Gastro-intestinal ascariasis--an unusual autopsy case report.

Ascaris lumbricoides or roundworms' propensity to produce large number of eggs that are resistant to extremes of environmental conditions have made them one of the highly prevalent and geographically well distributed nematodes among poor socio-economic regions throughout the world. We present an unusual case of fatal gastro-intestinal ascariasis where general neglect, and firm and prolonged reliance on traditional healing methods led to aggregation of roundworms to such an extent that otherwise seems improbable in modern times and, hence, is worth reporting.

Effect of sugar supplementation on rumen protozoa profile and papillae development in retarded growth calves.

The effect of sugar supplementation with 1 g/kg BW twice a week for eight weeks on rumen protozoa was determined in ten retarded growth calves. Rumen juice was sampled by abdominal paracentesis during the experiment. Papillae development of rumens excised by experimental laparotomy was macro- and micromorphologically determined before and after sugar supplementation in a selected calf. The numbers of Entodinium, Isotricha, Dasytricha and Epidinium protozoa increased by 3 to 12 folds after 1-3 wk of supplementation and subsequently decreased. The heights of the rumen papillae after sugar supplementation showed marked development compared with before supplementation (Post vs. Pre: 4.44 ± 0.43 vs. 1.36 ± 0.24 mm). Sugar supplementation accommodates the rumen protozoa profile and stimulates papillae development in retarded growth calves.

Efficacy of homeopathic treatment against natural infection of sheep by gastrointestinal nematodes.

The efficacy of the homeopathic treatment with the Fator Vermes, administered according to the manufacturer's recommendations, was evaluated against gastrointestinal nematodes infections in sheep. The experiment was divided into two phases: in the first phase (January/06/2004 to April/30/2004), the animals of the treated (n=10) and control (n=10) groups were treated individually with conventional anthelmintics to avoid deaths. In the second phase (April/30/2004 to July/06/2004), the sheep from the group that received the Fator Vermes were treated as they had been in the previous phase, while the control group animals were treated with conventional anthelmintics at 14 day intervals. In the first phase of the experiment, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between group means regarding egg counts in feces (EPG), weight gain, or packed cell volume (PCV). Meanwhile, in the second phase, the control group sheep had a significantly higher weight gain, higher PCV values, and lower EPG counts. Infective larvae of Haemonchus spp., Trichostrongylus spp., Cooperia spp., and Oesophagostomum spp. were identified in the fecal cultures. After six months of daily treatment with the Fator Vermes, it was not possible to substantiate the product's benefits in both sheep health and productivity or in the prophylaxis of gastrointestinal nematode infections.

[Recent findings on the genetics of gastro-intestinal nematode resistance in ruminants]. / Recenti acquisizioni sulla genetica della resistenza ai nematodi gastro-intestinali dei ruminanti.

The control of helminthiases in ruminants raised in open pasture has been mainly undertaken by using prophylactic measures in the environment, but these are often inadequate due to incorrect application. With the appearance of anthelmintics, the strategy for controlling these parasitoses, passed to pharmacological treatments which became effective in reducing their impact. However, the frequent and incorrect utilisation of these molecules resulted in resistance to anthelmintics and the presence of chemical residues in animal products for human consumption. Anthelmintic resistance is widespread throughout the world, heterogeneous and probably underestimated. This has encouraged the introduction of homeopathic agents and products derived from plants whose effectiveness has not been scientifically assessed. It is well known that it is possible to detect differences in resistance to the most important parasites between breeds. In Europe, it has been reported that some ovine autochthonous breeds, Scottish Blackface and Lacaune, showed higher resistance. The implementation of breeding strategies aimed at obtaining animals with naturally low susceptibility to nematode infestations could therefore play an increasingly important role. Standard animal breeding techniques have been largely successful in improving the performance of domestic animals in the last century. Standard quantitative selection requires field data on: i) individual phenotype performance; ii) expected covariance among animals due to blood relationship between them. The whole process of predicting the breeding value of animals in order to select subsequently the genetically superior parents of the next generation is entirely based on sophisticated computations (BLUP-animal model). In sheep, the main objective is always selecting for milk yield and sometimes, in addition, milk composition. However, due to the evolution of the EU agricultural policy and consumer demand in terms of healthy and organic food, more attention is now being given to traits related to health (resistance to EST, mastitis or parasitic diseases). Some studies conducted in New Zealand and Australia showed that nematode resistance is genetically controlled with high heritabilities and quite low genetic correlations with production traits. In this sense, some studies showed that it is possible to decrease the number of parasites in the framework of a traditional breeding programme. However, in most situations, this trait is not extensively recorded due to the high cost of individual recording. Therefore, it would be useful to implement breeding strategies based on the knowledge of the genes involved in this trait expression. Traditionally, two approaches are available to locate a gene: i) genome scan; ii) candidate gene approach. The candidate gene approach attempts to link general resistance to some particular genes. To date, genetic resistance against parasites is considered to be linked with the MHC and IgE genes. Furthermore, several gene detection studies based on the genome scan approach for this trait are currently being carried out on both crossed experimental populations (fat x lean Blackface lines and Sarda x Lacaune) and pure breeds (Churra). The preliminary results seem promising as to the use of marker assisted or genotype assisted selection for this trait, which is difficult and expensive to measure on a population scale.

Proton-pump inhibition and gastric giardiasis: a causal or casual association?

Two patients who developed gastric giardiasis after 2 weeks of treatment with omeprazole 20 mg b.i.d. followed by omeprazole 20 mg per day for 2-6 weeks are described. In one patient, gastric giardiasis occurred in the presence of only mild intestinal metaplasia. In the other patient, Giardia lamblia infection had resolved 4 weeks after the cessation of omeprazole treatment, which, to our knowledge, is the first case reported in the literature. It is tempting to speculate that gastric giardiasis can develop in the absence of mucosal abnormalities during hypochlorhydria induced by treatment with a high dose of a proton-pump inhibitor. Specific treatment may not be required if the drug can be stopped and no other gastric disease causing hypochlorhydria is present.