Dermatophytosis in Companion Animals in Portugal: A Comprehensive Epidemiological Retrospective Study of 12 Years (2012-2023).

Dermatophytosis, commonly referred to as ringworm, is a common superficial fungal infection in companion animals and humans. Between 2012 and 2023, plucked hair and scraped scale samples from domestic dogs and cats with clinical suspicion of dermatophytosis were collected from 355 veterinary medical centres across mainland Portugal. A total of 4716 animal samples were inoculated onto DERM agar, incubated at 25 °C for up to 4 weeks, and periodically examined macro- and micro-scopically to observe and evaluate fungal growth. Of these, 271 samples were removed due to contaminant fungi. Of the 568 positive cultures, the highest number were from the North (48.1%; 95% CI: 44.0-52.2%) and Centre (32.4%; 95% CI: 28.7-36.4%) regions. Microsporum canis was the most frequently isolated species (63.9%), followed by Trichophyton spp. (20.3%) and Nannizia gypsea (formerly Microsporum gypseum) (8.1%). Felines exhibited a higher frequency (17.4%) compared with dogs (9.1%) (p < 0.001). In dogs, the Yorkshire Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, Miniature Pinscher, Dalmatian and Miniature Schnauzer demonstrated a significant predisposition to dermatophytosis (p < 0.05). In cats, the Persian and Scottish Fold breeds were significantly predisposed (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found between sexes (p > 0.05). These findings underscore dermatophytosis as an increasing public health concern due to its zoonotic and contagious nature, providing comprehensive insights into the epidemiology of dermatophytosis in Portugal.

Distribution of and Relationships between Epidemiological and Clinicopathological Parameters in Canine Leishmaniosis: A Retrospective Study of 15 Years (2009-2023).

Leishmaniosis is a vector-borne disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania, which are zoonotic and have an important impact on animal and public health globally. Between 2009 and 2023, blood samples from domestic dogs with clinical suspicion of leishmaniosis were received from 286 veterinary medical centres throughout mainland Portugal. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was utilised to detect antibodies against Leishmania infantum antigens. Additionally, a complete blood count and tests for total proteins, urea, creatinine and alanine aminotransferase, as well as protein electrophoresis, were also performed. No significant relationship between sex and breed was observed. The age distribution was bimodal, with the highest prevalence of disease occurring at 2-5 years of age and a secondary peak occurring at 6 years or over (p < 0.001). No statistical correlation was observed between creatinine and urea across the ELISA serological groups. In contrast, both the gamma globulin levels (r = 0.45; p < 0.001) and the albumin/globulin ratio (r = -0.36; p < 0.001) exhibited moderate correlations with the ELISA. These findings support recent seroprevalence studies in dogs, with some geographical areas in Northern Portugal exhibiting the highest values, which may be the result of geographical shifts in parasite circulation due to climate change.

Risk Factors Associated with Musculoskeletal Injuries within the Crew of the Leopard 2 A6 Main Battle Tank Using Inertial Movement Unit Sensors: A Pilot Study.

This study aims to assess the musculoskeletal risk of military personnel on a Leopard 2 A6 main battle tank crew and to identify associated factors for future prevention and mitigation strategies. A sample of 57 Portuguese military personnel, who are or were part of the Leopard 2 A6 main battle tank crew, answered a questionnaire on their perception of task performance, considering muscle demands, comfort, posture, movements, and associated symptoms. A subsample of four soldiers from the Armoured Squadron of the Portuguese Mechanized Brigade were assessed using an inertial measurement unit system and underwent a whole-body kinematic analysis coupled with a Rapid Entire Body Assessment during a simulated two-hour mission. The results indicate that soldiers accurately perceive their roles within the crew and that, overall, there is a high risk of musculoskeletal injuries in all tasks. However, tasks directly related to the crew's primary duties carry consistently high risk when considering the time spent on their tasks. This study highlights the need for targeted preventive measures to reduce the incidence and severity of injuries among the crew of the Leopard 2 A6 main battle tank.

Fisheries Inspection in Portuguese Waters from 2015 to 2023.

