The use of synthetic pesticides and repellents to target pests of veterinary and medical significance is becoming increasingly problematic. One alternative approach employs the bioactive attributes ...of plant-derived products (PDPs). These are particularly attractive on the grounds of low mammalian toxicity, short environmental persistence and complex chemistries that should limit development of pest resistance against them.Several pesticides and repellents based on PDPs are already available, and in some cases widely utilised, in modern pest management. Many more have a long history of traditional use in poorer areas of the globe where access to synthetic pesticides is often limited. Preliminary studies support that PDPs could be more widely used to target numerous medical and veterinary pests, with modes of action often specific to invertebrates.Though their current and future potential appears significant, development and deployment of PDPs to target veterinary and medical pests is not without issue. Variable efficacy is widely recognised as a restraint to PDPs for pest control. Identifying and developing natural bioactive PDP components in place of chemically less-stable raw or 'whole’ products seems to be the most popular solution to this problem. A limited residual activity, often due to photosensitivity or high volatility, is a further drawback in some cases (though potentially advantageous in others). Nevertheless, encapsulation technologies and other slow-release mechanisms offer strong potential to improve residual activity where needed.The current review provides a summary of existing use and future potential of PDPs against ectoparasites of veterinary and medical significance. Four main types of PDP are considered (pyrethrum, neem, essential oils and plant extracts) for their pesticidal, growth regulating and repellent or deterrent properties. An overview of existing use and research for each is provided, with direction to more extensive reviews given in many sections. Sections to highlight potential issues, modes of action and emerging and future potential are also included.
Bacteria belonging to the genus
Rickettsia
are known as causative agents of vector-borne zoonotic diseases, such as spotted fevers, epidemic typhus and endemic typhus. Different species of ticks, ...mites and fleas could act as reservoirs and arthropod vectors of different pathogenic
Rickettsia
species. The aim of this work was to establish active surveillance of
Rickettsia
spp. in mites, ticks and fleas collected from small mammals (rodents and shrews) in Eastern Slovakia. A total of 964 animal ear biopsies, 871 mites, 667 ticks and 743 fleas were collected from small mammals in the Košice region, Eastern Slovakia. All specimens were identified using specialized taxonomic keys, and were conserved in ethanol until DNA extraction was performed. After DNA extraction, identification of
Rickettsia
species was performed by PCR-based methods. The total prevalence of rickettsiae from ear biopsies was 4.6% (95% CI, 3.2–5.9), in tested mites 9.3% (95% CI, 7.4–11.2), 17.2% (95% CI, 14.3–20.1) in
I. ricinus
ticks and 3.5% (95% CI, 2.2–4.8) in fleas. Sequence analysis of the partial
gltA
gene and
Rickettsia helvetica
-,
Rickettsia slovaca
-,
Rickettsia raoultii
- species specific real-time PCR tests revealed the presence of
R. helvetica
,
R. slovaca
, unidentified
Rickettsia
and rickettsial endosymbionts. These pathogenic and symbiotic species were confirmed in the following ectoparasite species—
Laelaps jettmari
,
Haemogamasus nidi
,
Laelaps agilis
and
Eulaelaps stabularis
mites,
Ixodes ricinus
ticks,
Ctenophthalmus solutus
,
C. assimilis
and
Megabothris turbidus
fleas infesting host—
Apodemus agrarius
,
A. flavicollis
,
Microtus arvalis
and
Myodes glareolus
small mammals. These results confirm the circulation of
R. helvetica
,
R. slovaca
, unidentified
Rickettsia
and rickettsial endosymbionts in mites, ticks and fleas collected on small mammals in the Košice region, Eastern Slovakia.
The poultry red mite, Dermanyssus gallinae, has been described for decades as a threat to the egg production industry, posing serious animal health and welfare concerns, adversely affecting ...productivity, and impacting public health. Research activities dedicated to controlling this parasite have increased significantly. Their veterinary and human medical impact, more particularly their role as a disease vector, is better understood. Nevertheless, red mite infestation remains a serious concern, particularly in Europe, where the prevalence of red mites is expected to increase, as a result of recent hen husbandry legislation changes, increased acaricide resistance, climate warming, and the lack of a sustainable approach to control infestations. The main objective of the current work was to review the factors contributing to this growing threat and to discuss their recent development in Europe. We conclude that effective and sustainable treatment approach to control poultry red mite infestation is urgently required, included integrated pest management.
