Sudden death in calves associated with Strongyloides papillosus infection

In recent years, a total of 152 calves have died suddenly on three farms in the southern part of Japan which used sawdust as litter. Calves often died within a few minutes of a violent fall without showing previous clinical signs. On necropsy of these cases, only a slight lesion was observed, although all showed heavy infection with Strongyloides papillosus (SPL). They appeared to have not only a large number of SPL eggs in the faeces, together with many adult SPL worms in the intestine, but also many migratory SPL larvae in tissues such as the lung and muscle. These outbreaks ceased following medication with thiabendazole or ivermectin. It is concluded that 'sudden death' is associated with heavy infection with SPL.     

Dynamics of faecal egg counts in rabbits experimentally infected with Strongyloides papillosus

An experiment using rabbits was carried out to determine basic data to maintain the calf strain of Strongyloides papillosus (SPL). Rabbits treated with four different numbers of doses of dexamethasone were exposed to 50,000 or about 100,000 infective larvae of SPL (Himeji strain, 1988). As a result, faecal egg output was valid in individual rabbits, regardless of dexamethasone administration. Eggs appeared in the faeces 9 or 10 days after exposure, and increased to as much as 20,000-573,000 eggs per gram (EPG). Thirteen of 18 rabbits died (72%) 12-29 days after infection. Five surviving rabbits discharged eggs in their faeces for more than 1 month; however, the EPG value of these cases on the last day was comparatively low.     

Sudden death of calves by experimental infection with Strongyloides papillosus. I. Parasitological observations.

Recently, an unknown disease, 'sudden death', in calves has been found in Japanese beef production farms. A previous study conducted by Taira and Ura indicated that sudden death can be effected in calves by hyperinfection of Strongyloides papillosus (SPL) and that the disease is possibly caused by SPL infection. In the present work, an experimental infection of SPL in calves was conducted to confirm the field occurrence. Fifteen Holstein Friesian calves, ranging from 45.5 to 85.6 kg in body weight, were divided into six groups. Calves of Groups A, B, C, D, E and F were infected once at the rate of 100,000, 320,000, 1,000,000, 3,200,000, 10,000,000 and 32,000,000 SPL larvae per 100 kg of body weight, respectively. Five calves were assigned to Group B, while two calves were assigned to the other groups. After showing no premonitory signs, sudden death of ten calves took place. The survival time of these calves was 27.4 and 16.8 days (Group B), 14.8 and 14.8 days (Group C), 13.3 and 14.2 days (Group D), 11.0 and 11.1 days (Group E) and 11.6 and 10.8 days (Group F). Three calves of Group B did not exhibit sudden death. The results of this study demonstrate that strongyloidiasis was the cause of sudden death.     

灰绿黄堇提取物对粘虫的生物活性研究

采用虫体浸渍法、夹毒叶碟法等方法研究了灰绿黄堇提取物对粘虫(Mythimna separate)的杀虫活性和作用方式。结果表明,灰绿黄堇不同极性溶剂粗提物对粘虫3龄幼虫的触杀作用以甲醇粗提物最强,校正死亡率为15.5%;甲醇粗提物不同极性溶剂萃取物以氯仿萃取物触杀作用最强,校正死亡率可达87.5%,其致死中质量浓度为13.07 g/L;氯仿萃取物对粘虫3龄幼虫具有很强的生长发育抑制作用和胃毒作用,生长发育抑制率和校正死亡率分别为88.66%和91.38%。     

Acaricidal activity of extracts of neem (Azadirachta indica) oil against the larvae of the rabbit mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. cuniculi in vitro

The acaricidal activity of the petroleum ether extract, the chloroform extract and the acetic ether extract of neem (Azadirachta indica) oil against Sarcoptes scabiei var. cuniculi larvae was tested in vitro. A complementary log-log (CLL) model was used to analyze the data of the toxicity tests. The results showed that at all test time points, the petroleum ether extract demonstrated the highest activity against the larvae of S. scabiei var. cuniculi, while the activities of the chloroform extract and the acetic ether extract were similar. The activities of both the petroleum ether extract and the chloroform extract against the larvae showed the relation of time and concentration dependent. The median lethal concentration (LC(50)) of the petroleum ether extract (1.3muL/mL) was about three times that of the chloroform extract (4.1muL/mL) at 24h post-treatment. At the concentrations of 500.0muL/mL, the median lethal time (LT(50)) of the petroleum ether extract and the chloroform extract was 8.4 and 9.6h, respectively.     