As a coastal state, Portugal must ensure active surveillance over its maritime area, ensuring its proper control and inspection. One of the most critical inspection activities is the fishery inspection. To protect biodiversity, we must ensure that all the ships comply with the existing safety regulations and respect the current fishing quotas. This georeferenced dataset describes the fisheries inspections done in Portuguese waters between 2015 and 2023. Since we are dealing with occurrences that may have originated some legal process to the ship's owner, we have ensured data anonymization by pre-processing the dataset to maintain its accuracy while guaranteeing no unique identifiers exist. All the pre-processing performed to ensure data consistency and accuracy is described in detail to allow a quick analysis and implementation of new algorithms. The data containing the results of these inspections can be easily analyzed to implement data mining algorithms that can efficiently retrieve more knowledge and, e.g., suggest new areas of actuation or new strategies.

Oral Pathology in Portuguese Dogs: An Eight-Year Biopsy-Based Retrospective Study.

The oral cavity of the dog can be the site of several types of pathology including both benign and malignant lesions. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency and clinical-pathological characteristics of oral lesions present in a cohort of Portuguese dogs. A retrospective observational cross-sectional study on 704 canine oral lesions submitted for histopathological diagnosis to a Veterinary Pathology Center in the north of Portugal from 2010 to 2017 was performed. Gender, age, location of the lesion and the histopathological diagnosis was analysed. From the 704 cases included, 307 (43.6%) were females and 397 (56.4%) males. The mean age was 9.53 ± 3.6 years-old (range 3 to 240 months). The site most frequently affected was the gingiva (n = 283; 40.2%). 342 (48.6%) cases were malignant neoplasms, most represented by oral melanoma (n = 129; 37.7%). 256 (36.4%) cases were benign neoplasms, most represented by fibromatous epulis of periodontal ligament origin/peripheral odontogenic fibroma (FEPLO/POF) (n = 208;81.3%). 106 (15%) were non-neoplastic lesions, most represented by gingival hyperplasia (n = 25, 23.6%). This study provides useful information about frequency and distribution of oral lesions in dogs over a period of eight years allowing valuable comparison with other countries and other species. The most common benign tumours were FEPLO/POF while oral melanoma was the most common malignant tumour.

Testing drivers of acoustic divergence in cicadas (Cicadidae: Tettigettalna).

Divergence in acoustic signals may have a crucial role in the speciation process of animals that rely on sound for intra-specific recognition and mate attraction. The acoustic adaptation hypothesis (AAH) postulates that signals should diverge according to the physical properties of the signalling environment. To be efficient, signals should maximize transmission and decrease degradation. To test which drivers of divergence exert the most influence in a speciose group of insects, we used a phylogenetic approach to the evolution of acoustic signals in the cicada genus Tettigettalna, investigating the relationship between acoustic traits (and their mode of evolution) and body size, climate and micro-/macro-habitat usage. Different traits showed different evolutionary paths. While acoustic divergence was generally independent of phylogenetic history, some temporal variables' divergence was associated with genetic drift. We found support for ecological adaptation at the temporal but not the spectral level. Temporal patterns are correlated with micro- and macro-habitat usage and temperature stochasticity in ways that run against the AAH predictions, degrading signals more easily. These traits are likely to have evolved as an anti-predator strategy in conspicuous environments and low-density populations. Our results support a role of ecological selection, not excluding a likely role of sexual selection in the evolution of Tettigettalna calling songs, which should be further investigated in an integrative approach.

BUBR1 as a Prognostic Biomarker in Canine Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Chromosomal instability (CIN) plays a key role in the carcinogenesis of several human cancers and can be related to the deregulation of core components of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) including BUBR1 protein kinase. These proteins have been related to tumor development and poor survival rates in human patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). To investigate the expression of the SAC proteins BUBR1, BUB3 and SPINDLY and also Ki-67 in canine OSCC, we performed an immunohistochemical evaluation in 60 canine OSCCs and compared them with clinical and pathological variables. BUBR1, Ki-67, BUB3 and SPINDLY protein expressions were detected in all cases and classified as with a high-expression extent score in 31 (51.7%) cases for BUBR1, 33 (58.9%) cases for BUB3 and 28 (50.9%) cases for SPINDLY. Ki-67 high expression was observed in 14 (25%) cases. An independent prognostic value for BUBR1 was found, where high BUBR1 expression was associated with lower survival (p = 0.012). These results indicate that BUBR1 expression is an independent prognostic factor in these tumors, suggesting the potential use for clinical applications as a prognostic biomarker and also as a pharmacological target in canine OSCC.

Bacterial Isolates from Urinary Tract Infection in Dogs and Cats in Portugal, and Their Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern: A Retrospective Study of 5 Years (2017-2021).

