influential factor in tick prevalence, followed by the climatic area. The different developmental stages of I. ricinus were more frequent in males than in females, and the prevalence of adults and larvae were higher in roe deer from coastal areas than in those from mountainous and central areas, whereas nymphs were more frequent in mountainous areas. Host age and density were not determinants for tick infestation. Our results confirm that roe deer are important hosts for I. ricinus in northwestern Spain, serving as a vehicle for the geographic distribution of these ticks.

A coprological survey to determine the influence of some intrinsic factors (breed, age, and sex) on the infection by helminth parasites in equine livestock (n = 418) under an oceanic climate area (NW Spain) was conducted. Faecal samples were individually collected and analyzed by the coprological techniques. The main strongylid genera identified were Trichonema and Cyalocephalus spp (small strongyles) and Strongylus and Triodontophorus (large strongyles). The prevalence of gastrointestinal nematode was 89% (95% CI 86, 92) and 1% cestoda (0, 2). The percentage of horses with strongyloid parasites was 89% (86, 92), 11% (8, 14) for Parascaris, and 3% (1, 5) for Oxyuris. The highest prevalence for ascariosis was observed in the youngest horses (<3 years), for oxyurosis in the >10 years animals, and for strongylosis in the 3–10 years ones. Females were significantly more parasitized than males. A negative correlation between the age and the egg-excretion of ascarids and strongyles was recorded. The autochthonous and the English Pure Blood horses were the most parasitized. We concluded that the infections by helminths, especially the strongyloids, are significantly common in the region, so that greater importance should be given to this situation.

This study examines the immunomodulatory effect of a crude larval extract (CLE), obtained from first stage larvae (L1) of H. lineatum, and the purified fractions hypodermin A (HyA), HyB and HyC. Proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from uninfested and previously infested cattle and the production of the cytokines IL-10, IL-4 and IFN-gamma, in response to concanavalin A (Con A), were determined. The stimulation index of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from uninfested cattle was significantly lower than that from infested animals with the different antigens assayed. The HyA was the antigen that most inhibited the proliferative response, followed by the HyB, the HyC and the CLE. This hypodermin provoked an increase of IFN-gamma and a suppression of IL-10 production that would support a Th1-like cytokine response. The HyB reduced the production of IL-10 stimulated by the Con A in cultures from infested animals. The HyC did not modulate the production of cytokines. Finally, the CLE induced a marked suppression in the production of the different cytokines in cultures from naïve and previously sensitized animals. Our results indicate that Hypoderma larval secretions are comprised of different components (hypodermins) that individually induce distinct but partially overlapping modulatory responses.

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