14株苏云金芽孢杆菌伴胞晶体蛋白对猪蛔虫第3期幼虫的毒性比较

14株苏云金芽孢杆菌经培养提取伴胞晶体蛋白并测定其蛋白含量。感染性蛔虫卵经胃感染小鼠 ,3d后宰杀并从小鼠肝脏内分离蛔虫第 3期幼虫 (L 3)。设置空白对照 ,将不同剂量的 Bt伴胞晶体蛋白与 L 3置于培养孔在 37℃的二氧化碳培养箱中 (含 5 % CO2 )培养 ,间隔 12 h检查幼虫活性 ,计算死亡率、校正死亡率及半数致死量。L D50 随着作用时间的延长而逐渐减小。14株细菌伴胞晶体蛋白对 L 3的毒力差异很大。 0 17株对 L 3的杀虫作用快速而持久、毒力最强 ,其 L D50 是所有 14个菌株中最小的 ,作用 12、2 4和 36 h时分别为 1.135 7、0 .2 32 2和 0 .15 32 g/ L。     

Migration of Strongyloides venezuelensis in rats after oral inoculation of free-living infective larvae

Strongyloides venezuelensis (SVZ) infection was chronologically monitored in 85 Sprague-Dawley rats (SDR), which were orally inoculated with approximately 1,000 infective larvae. In order to describe the characteristics of migrating larvae (MLS) in various visceral organs (the liver, lung, cardiac blood, and small intestine), 5 SDR were sacrificed at 20 min, 45 min, 1 hr, 2 hr, 3 hr, 4 hr, 8 hr, 12 hr, 16 hr, 48 hr, 72 hr, 96 hr, 120 hr, 144 hr, 168 hr and 192 hr post inoculation (PI). MLS were recovered from the liver and blood 20 and 45 min PI and measured 788 +/- 26 microm and 846 +/- 40 microm in length, respectively. MLS were first observed in the lung tissue 45 min PI and measured 925 +/- 38 microm on the average. In the trachea, MLS measuring 849 +/- 75 microm appeared 3 to 96 hrs PI. Adult worms (AWS) measuring 1,926 +/- 521 microm to 2,956 +/- 159 microm in length were observed in the small intestine from 120 hr PI. The worms appeared to mature more than 168 hr PI and attained the average maximum length of 2,420 +/- 532 microm. At 3 hr PI focal hyperemic and necrotic lesions were evidently observed in the liver and lung, together with eosinophilic infiltration in the stomach, liver, and lung. The parasites were histologically detectable in the lung tissues but were very difficult to find in the liver and the epithelial layer of small intestine. These data demonstrate that SVZ parasites take 20 min to reach the liver via the stomach and only three hours to reach the trachea through the same route. The development from eggs to adults takes 168 hr in the SDR model.     

Efficacy of praziquantel against ovine cysticercosis caused by Taenia hydatigena

Praziquantel was evaluated for its larvicidal activity against naturally or experimentally induced Taenia hydatigena infections in sheep. The major criterion used for assessing efficacy was an estimate of the dose rate required to free 90 per cent of the sheep from infection (ED90) together with a 95 per cent confidence interval. With both light and heavy infections of three-month-old T hydatigena in lambs up to 12 months old, many larvae were killed. The ED90 and 95 per cent confidence limits for six-month-old and aged organisms was estimated to be 13.1 (5.5 to 31.4) mg/kg and 6.1 (2.4 to 15.5) mg/kg, respectively. Equivalent data for the ED50 were 3.4 (1.4 to 8.3) mg/kg and 1.3 (0.3 to 5.4) mg/kg, respectively. It was established that one of the factors involved in the efficacy of praziquantel was associated with the age of the larvae at the time of treatment, the drug being markedly more effective against older than younger organisms.     