There are growing concerns regarding the rise of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in companion animals. This study aimed to bring new insights into the current scenario of Portugal's antimicrobial resistance bacteria isolated from companion animals with urinary tract infections and is the first to be performed during a long period on a large scale. Of a total of 17472 urine samples analyzed, 12,166 (69.6%) (CI 12,200-12,200) were negative for bacterial growth, and 5306 (30.4%) (95% CI 5310-5310) had bacterial growth. Of the culture-positive samples, 5224 (96.6%) (95% CI 5220-5220) were pure cultures and 82 (3.2%) (95% CI 81.9-82.1) had mixed growth. Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated bacteria (n=2360, 44.5%) (95% CI 2360-2360), followed by Proteus mirabilis (n=585, 11%) (95% CI 583-583), Enterococcus faecium (n=277, 5.2%) (95% CI 277-277) and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (n=226, 4.3%) (95% CI 226-226). The overall susceptibility rates were low for erythromycin (45.3%) and clindamycin (51.3%), and high for aminoglycosides (96.3%), carbapenems (92.4%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (81.2%), and quinolones (79.9%). E. coli also showed considerable resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. The rates of multidrug-resistant bacteria are still high compared to the northern countries of Europe. This study's findings show the emergence of antibiotic resistance in the antibiotic agents commonly used in the treatment of UTIs in dogs and cats in Portugal.

p-S6 as a Prognostic Biomarker in Canine Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Scarce information exists on the role of mTOR pathway proteins and their association to aggressiveness and prognosis of patients with canine oral cancers. We aimed to investigate the activated form of mTOR and its downstream S6 protein in canine oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and to evaluate potential associations between protein expression and clinic-pathologic variables and survival. For that we analysed p-mTOR and p-S6 protein expression by immunohistochemistry in 61 canine OSCCs. Multivariate analysis was conducted to examine their role in patients' cancer-specific survival (CSS). p-mTOR and p-S6 expression were present in almost all cases. High-expression of p-mTOR was observed in 44 (72.1%) cases using extent score and 52 (85.2%) cases using intensity score. For p-S6, high expression was observed in 53 (86.9%) cases using extent score and in 54 (88.5%) cases using intensity score. An independent prognostic value for p-S6 extension (p = 0.027), tumour stage (p = 0.013) and treatment (p = 0.0009) was found in patients' CSS analysis. Our data suggest that p-mTOR and p-S6 proteins are commonly expressed in canine OSCC and p-S6 expression is correlated with poor CSS in dogs with OSCC. More studies should be performed to identify possible therapeutic targets related with mTOR pathway for these patients.

Comparison of indirect and modified agglutination tests for detection of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in domestic cats.

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite with worldwide distribution. The accurate detection of this zoonotic agent in cats and other hosts has public health importance. Blood samples from 89 domestic cats were tested for antibodies to T. gondii using 2 commercial agglutination test kits, an indirect (IHAT; Toxo-HAI FUMOUZE; Fumouze Diagnostics) and a modified (MAT; Toxoscreen DA; bioMérieux) agglutination test. Antibodies were found in 16 of 89 (18%) cats by the IHAT and in 23 of 89 (26%) cats by the MAT, with an overall agreement between the 2 serologic tests of 92% (κ = 0.77; i.e., substantial agreement beyond chance). Considering the MAT as the gold standard, the IHAT showed perfect relative specificity (100%) and lower relative sensitivity (70%). The suboptimal sensitivity of the IHAT limits its use in epidemiologic studies in cats.

Establishment of Babesia vulpes n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Babesiidae), a piroplasmid species pathogenic for domestic dogs.