This study aimed to determine if there has been an increase of global interest on pet adoption immediately after the WHO declaration of the pandemic and if the effect has been sustainable in 8 months ...on. We conducted a Google Trends search using keywords related to pet adoption. Relative search volume (RSV) was scored between 0 and 100 for the lowest and the highest, respectively. Top countries contributing to the dataset included Australia, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia. From 2015 through 2020, the worldwide RSV for the categories of pet, dog and cat adoption peaked between April and May 2020, the early epidemic phase of the pandemic. These were significantly higher than the 5-year worldwide average RSV for all three categories (
P
= 0.001). Comparing to the same period in 2019, the RSV ratio (2020/2019) for both dog and cat adoption increased by up to 250%. Nonetheless, the RSV for dog adoption has been decreasing since July 2020 and returned to the 5-year average by December 2020. In contrast, the interest in cat adoption remained sustainably high, possibly reflecting the feline acclimation to indoor living. In conclusion, the global interest in pet adoptions surged in the early phase of the pandemic but not sustainable. With the launch of COVID-19 vaccines, there is a concern for separation anxiety and possible abandonment of these newly adopted pets when the owners would leave their homes for work in the future.
The poultry red mite, D. gallinae has been involved in the transmission of many pathogenic agents, responsible for serious diseases both in animals and humans. Nowadays, few effective methods are ...available to control the ectoparasite in poultry farms. Consequently, this is an emerging problem which must be taken into account to maintain good health in commercial egg production. This paper addresses the vector capacity of the ectoparasite with special emphasis on salmonellae, pathogenic agents responsible for many of the most important outbreaks of food-borne diseases worlwide. It has been experimentally shown that D. gallinae could act as a biological vector of S. enteritidis and natural carriage of these bacteria by the mite on poultry premises has also been reported. It was also found that D. gallinae carried other pathogens such as E. coli, Shigella sp., and Staphylococcus, thus increasing the list of pathogenic agents potentially transmitted by the mite.
Bacteria associated with the tick Ixodes ricinus were assessed in specimens unattached or attached to the skin of cats, dogs and humans, collected in the Czech Republic. The bacteria were detected by ...PCR in 97 of 142 pooled samples including 204 ticks, i.e. 1–7 ticks per sample, collected at the same time from one host. A fragment of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was amplified, cloned and sequenced from 32 randomly selected samples. The most frequent sequences were those related to Candidatus Midichloria midichlori (71 % of cloned sequences), followed by Diplorickettsia (13 %), Spiroplasma (3 %), Rickettsia (3 %), Pasteurella (3 %), Morganella (3 %), Pseudomonas (2 %), Bacillus (1 %), Methylobacterium (1 %) and Phyllobacterium (1 %). The phylogenetic analysis of Spiroplasma 16S rRNA gene sequences showed two groups related to Spiroplasma eriocheiris and Spiroplasma melliferum, respectively. Using group-specific primers, the following potentially pathogenic bacteria were detected: Borellia (in 20 % of the 142 samples), Rickettsia (12 %), Spiroplasma (5 %), Diplorickettsia (5 %) and Anaplasma (2 %). In total, 68 % of I. ricinus samples (97/142) contained detectable bacteria and 13 % contained two or more putative pathogenic groups. The prevalence of tick-borne bacteria was similar to the observations in other European countries.
The ubiquitous presence of hematophagous avian mites threatens the poultry industry in Asia and worldwide, adversely affecting the quality and quantity of eggs and poultry meat produced by affected ...flocks. This leads to considerable economic loss and welfare-related issues. The role of these blood-feeding arthropods as disease vectors is increasingly recognized as they may carry important zoonotic and epizootic pathogens. The poultry mites,
Dermanyssus gallinae
(Poultry Red Mite—PRM),
Ornithonysus sylviarum
(Northern Fowl Mite—NFM), and
Ornithonyssus bursa
(Tropical Fowl Mite—TFM) are endemic species across the Asian continent. In less frequency, scaly leg mite, depluming mite, and fowl cyst mite were documented. Considering global climate change and the popularity of backyard farming, the incidence of avian mite infestation is expected to increase as Asian production expands. The TFM may start to colonize sub-tropical nations where the seasonal temperature is comparable to tropical regions. Pyrethroids, organophosphates, carbamates, and macrocyclic lactones are licensed acaricides for use in China, Japan, and India. In recent years, the development of acaricide resistance has compromised the efficacy of chemical control measures. Several botanical acaricides based on plant and fungal constituents are being investigated. Judicious integration of multiple approaches to manage poultry mite infestation is advised. In this article, we review the prevalence, geographical distribution, zoonotic potential, and control measures of avian mites in poultry farms in Asia.