Acaricidal activity of Palicourea marcgravii, a species from the Amazon forest, on cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus

Leaves of Palicourea marcgravii were extracted successively with hexane, ethyl acetate and ethanol in order to evaluate their acaricidal activity on larvae and adult stages of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus. The ethyl acetate extract showed the highest bioactivity of the tested extracts, which contained 0.12% monofluoroacetic acid. On engorged female, the ethyl acetate extract showed a lethal concentration 50% - LC(50)=30.08 mg ml(-1), inhibitory concentration 50% - IC(50)=5.79 mg ml(-1) and lethal time 50% - LT(50)=4.72 days; 100% reproduction was controlled at concentrations of 50 mg ml(-1) and on larvae the ethyl acetate extract showed a LC(50)=2.46 mg ml(-1). No alkaloids were detected in any of the extracts. This is the first report on the acaricidal activity of P. marcgravii extracts against R. microplus as well as the acaricidal properties of a plant species containing monofluoroacetic acid.     

Efficacy of ivermectin against induced gastrointestinal nematode infections in goats

The efficacy of ivermectin (0.08 per cent w/v oral solution) at different dose levels was evaluated against induced infections of adult Haemonchus contortus (21 days old) and Trichostrongylus colubriformis (21 days old) and fourth stage larvae of Oesophagostomum columbianum (17 days old), Ostertagia circumcincta (five days old) and Strongyloides papillosus (five days old). Twenty-five Boergoats (mutton goats) were randomly allocated by bodyweight within each sex to an untreated control group and four ivermectin treatment groups; ivermectin was administered at either 25, 50, 100 or 200 micrograms/kg orally, once. The goats were killed and processed for worm recovery 25 to 27 days after treatment. At 25 micrograms/kg the efficacy of ivermectin varied from 43 per cent for adult T colubriformis to more than 99 per cent for fourth larval stage O columbianum. Ivermectin at 50 micrograms/kg or higher was 99 per cent or more effective against all induced parasite infections with the exception of ivermectin at 50 micrograms/kg against S papillosus (97 per cent). For all parasites there was a statistically significant (P less than 0.05) difference between the control group and the pooled treated groups. No adverse reactions to ivermectin treatment were observed in the goats.     

A comparison between the efficacy of thiabendazole and febantel on experimental trichinellosis in rats

Febantel at a dose level of 5 mg kg-1 had a lethal efficacy of 54.1% against the adult worm and 69.5% against the migrating larvae of Trichinella spiralis in rats. When administered at 15 mg kg-1, it demonstrated lethal effects of 94.4, 92.5 and 74.7% against adult, young and encysted larvae, respectively. Infected rats treated with 300 mg kg-1 died. Thiabendazole had efficiencies of 96.4 and 83.3% against intestinal and migrating early muscle phases, respectively, and was 42% effective against the encysting phase.     

In vitro insecticidal effects of fipronil and beta-cyfluthrin on larvae of the blowfly Lucilia sericata

The insecticidal effects of the phenylpyrazole, fipronil, and a pyrethroid, beta-cyfluthrin, on larvae of the blowfly Lucilia sericata were determined in laboratory assays. When first stage larvae of L. sericata were reared on homogenized pig liver which had been treated with known amounts of test compounds, both fipronil and beta-cyfluthrin induced significant levels of mortality compared to acetone and water controls. However, fipronil was approximately 10 times more toxic than beta-cyfluthrin to L. sericata larvae following ingestion. Beta-cyfluthrin had little effect on mortality until concentrations of approximately 0.5 ppm were reached. In contrast, fipronil effected L. sericata mortality at a concentration of 0.05 ppm and 100% mortality was reached by 0.5 ppm. The lethal concentration (LC50) value for beta-cyfluthrin was 1.56 ppm as compared to 0.14 ppm for fipronil. Following contact of first and third stage larvae with cloth impregnated with known amounts of test compound, the mortality profiles of fipronil and beta-cyfluthrin were similar. At short contact times, the LC50 values for fipronil were lower than those for beta-cyfluthrin. However, at the highest contact time evaluated for the first stage larvae, 300 s, there was a reversal in this trend. The results suggest that the phenylpyrazole fipronil may represent a new potential insecticide for development against blowfly strike of sheep.     