BACKGROUND: Canine babesiosis is a severe disease caused by several Babesia spp. A number of names have been proposed for the canine-infecting piroplasmid pathogen initially named Theileria annae Zahler, Rinder, Schein & Gothe, 2000. It was shown to be a member of the Babesia (sensu lato) group infecting carnivores and is also closely related to the Babesia microti group. Subsequently, the same parasite species was reclassified as a member of the genus Babesia and the name Babesia vulpes Baneth, Florin-Christensen, Cardoso & Schnittger, 2015 was proposed for it. However, both names do not meet the requirements of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (no accompanying descriptions, no deposition of type-specimens) and cannot be recognized as available names from the nomenclatural point of view. The purpose of this study was to further characterize this parasite in order to confirm its validity, to provide its description and to introduce zoological nomenclature for it with the name Babesia vulpes n. sp. RESULTS: Morphological description of the parasite in canine erythrocytes demonstrated that it takes the shape of small (1.33 × 0.98 µm), round to oval forms reminiscent of the pyriform and ring shapes of other small canine Babesia spp., such as Babesia gibsoni Patton, 1910 and Babesia conradae Kjemtrup, Wainwright, Miller, Penzhorn & Carreno, 2006. However, these parasite forms were overall smaller than those measured for the latter two species and no tetrad (Maltese cross) form was reported. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis using the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) amino acid sequences substantiates the species identity of this parasite as previously demonstrated based on phylogenetic analysis of the 18S rRNA and ß-tubulin genes. The holotype of the parasite species was designated and deposited in an accessible public collection. CONCLUSIONS: This study ratifies the name Babesia vulpes n. sp. proposed for the parasite previously referred to as Theileria annae Zahler, Rinder, Schein & Gothe, 2000, Babesia annae (Zahler, Rinder, Schein & Gothe, 2000) or Babesia vulpes Baneth, Florin-Christensen, Cardoso & Schnittger, 2015, or mentioned as "Babesia microti-like piroplasm", "Babesia Spanish dog isolate" and Babesia cf. microti.

Perspetiva dos pais sobre as perturbações do sono das crianças em idade pré-escolar / Parents' perspective on sleep disorders in pre-school children / Perspectiva de los padres sobre los trastornos del sueño de los niños en edad prescolar

CONTEXTO: O sono tem um papel determinante no desenvolvimento infantil e quando é perturbado assume um impacto social e na saúde das crianças e pais. OBJETIVO(S): Identificar as perturbações do sono percebidas pelos pais das crianças em idade pré-escolar. METODOLOGIA: Estudo quantitativo, descritivo e correlacional. Amostra não probabilística com 642 pais de crianças. As crianças frequentam o ensino pré-escolar dos concelhos de Albergaria-a-Velha (64,2%) e Águeda (35,8), têm idade média de 4,55 (±0,93) anos e 51,7% são do sexo feminino. O instrumento incluiu um questionário de caracterização sociodemográfica e estilos de vida e o Questionário de Hábitos de Sono das Crianças (CSHQ-PT). RESULTADOS: Apurámos que 82,4% das crianças apresentam perturbação do sono (Global) sendo 43,3% do sexo feminino e com idades de 5-6 anos. A Resistência em ir para a cama é classificada como intermédia para 41% das crianças. Em 40,2% o Início do sono é adequado (demora até 20 minutos) e a Duração do sono é adequada para 45,3%. A Ansiedade associada ao sono e Parassonias apresentam valores semelhantes nos três níveis de classificação. Manifestam Despertares noturnos muito frequentes 38,8%. A maioria (74,3%) apresenta reduzida Perturbação respiratória do sono. Um terço das crianças tem Sonolência diurna elevada. CONCLUSÕES: Os dados revelam a necessidade de dotar os enfermeiros de competências para detetar as alterações no sono e desenvolver programas estruturados de empowerment parental para melhorar os hábitos e higiene do sono das crianças.

BACKGROUND: Sleep has a determining role in child development and when it is disturbed, has a social and an health impact on children and parents. AIM: Identify the sleep disturbances perceived by pre-school children’s parents. METHODS: Quantitative, descriptive and correlational study. Non-probabilistic sample with 642 children’s parents. Children attend pre-school education in Albergaria-a-Velha (64.2%) and Águeda (35.8), mean age 4.55 (±0.93) years and 51.7% are female. The instrument included a sociodemographic characterization and lifestyle questionnaire and the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire. RESULTS: We found that 82.4% of the children presented Global sleep disturbance, being 43.3% female and 5-6 years old. The Resistance to go to bed is classified as intermediate for 41% of the children. In 40.2% the Onset of sleep is adequate (it takes up to 20 minutes) and Sleep duration is adequate for 45.3%. The Anxiety associated with sleep and Parasomnias feature similar values in the three levels of classification. Manifest very frequent Nocturnal awakenings 38.8%. The majority (74.3%) presents reduced respiratory Sleep Disturbance. A third of children have high daytime sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes reveal the need to provide nurses with skills to detect changes in sleep and develop structured programs of parental empowerment to improve children's sleep habits.

