A longitudinal study of Besnoitia besnoiti infections and seasonal abundance of Stomoxys calcitrans in a dairy cattle farm of southwest France

Liénard, Emmanuel; Salem, A.; Grisez, Christelle; Prévot, Françoise; Bergeaud, Jean-Paul; Franc, Michel; Gottstein, Bruno; Alzieu, Jean-Pierre; Lagalisse, Yves; Jacquiet, Philippe

doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2010.11.030

Cited by 65 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The chance for oral uptake of parasites had to be considerably higher for SA 8 compared with SA 4 and 6 (Figure 2). However, insect activity had substantially declined after td 45 when SA 8 became infected (data not shown), which fosters the hypothesis that mechanical transmission by insects may play a role in B. besnoiti transmission [2,37,38]. …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Natural Besnoitia besnoiti infections in cattle: chronology of disease progression

Gollnick

Scharr²,

Schares

et al. 2015

BMC Vet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundBovine besnoitiosis is an emerging protozoan disease in cattle. Neither vaccines nor chemotherapeutic drugs are currently available for prevention and treatment of Besnoitia besnoiti infections. Therefore the implementation of appropriate disease management strategies is of utmost importance. The aim of this longitudinal study was to complement current knowledge on the chronology of disease progression. This was realized by correlating clinical findings in early stages of naturally acquired bovine besnoitiosis with results of real-time PCR of skin biopsies and of two western immunoblots and an immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT).Animals for this study were obtained by i) closely monitoring a cow-calf operation with a high prevalence of bovine besnoitiosis for cases of acute disease, and by ii) conducting a 12-week cohabitation experiment on pasture with five healthy heifers, a healthy bull and five B. besnoiti infected cows. A control group of six healthy heifers was kept at a minimal distance of 20 m. Further, the spectrum of potential insect vectors was determined.ResultsInfected cattle were followed up to a maximum of 221 days after first detection of B. besnoiti antibodies. Two severely affected cows developed visible and palpable alterations of skin, a decrease in body condition despite good feed intake, and chronic bovine besnoitiosis-associated laminitis leading to non-healing sole ulcers. The cows also had high reciprocal IFAT titers and high loads of parasite DNA in skin samples. Two heifers developed a mild clinical course characterized by few parasitic cysts visible in the scleral conjunctivae and vestibula vaginae. Both heifers became infected during the time of high insect activity of the species Musca domestica, Musca autumnalis, Haematobia irritans, and Stomoxys calcitrans. When a third heifer became subclinically infected, low insect activity was recorded. None of the six control heifers contracted a B. besnoiti infection.ConclusionsIn chronic besnoitiosis, the severe clinical course apparently corresponded with high reciprocal IFAT titers and high loads of parasite DNA in skin, whereas mild and subclinical cases displayed lower values. Bovine besnoitiosis-associated laminitis represents an important complication in severe chronic disease which severely impairs animal welfare.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-015-0344-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Natural Besnoitia besnoiti infections in cattle: chronology of disease progression

Gollnick

Scharr²,

Schares

et al. 2015

BMC Vet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Weight loss and fertility problems caused by the infection are of high economic concern to the cattle industry in affected countries. In Europe, the marked spread of bovine besnoitiosis has been observed recently, with outbreaks in Portugal (Cortes et al, 2005), Spain (Fernández-Garcia et al, 2010), France (Liénard et al, 2011), Italy (Agosti et al, 1994;Gollnick et al, 2010;Gentile et al, 2012), Germany (Mehlhorn et al, 2009;Schares et al, 2009) and Switzerland (Lesser et al, 2012). The disease is considered re-emerging by the European Food Safety Authority (2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Chronic bovine besnoitiosis: Intra-organ parasite distribution, parasite loads and parasite-associated lesions in subclinical cases

Frey

Gutiérrez-Expósito

Ortega‐Mora

et al. 2013

Veterinary Parasitology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bovine besnoitiosis caused by Besnoitia besnoiti is a chronic and debilitating disease. The most characteristic clinical signs of chronic besnoitiosis are visible tissue cysts in the scleral conjunctiva and the vagina, thickened skin and a generally poor body condition. However, many seropositive animals remain subclinically infected, and the role that these animals may play in spreading the disease is not known. The aim of the present study was to assess the intra-organ parasite distribution, the parasite load and the parasite-associated lesions in seropositive but subclinically infected animals. These animals were seropositive at the time of several consecutive samplings, had visible tissue cysts in the past and, at time of slaughter, had detectable specific anti-Besnoitia spp. antibody levels, but they did not show evident clinical signs at culling. Thus, histopathological, immunohistochemical and molecular analyses of several samples from the respiratory tract, reproductive tract, other internal organs and skin from six cows were performed. The tissue cysts were located primarily in the upper respiratory tract, i.e., in the rhinarium and larynx/pharynx (four cows), followed by the distal genital tract (vulva/vagina) and the skin of the neck (three and two cows, respectively, out of the four cows with cysts in the respiratory tract). We were unable to detect any parasites in the two remaining cows. Cysts were associated with a significant non-purulent inflammatory infiltrate consisting predominantly of T lymphocytes and activated monocytes/macrophages in two cows. The parasite burden, estimated by quantitative real-time PCR, was very low. It is noteworthy that the only animal that showed a recent increase in the antibody titre had the highest parasite burden and the most conspicuous inflammatory reaction against the cysts. In conclusion, although these cows no longer displayed any visible signs of besnoitiosis, they remained infected. Therefore, cows without visible signs of disease may still be able to transmit the parasite.

show abstract

“…In another study, it was demonstrated that new B. besnoitia seroconversions occurred throughout the year with the highest number in spring. However, in the same study it was noted that seroconversion took also place in the two months before turn-out and could be associated with a high indoors activity of S. calcitrans during this period (Lienard et al, 2011). Blood sampling in our study took place during spring and autumn, during a period with high insect activity, and therefore we were able to detect most individuals challenged with the protozoan agent.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 47%

First report of Besnoitia besnoiti seropositive cattle in Greece

Papadopoulos

Arsenos

Ptochos

et al. 2017

J Hellenic Vet Med Soc

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACT. Aim of this study was to investigate presence of Besnoitia besnoiti infection in indigenous and imported cattle in Greece. A total of 450 bovine blood sera samples from 15 dairy herds of Northern Greece were tested using a commercially available kit to detect specific anti-B. besnoiti antibodies. Ninety-eight cows were found to be seropositive to B. besnoiti (22%). Seropositivity varied among herds from 0% to 35%. Results were analysed using a univariate analysis of variance. A full factorial model was developed, using as independent variables area of sampling (Thrace, Macedonia) and origin of cattle (local, imported). No significant effect was found of the variables included into the model (P > 0.05). It is concluded that seropositive dairy cows are present in Northern Greece; however, impact of this parasite on animal production in Greece remains a key topic for further investigation.

show abstract

A longitudinal study of Besnoitia besnoiti infections and seasonal abundance of Stomoxys calcitrans in a dairy cattle farm of southwest France

Cited by 65 publications

References 21 publications

Natural Besnoitia besnoiti infections in cattle: chronology of disease progression

Natural Besnoitia besnoiti infections in cattle: chronology of disease progression

Chronic bovine besnoitiosis: Intra-organ parasite distribution, parasite loads and parasite-associated lesions in subclinical cases

First report of Besnoitia besnoiti seropositive cattle in Greece

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About