Nematocidal activities of thiabendazole and ivermectin against the larvae of Strongyloides ratti and S. venezuelensis

With the aim of developing therapeutic agents for strongyloidosis, the disease caused by infection with Strongyloides stercoralis, we established a novel assay technique using S. ratti and S. venezuelensis as models for S. stercoralis. The newly developed assay technique was found to more accurately represent treatment-induced larval paralysis than existing assays. Our method uses paper disks impregnated with the test solution, which even allows materials that are sparingly soluble in water to be tested. An inverted microscope was used to observe the larval states, and these states were recorded using a digital camera. We observed the activities of ivermectin and thiabendazole against larvae and calculated larval motility and velocity. These two factors were then combined to determine the overall viability of larvae at selected concentrations. The activities of the anthelmintics were compared by calculating the concentrations at which 50% viability was demonstrated, or in other words, the concentration at which paralysis was caused in 50% of the individuals (50% paralysis concentration; PC(50)). Evaluations after 24h of exposure yielded the following reproducible PC(50) values for ivermectin and thiabendazole, respectively: S. ratti, 2.4 and 140 microM; and S. venezuelensis, 2.3 and 190 microM. After treatment with ivermectin, there was a tendency for larval motility to be greater than that of the controls at low concentrations, a result that might be associated with its mechanism of action.     

Efficacy of natural propolis extract in the control of American Foulbrood

Paenibacillus larvae is the causative agent of American Foulbrood (AFB), a severe disease that affects larvae of the honeybees. Due to the serious effects associated with AFB and the problems related to the use of antibiotics, it is necessary to develop alternative strategies for the control of the disease. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of a propolis ethanolic extract (PEE) against P. larvae and its potential for the control of AFB. In vitro activity of PEE against P. larvae isolates was evaluated by the disk diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined. Toxicity for honeybees was evaluated by oral administration of PEE and its lethal concentration was assessed. Lastly, colonies from an apiary with episodes of AFB on previous years were divided into different groups and treated with sugar syrup supplemented with PEE by aspersion (group one), sugar syrup by aspersion (group two), fed with sugar syrup supplemented with PEE (group three) and fed with sugar syrup only (group four). All isolates were sensitive to PEE and the MIC median was 0.52% (range 0.32-0.64). PEE was not toxic for bees at least at 50%. Field assays showed that 21 and 42 days after the application of the treatments, the number of P. larvae spores/g of honey was significantly lower in colonies treated with PEE compared to the colonies that were not treated with PEE. To our knowledge, this is the first report about the use of propolis for the treatment of beehives affected with P. larvae spores.     

Effect of new ethyl and methyl carbamates on Rhipicephalus microplus larvae and adult ticks resistant to conventional ixodicides

The effects of six new synthetic carbamates on fully engorged females of four Rhipicephalus microplus strains (one reference strain susceptible to conventional ixodicides, two strains multiresistant to ixodicides and one tick field isolate) were compared. In addition, the effect of two other new synthetic carbamates was tested on larvae from the same strains. The first six tested carbamates reduced egg laying and inhibited egg hatching in the four studied strains (P < 0.05). Compared with untreated females, the eggs produced by the treated engorged female ticks of all strains had a dark, dry, opaque appearance and were less adherent. The remaining two tested carbamates induced larval mortality in all of the evaluated strains. The three studied R. microplus strains displayed 50% resistance ratios (RR₅₀) of less than 2 when compared to the susceptible reference strain. These results demonstrate that both carbamates with a larvicidal effect and carbamates that inhibit egg laying and embryo development are efficacious against tick strains that are resistant to commercial ixodicides, no cross resistance was observed.     