CONTEXTO: El sueño tiene un papel determinante en el desarrollo infantil y cuando es perturbado asume un impacto social y en la salud de los niños y padres. OBJETIVO(S): Identificar las perturbaciones del sueño percibidas por los padres de los niños en edad preescolar. METODOLOGÍA: Estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo y correlacional. Muestra no probabilística con 642 padres de niños. Los niños asisten a la enseñanza preescolar de los municipios de Albergaria-a-Velha (64,2%) y Águeda (35,8), tienen una edad media de 4,55 (± 0,93) años y el 51,7% son del sexo femenino. El instrumento incluyó un cuestionario de caracterización sociodemográfica y estilos de vida y el Cuestionario de Hábitos de Sueño de los Niños (CSHQ-PT). RESULTADOS: En el 82,4% de los niños presentan Alteración Global del sueño siendo 43,3% del sexo femenino y con edades de 5-6 años. La Resistencia en ir a la cama se clasifica como intermedia para el 41%. En el 40,2% el Inicio del sueño es adecuado (tarda hasta 20 minutos) e la Duración del sueño es adecuada para el 45,3%. La Ansiedad asociada al sueño y Parassonias presentan valores similares en los tres niveles de clasificación. Manifiestan Despertares nocturnos muy frecuentes 38,8%. La mayoría (74,3%) presenta reducida Trastorno respiratorio del sueño. Un tercio de los niños tiene Somnolencia diurna elevada. CONCLUSIONES: Los datos revelan la necesidad de dotar a los enfermeros de competencias para detectar los cambios en el sueño y desarrollar programas estructurados de empowerment parental para mejorar los hábitos del sueño de los niños.

Morphology, songs and genetics identify two new cicada species from Morocco: Tettigettalna afroamissa sp. nov. and Berberigetta dimelodica gen. nov. & sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Cicadettini).

Morocco has been the subject of very few expeditions on the last century with the objective of studying small cicadas. In the summer of 2014 an expedition was carried out to Morocco to update our knowledge with acoustic recordings and genetic data of these poorly known species. We describe here two new small-sized cicadas that could not be directly assigned to any species of North African cicadas: Tettigettalna afroamissa sp. nov. and Berberigetta dimelodica gen. nov. & sp. nov. In respect to T. afroamissa it is the first species of the genus to be found outside Europe and we frame this taxon within the evolutionary history of the genus. Acoustic analysis of this species allows us to confidently separate T. afroamissa from its congeners. With B. dimelodica, a small species showing a remarkable calling song characterized by an abrupt frequency modulation, a new genus had to be erected. Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses with DNA-barcode sequences of Cytochrome C Oxidase 1 support the monophyly of both species, their distinctness and revealed genetic structure within B. dimelodica. Alongside the descriptions we also provide GPS coordinates of collection points, distributions and habitat preferences.

Qualidade de sono em pré-escolares: contextos e determinantes / Sleep quality in preschoolers: contexts and determinants

Enquadramento: A privação do sono compromete a aprendizagem, o raciocínio lógico e matemático, prejudicando igualmente a atenção/concentração e a memória Torna as crianças mais propensas à violência e irritabilidade. A quantidade de horas dormidas por noite e a qualidade do sono é determinante para o bem-estar durante o dia e para otimizar o desempenho escolar de cada criança. Objetivos: Identificar os fatores associados à qualidade do sono das crianças em idade pré-escolar; Caracterizar a qualidade de sono da criança em idade pré-escolar; Determinar o modo como as variáveis sociodemográficas, de contexto familiar e de contexto clinico e estilos de vida se repercutem na qualidade de sono. Métodos: estudo quantitativo, transversal, descritivo e analítico, envolvendo uma amostra de 642 crianças (idade x̅ =4.64; Dp 0.94); a frequentar o ensino público, particular e cooperativo dos concelhos de Águeda e albergaria. A recolha de dados inclui o questionário de dados sociodemográficos, o Índice de Qualidade de Sono de Pittsburgh e a Escala de Avaliação da Adaptabilidade e Coesão familiar. Resultados: O padrão de sono das crianças revela-nos que 51.4% das crianças dormem entre 9.30 a 10.30 horas por noite, 64.8% são bons dormidores, não usam medicação para dormir, com latência do sono dentro da normalidade, com boa eficiência do sono, sem disfunção diurna e sem perturbações do sono. As crianças mais velhas, dormem melhor do que as mais novas. Conclusão: A qualidade de sono está associada às condições socioeconómicas, estilos de vida, aos contextos familiares e clínicos.

