In vitro efficacy testing of ivermectin against Tritrichomonas foetus trophozoites.

There are no recommended drugs to treat cattle infected with the protozoan Tritrichomonas foetus (TF). Ivermectin, widely used in the treatment of intestinal parasites, was found effective against some protozoa growing in vitro. Here, its effectiveness against a TF line was investigated. Trophozoites were incubated in media with increasing concentrations of ivermectin and mortality was determined after 24 h. Ivermectin killed cells with a mean maximum effective concentration (EC50) of 2.47 µg mL-1. The effective concentration of ivermectin was rather high for a formulation suitable for systemic treatment. However, topical treatment of animals against TF could still be considered and tested.

Positive cases of bovine genital campylobacteriosis and bovine trichomonosis in the eradication program of La Pampa, Argentina: 2008-2021.

Bovine genital campylobacteriosis, caused by the gram-negative bacteria Campylobacter fetus venerealis, and bovine trichomonosis, caused by the parasite protozoan Tritrichomonas foetus, are venereal diseases that occur with long intercalving periods and abortion. The control of both diseases relies on microbiological testing and culling infected bulls. Vaccination and antibiotic treatment may help in controlling campylobacteriosis but are not recommended for trichomonosis control. Several regions of the world have active control programs for trichomonosis, not campylobacteriosis. In Argentina, the state of La Pampa aims to eradicate trichomonosis and campylobacteriosis by imposing annual diagnostic testing of every bull and slaughtering positive animals. Prior studies indicated a declining trend in the prevalence of campylobacteriosis and trichomonosis in La Pampa. It was also proposed that the prevalence of one disease could be estimated from the prevalence of the other. The purpose of this retrospective analysis of data gathered from 2008 to 2021 was to determine the La Pampa program's efficacy. Descriptive statistics were employed to determine the reason behind the correlation between tricomonosis and campylobacteriosis diagnostic results. The outcomes refute the notion that this program of venereal eradication was a success. Furthermore, an excess of false positives in both diagnoses may have contributed to the correlation between the prevalences of campylobactriosis and trichomonosis. The practice of killing animals without verifying positive results hinders the determination of disease prevalence and results in the death of numerous healthy animals.

Challenging the phylogenetic relationships among Echinococcus multilocularis isolates from main endemic areas.

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a rare but severe disease that affects more than 18,000 people worldwide per year. The complete sequencing of the mitochondrial genome of Echinococcus multilocularis has made it possible to study the genetic diversity of the parasite and its spatial and temporal evolution. We amplified the whole mitochondrial genome by PCR, using one uniplex and two multiplex reactions to cover the 13,738 bp of the mitogenome, and then sequenced the amplicons with Illumina technology. In total, 113 samples from Europe, Asia, the Arctic and North America were analyzed. Three major haplogroups were found: HG1, which clustered samples from Alaska (including Saint-Lawrence Island), Yakutia (Russia) and Svalbard; HG2, with samples from Asia, North America and Europe; and HG3, subdivided into three micro-haplogroups. HG3a included samples from North America and Europe, whereas HG3b and HG3c only include samples from Europe. In France, HG3a included samples from patients more recently diagnosed in a region outside the historical endemic area. A fourth putative haplogroup, HG4, was represented by only one isolate from Olkhon Island (Russia). The increased discriminatory power of the complete sequencing of the E. multilocularis mitogenome has made it possible to highlight four distinct geographical clusters, one being divided into three micro-haplogroups in France.

Valor de la angiografía por tomografía computada en el diagnóstico de aneurismas intracraneanos / Intracraneal aneurysms: three-dimensional CT angiography

A fin de determinar el valor de la Angio TC en el diagnóstico de aneurismas intracraneanos se estudiaron 40 pacientes con cuadro clínico de HSA y/o imagen tomográfica compatible con aneurisma intracraneano. Se reconstruyeron las imágenes en el modo 3D de proyección de intensidad máxima (MIP). Treinta y siete de los pacientes fueron estudiados con angiografía por sustracción digital (ASD). En 34 de los 40 pacientes estudiados se realizó diagnóstico positivo de aneurisma intracraneano. Los 6 restantes presentaron Angio TC normal, siendo uno de ellos falso negativo, puesto en evidencia por la ASD. Concluimos que la Angio TC normal es un método rápido, poco invasivo y muy confiable para la detección de aneurismas intracraneanos que puede ser realizado a continuación del diagnóstico tomográfico de SAH, posibilitando así una cirugía de emergencia