Eimeria leuckarti infections in sport horses in Northwest Turkey.

The aim of the present study was to examine sport horses in Northwest Turkey for Eimeria (E.) leuckarti infections. Between 2004 and 2008 fecal samples from 549 horses of different age, breed and sex of 21 farms were examined for E. leuckarti oocysts using a qualitative method which involved centrifugation/flotation and saturated sugar solution as medium. The prevalence of infection was evaluated relative to host age, sex, breed and pasture availability. 16 (2.9%) horses were found to be infected with E. leuckarti, whilst infected horses were located in nine (42.8%) farms. Younger horses (< 1 year old) were more frequently infected than older ones. However, breed, sex and availability of pasture were not identified as factors influencing the prevalence. As a main conclusion, compared with the low infection rate found in individual horses, E. leuckarti was highly prevalent at the farm level which possess a permanent risk of infection of especially younger horses at these premises. This study reports for the first time on the prevalence of E. leuckarti in sport horses from farms in Northwest Turkey.

[Occurrence of Nosema bombycis (Naegeli, 1857) in silkworms in Turkey]. / Türkiye ipekböceklerinde Nosema bombycis (Naegeli, 1857) olgusu.

Nosema bombycis (Naegeli, 1857) is the causative agent of the "Pebrine disease" in silkworms. N. bombycis spores were found in silkworm samples originating from the Hatay, Bursa and Bilecik provinces. Clinical signs were observed in the infected silkworm larvae. Because of the transovarial transmission risk, all the infected silkworm colonies were destroyed.

[Macrocheles sp. (Acarina: Macrochelidae) found on a bumble bee]. / Bir bombus arisinda Macrocheles sp. (Acarina: Macrochelidae) olgusu.

A female arthropod was found on a bumble bee and was found to be an acaria belonging to the genus Macrocheles sp (Acarina: Macrochelidae). This is the first time that the parasitic acaria, which is found in many parts of the world, has been reported on bumble bees in Turkey.

[Occurrence and treatment of Bovicola (Damalinia) equi (Linnaeus, 1758) infestation on a thoroughbred horse farm.]. / Bir at çiftliginde Bovicola (Damalinia) equi (Linnaeus, 1758) enfestasyonu ve tedavisi.

Lice infestations of horses occur mainly during winter months and are characterized by severe pruritus and an unkempt coat. Two lice have been described for equines namely Bovicola (Damalinia) equi and Haemotopinus asini. There is a scarcity of data on the occurrence and prevalence rates of these horse pathogens in Turkey. This paper reports a thoroughbred farm, in which two horses were found to be infested with B. equi. The horses were treated with propoxur and no lice or nymphs could be found after treatment for10 days.

[Mite species found in house dust in houses in Bursa.]. / Bursa evlerinde bulunan ev tozu akar türleri.

Sixty four samples of house dust were examined in order to detect the prevalence of the mite species and to identity them in houses in Bursa. Thirty two houses with or without central heating system were included in the study. A total of 22 (34.38%) houses were found to be infested with house dust mites. The rate of infestation was 18.75% and 50.00% in the houses with and without central heating system, respectively. The mite species and their prevalence were as follows: 58.34% Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, 16.67%, Glycophagus domesticus 12.50% Dermatophagoides spp., 4.16% D. farinae, 4.16% Tyrophagus spp. and 4.16% unidentified Acarid species.

[Ectoparas ites of domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica) in Bursa province.]. / Bursa yöresindeki evcil güvercinlerin (Columba livia domestica) ektoparazitleri.

A total of 100 domestic pigeons from 10 different districts of Bursa were examined for ectoparasites; 72% of them were found to be infested and 3 species were determined. Goniocotes bidentatus was found in 47% of the pigeons examined, Columbicola columbae in 44% and Menopon gallinae in 1%. Although a higher infestation rate was found in adult pigeons (75.3%) compared to younger pigeons (64.5%), there was no significant difference between the age groups. Also, no statistical differences in the rate of infestation could be found between males (73.3%) and females (70.9%). While the highest infestation rate was observed during the summer months (84%), the lowest infestation rate was observed in spring months (48%).