Mustafa Köse

Prevalence of coccidia in beef cattle in western Turkey

A total of 504 bovine faecal samples collected from intensively managed beef farms in Afyon province of Turkey were examined to determine the types and prevalence of coccidian parasites present. Coccidian oocysts were found in 20.04% of all the samples examined by sucrose-flotation. The species detected and their prevalence were Eimeria bovis (34.55%), E. auburnensis (23.03%), E. canadensis (14.55%), E. brasiliensis (10.91%), E. zuernii (6.67%), E. bukidnonensis (3.03%), E. cylindrica (2.42%), E. ellipsoidalis (1.21%), E. illinoisensis (1.21%), E. alabamensis (1.21%) and Isospora sp. (1.21%). Mixed infections of two to four species were found in 43.6% of the animals. The overall prevalence of coccidial oocysts in faecal samples was 27.23% for calves, 15.65% for cows. Linear regression analysis showed that there is a significant reduction in the OPG (the number of oocysts per gram of feces) levels (P < 0.05) in cows infected with Eimeria. No cases of clinical coccidiosis were observed in this survey.

Dirofilaria immitis infection in dogs: unusually located and unusual findings

Clinical, blood, serum biochemistry, and parasitological assessments were performed on four hospitalized dogs, not in good general condition, in a study carried out to determine the prevalence of general parasitic infections. Hematological and biochemical parameters and electrocardiographic recording of the animals were determined during the general clinical examinations. Four dogs were indicated to have been infected with Dirofilaria immitis by using modified Knott’s method, and the microfilarial density was determined. Mild to moderate anemia and decrease in sedimentation velocity were established in dogs. Differences in other hematological and biochemical values between the dogs were determined. Right axis deviation was determined in a dog. D. immitis was encountered in the right ventricle, bronchus, and the pericardial sac at the end of the necropsy. On the other hand, in the histopathological examinations, pulmonary adenocarcinoma deriving from bronchial epithelium was identified in a dog, and microfilaria was encountered in bronchial and bronchiolar lumens, interstitium of the lungs, and bile ducts. D. immitis has not been considered in the diagnosis of dogs with pneumonia and tumors. The requirement of parasitological examination with respect to D. immitis in the diagnosis of dogs with tumor or pneumonia has been considered vital.

Infections of Larval Stages of Dicrocoelium dendriticum and Brachylaima sp. in Brown Garden Snail, Helix aspersa, in Turkey

The aim of this study was to determine the presence and prevalence of larval stages of Dicrocoelium dendriticum and Brachylaima sp. in the first intermediate host, a species of land snail, Helix aspersa, in Turkey. A total of 211 snails were collected in April-May 2014 from pastures in Mersin District. Larval stages of D. dendriticum were identified under a light microscope. Hepatopancreas from naturally infected H. aspersa snails were examined histologically. The prevalence of larval stages of D. dendriticum and Brachylaima sp. in H. aspersa snails was found to be 2.4% and 1.9%, respectively, in Mersin, Turkey. Cercariae were not matured in sporocysts at the beginning of April; however, it was observed that cercariae matured and started to leave sporocysts by early-May. Thus, it was concluded that H. aspersa acts as an intermediate host to D. dendriticumin and Brachylaima sp. in Mersin, Turkey. A digenean trematode Brachylaima sp. was seen for the first time in Turkey.