ABSTRACT: Guidelines: Sleep deprivation compromises learning, the logical and mathematical reasoning, being also harmful to the attention / concentration and memory. It makes children more prone to the violence and irritability. The number of sleeping hours per night and the quality of sleep is crucial for daytime wellness and to optimize the school performance of each child. Objectives: Identify the factors associated to the sleep quality in preschool children; Characterize the sleep quality in preschool children; Determine the way in which the sociodemographic variables, regarding to the family context, clinical context and lifestyles, reflects in the sleep quality. Methods: A quantitative, transversal, descriptive and analytical study based on a sample of 642 children (age x = 4.64; Dp 0.94); studing in public, private and cooperative schools at Águeda and Albergaria. Data collection includes the sociodemographic data questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Family Cohesion and Adaptability Assessment Scale. Results: The sleep pattern of children, shows that 51.4% of children sleep between 9.30 and 10.30 hours per night, 64.8% of children sleep well, do not use sleeping medication, with a normal sleep latency, with good sleep efficiency, without diurnal dysfunction and without sleep disturbances. Older children sleep better than younger ones Conclusion: Sleep quality is associated to the socioeconomic conditions, lifestyles, family and clinical contexts.

Tettigettalnajosei (Boulard, 1982) (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea): first record in Spain, with notes on the distribution, genetic variation and behaviour of the species.

The small cicada Tettigettalnajosei (Boulard, 1982) was until recently only known from southern Portugal and was considered endemic to this country. Fieldwork in 2013 led to the first record of the species in Spain, expanding its known eastern range to Andalusia. The northern limits remain poorly defined but it appears that the distribution of Tettigettalnajosei is restricted to the south Atlantic coastline in the Iberian Peninsula, with the highest densities found in Algarve. Some notes on behaviour and genetic variation of Tettigettalnajosei are also given.

Frequency of intestinal parasites in pet dogs from an urban area (Greater Oporto, northern Portugal).

The present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in dogs with no clinical signs (n=175; group H) and in dogs with gastrointestinal disease (n=193; group D) that were admitted to a veterinary hospital. In group H, the overall prevalence of intestinal parasites (i.e. the presence of at least one species) was 20.6%. Cystoisospora canis was the most prevalent protozoon (8.0%) followed by Giardia spp. (7.4%); Toxocara canis (5.1%) was the most frequent helminth, followed by Trichuris vulpis (1.1%) and Toxascaris leonina (0.6%). Among group H, age ≤ 6 months was found to be a risk factor for infection with C. canis and with at least one agent (odds ratio [OR]=3.4). In group D parasites were found in 33.7% of the dogs, with Giardia spp. (15.5%) being the most prevalent species, followed by C. canis (13.5%), T. canis (7.8%), T. vulpis (2.6%) and T. leonina (0.5%). In group D dogs, age ≤ 6 months was a risk factor for infection with Giardia spp. (OR=3.2), with C. canis (OR=32.7) and with at least one agent (OR=7.2). This study reveals a remarkable number of dogs infected but with no clinical signs.

Conflicting patterns of DNA barcoding and taxonomy in the cicada genus Tettigettalna from Southern Europe (Hemiptera: Cicadidae).

DNA barcodes have great potential to assist in species identification, especially when high taxonomical expertise is required. We investigated the utility of the 5' mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) region to discriminate between 13 European cicada species. These included all nine species currently recognized under the genus Tettigettalna, from which seven are endemic to the southern Iberian Peninsula. These cicadas have species-specific male calling songs but are morphologically very similar. Mean COI divergence between congeners ranged from 0.4% to 10.6%, but this gene was proven insufficient to determine species limits within genus Tettigettalna because a barcoding gap was absent for several of its species, that is, the highest intraspecific distance exceeded the lowest interspecific distance. The genetic data conflicted with current taxonomic classification for T. argentata and T. mariae. Neighbour-joining and Bayesian analyses revealed that T. argentata is geographically structured (clades North and South) and might constitute a species complex together with T. aneabi and T. mariae. The latter diverges very little from the southern clade of T. argentata and shares with it its most common haplotype. T. mariae is often in sympatry with T. argentata but it remains unclear whether introgression or incomplete lineage sorting may be responsible for the sharing of haplotypes. T. helianthemi and T. defauti also show high intraspecific variation that might signal hidden cryptic diversity. These taxonomic conflicts must be re-evaluated with further studies using additional genes and extensive morphological and acoustic analyses.