Anthelminthic activity of acetone extract and fractions of Vernonia amygdalina against Haemonchus contortus eggs and larvae

The current control of parasitic nematodes in small ruminants relies on the use of chemical anthelminthics, but the development of resistance and the problem of drug residues require research into alternatives. Acetone extract and solvent–solvent fractions of Vernonia amygdalina Del. (Compositae) were evaluated in vitro for potential anti-parasitic effects against the eggs and larvae of Haemonchus contortus. Significant effects were obtained with the extract and fractions but differences were observed depending on the parasitic stage. The acetone extract and fractions inhibited egg hatching and inhibited larval development and killed larvae of H. contortus in a concentration-dependent manner. Best-fit 50% lethal concentration (LC₅₀) values were 957.0, 76.0, 524.0, 309.0 and 224.0 μg/ml for the acetone extract, and the butanol, hexane, chloroform and 35% water in methanol fractions, respectively, when tested against nematode eggs. Best-fit LC₅₀ values for the larval viability test were 508.2, 485.5, 569.3, 348.9 and 196.6 μg/ml for the acetone extract, and the butanol, hexane, chloroform and 35% water in methanol fractions, respectively. The butanol fraction was most active against nematode eggs while the 35% water in methanol fraction was the most active on nematode larvae, although differences in activity between fractions were not significant (p > 0.05). Overall, these in vitro results suggest that V. amygdalina, traditionally used by small farmers in Western Africa, does possess anti-parasitic properties.     

四种中药对结肠小袋虫半数致死浓度的测定

利用机率单位法测定了常山、五倍子、乌梅和二花水提取物对结肠小袋虫的半数致死浓度.结果表明,常山、五倍子、乌梅和二花抗结肠小袋虫2h半数致死浓度(LC50)分别是13.40、12.22、19.02、43.34g/L;6 h的LC50分别是12.80、5.824、7.619、23.32 g/L;12 h的LC50分别是8....     

Androgen- and estrogen-dependent sex differences in host resistance to Strongyloides venezuelensis infection in Wistar rats

The effects of male and female sex hormones on the protective capacity of Wistar rats against infection with Strongyloides venezuelensis were investigated. Male rats were more susceptible than females in terms of worm recovery from the lungs. Orchidectomy of male animals significantly reduced the plasma testosterone concentration and increased host resistance to the migratory stages of S. venezuelensis larvae. In contrast, ovariectomy of female animals significantly decreased host resistance in association with a significant reduction of estrogen levels. To examine the direct effect of sex hormones, exogenous testosterone and estrogen were implanted into animals. Susceptibility significantly increased or decreased in ovariectomized females given testosterone or estrogen, respectively. These results suggest that male and female sex hormones are important in the down- and up-regulation of host resistance against S. venezuelensis in Wistar rats.     

Efficacy of ivermectin against somatic Strongyloides ransomi larvae

The efficacy of ivermectin against the somatic larval stages of Strongyloides ransomi was evaluated in three trials involving 35 pregnant gilts harbouring induced infections. Treatment at a rate of 300 micrograms/kg bodyweight subcutaneously, four to 16 days before farrowing, was highly effective as judged by counts of larvae in milk and worm burdens of piglets.     

吡虫啉对家蚕的毒性

吡虫啉对蚕的毒性试验表明 :4龄起蚕致死中浓度 (LC50 )为 2 71mg/L ,致死中量 (LD50 )为0 0 3 4 μg/头。 4龄起蚕连续添食吡虫啉水溶液试验表明 :0 0 0 71mg/mL( 1 4× 1 0 4 倍稀释液 )浓度吡虫啉连续添毒对蚕有明显的毒性 ,茧的经济性状也有显著地下降。 0 0 1 2 5mg/mL( 8× 1 0 4 倍稀释液 )吡虫啉连续添毒 1 2h的蚕 ,上蔟率为 86%,死笼茧率为 3 9%,鲜茧茧层率为 2 1 2 %,比对照区低 0 3 %,而持续添毒则表现为全部死亡。此外 ,吡虫啉对家蚕具有触杀和熏蒸毒性