Spatial distribution of Dermacentor reticulatus and Ixodes ricinus in Hungary: evidence for change?

A survey was conducted to investigate the spatial distribution of Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus in Hungary and to compare these data with the results of a previous large-scale survey. In the survey conducted in the 1950s, D. reticulatus adults were detected in two isolated areas of two counties, and the presence of these ticks in the collection was explained by accidental introduction. In the present survey, D. reticulatus became the second most common species occurring in all 16 counties involved in the monitoring and showed high prevalence. The change in the spatial distribution of this tick species, the increase of incidence of Babesia canis infection in Hungary, and the increasing number of canine babesiosis case reports from other Central and Central Eastern European countries since the 1970s suggest an expansion of the geographic range of D. reticulatus and intensification of the transmission rate of B. canis and probably other D. reticulatus-borne diseases (e.g. tularemia and tick-borne lymphadenopathy) in the region. The spatial distribution of I. ricinus was roughly in line with the results of the earlier survey. I. ricinus was the most common tick species being present in all 16 counties with the highest prevalence. Nevertheless, the comparison of the data of the previous and current survey cannot be used for fine-scale analysis; thus, it cannot be dismissed that the spatial distribution of I. ricinus also changed during the past decades. The spatial distribution patterns of tick-borne encephalitis in Hungary and other Central Eastern European countries may indicate such a change.     

The influence of in ovo injection with the prebiotic DiNovo~? on the development of histomorphological parameters of the duodenum,body mass and productivity in large-scale poultry production conditions

Background: Among various feed additives currently used in poultry nutrition, an important role is played by bioactive substances, including prebiotics. The beneficial effect of these bioactive substances on the gastrointestinal tract and immune system give rise to improvements in broiler health and performance nutrition, thus increasing the productivity of these birds. An innovative method for introducing bioactive substances into chickens is the in ovo injection into eggs intended for hatching. The aim of the study was to evaluate the development of histomorphological parameters of the duodenum and productivity in chickens injected in ovo with the prebiotic DiNovo~?(extract of Laminaria species of seaweed, BioA tlantis Ltd., Ireland) on d 12 of incubation, under large-scale, high density poultry production conditions.Results: There was no significant impact of the injection of DiNovo~? prebiotic on the production parameters of broiler chickens(body weight, FCR, EBI and mortality) obtained on d 42 of rearing. No significant impact of the DiNovo~? injection on the duodenum weight and length was observed, as wel as on the CSA, diameter and muscular layer thickness of the duodenum. The in ovo injection of DiNovo~? significantly increased the width of the duodenal vil i(P 0.05) and crypt depth(P 0.01) of chickens on d 21 of rearing. Other histomorphological parameters of duodenal vil i at d 42 of chickens rearing such as: the height, width, and cross section area of vil i were significantly greater in chickens from the control group compared to those from the DiNovo~? group(P 0.05 and P 0.01).Conclusions: In conclusion, this study demonstrates that injection of DiNovo~? prebiotic into the air chamber of egg significantly influences the histomorphological parameters on d 21 of rearing without negatively affecting productivity in chickens at the end of rearing.     

Sero‐epidemiological screening of pig sera collected at the slaughterhouse to detect herds infected with Aujeszky's disease virus,porcine influenza virus and Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae in the framework of an Integrated Quality Control (IQC) system

Summary

Over a period of six months, approximately 4700 blood samples were collected from 97 pig‐finishing farms in the provinces of Noord‐Brabant and Gelderland and screened for antibodies with respect to Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV), porcine influenza virus (PI) and Actinobacillus (Haemophilus) pleuropneumoniae (App). There were significant differences in the percentages of seropositive pigs between the two provinces, which may be related to the difference in the density of the pig population in the two provinces.

In practice, it was possible to perform a reliable sera collecting procedure at the slaughterhouse. No farms remained seronegative with respect to most of the disease agents during the sampling period. There was a high degree of variation in the percentages of seropositive pigs per farm as to most of the disease agents. Evidence was found that animals that were seropositive with respect to ADV were significantly more susceptible to becoming seropositive with respect to App. serotype 2, and vice versa. The same connection was observed for PI serotype H₁N₁ and PI serotype H₃N₂. Furthermore, evidence was found that pigs seropositive with respect to PI serotype H₁N_i only, or to PI serotype H₁N₁ and ADV or PI serotype H₃N₂ show a significant decrease in average daily weight gain compared to pigs that were seronegative.