The poultry red mite (PRM),
Dermanyssus gallinae
, is an ectoparasite of great importance related to poultry farms worldwide. Problems associated with its control have led to the search for ...alternative treatments, especially using inert dust, which has recently been introduced into liquid formulations. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the acaricidal activity of a liquid diatomaceous earth (DE) preparation in the laboratory and its association with mechanical cleaning (brushing) in the field. In the laboratory it was first determined that a concentration of 10% DE would be necessary for field applications. The field experiment was conducted in a commercial poultry house. The 10% DE liquid preparation was administered in three applications and associated to mechanical cleaning. Then, 42 days after the first DE application, a population reduction of 94.7% was observed in relation to the initial population of mites. These results confirm the efficiency of DE applications in association with mechanical cleaning already adopted in poultry houses as an alternative for the control of
D. gallinae
, which can also contribute to avoiding mite resistance to chemical acaricides.
•Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l., Rh. annulatus, and Hyalomma dromedarii are endemic and well-distributed in North and North-western Egypt.•All tick species has 460 bp fragments of 16S rDNA ...gene.•1800 bp, 1550 bp, and 1500 bp fragments of ITS2 for Hy. dromedarii, Rh. sanguineus s.l., and Rh. annulatus, respectively.•Based on 16S rDNA, Rh. sanguineus s.l. ticks from Northern Egypt belong to the southeastern Europe lineage. Egyptian Rh. annulatus are similar to Turkish populations. Egyptian and Tunisian Hy. dromedarii are close.•ITS2 of Egyptian Rh. sanguineus s.l. from dogs are similar to Nigerian populations. Rh. sanguineus s.l. from sheep are closer to Iranian populations.•ITS2 of Rh. annulatus are identical to Romanian populations, and Hy. dromedarii are close to Kenya.
Ticks represent a major source of growing economic and public health concern, especially in the tropics and sub-tropics. Towards evidencing ticks’ invasion in the North and North–Western parts of Egypt, the present study aimed to investigate the morpho-molecular aspects of those ectoparasites using stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and sequencing of the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA gene (rDNA) and nuclear second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2). Our analysis confirmed the presence and well–distribution of Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. infesting dogs and sheep (Alexandria governorate), Rhipicephalus annulatus infesting cattle (Beheira governorate), and Hyalomma dromedarii infesting camels (Marsa Matruh governorate) from North/North–Western Egypt. 16S rDNA and ITS2 sequences of the ticks were amplified using universal and gene–specific sets of primers, sequenced and analyzed. Lengths of amplified 16S rDNA sequences in all examined tick species were found to be similar in size (approximately 460 bp); however, they differed in base pair constitutions, whereas ITS2 lengths were 1,500 bp, 1,550 bp, and 1,800 bp for Rh. annulatus, Rh. sanguineus s.l., and Hy. dromedarii, respectively. Phylogenetically, based on the 16S rDNA results, Rh. sanguineus s.l. ticks clustered with the southeastern Europe lineage from Romania and Greece, Rh. annulatus ticks were similar to Turkish populations, and Hy. dromedarii were close to the isolates from Tunisia. Similarly, based on ITS2 sequences, Rh. sanguineus s.l. from dogs were showing 99% similarity to Nigerian populations; however, those collected from sheep were closer to Iranian populations with 4.1% nucleotide divergence between the two populations of different hosts. Rh. annulatus ticks were identical to a population from Romania, whereas Hy. dromedarii was close by 99.7% similarity to a population from Kenya. This is the first study reporting nucleotide sequences of 16S rDNA and ITS2 in integration with morphological identification of ticks from this part of Egypt.
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The ability of a reverse line blot (RLB) assay to identify 13 common species of equine small strongyles (cyathostomins) and to discriminate them from three Strongylus spp. (large strongyles) was ...demonstrated. The assay relied on the specific hybridization of PCR-amplified intergenic spacer DNA fragments of the nuclear ribosomal DNA to membrane-bound species-specific probes. All cyathostomins examined were unequivocally identified and simultaneously discriminated from each other and from three large strongyles (Strongylus edentatus, Strongylus equinus, and Strongylus vulgaris). This assay will enable the accurate and rapid identification of equine cyathostomins irrespective of their life cycle stage, opening important avenues for a better understanding of their biology and epidemiology and of the pathogenesis of cyathostomin-associated disease. In particular, this RLB method promises to be a powerful diagnostic tool to determine the roles of individual species in the pathogenesis of mixed infections and to elucidate some aspects of cyathostominosis. Also, it could represent a basic step toward the development of a rapid and simple molecular test for the early detection of drug-resistant genotypes of horse strongyle species.
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