Ixodid ticks parasitizing Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) and European wild boar (Sus scrofa) from Spain: geographical and temporal distribution

Commercial hunting of Spanish wild ungulates has made them an important economic resource. Wild ungulates may have an important role in the maintenance of ixodid tick populations, and also as reservoirs of pathogens. We studied the ixodid ticks that parasitize Iberian red deer and European wild boar from Spain. Ixodid ticks (n=6,336) were collected from 431 Iberian red deer and 142 wild boar in different regions of Spain. We found 10 different ixodid tick species parasitizing Iberian red deer, mainly Hyalomma marginatum marginatum (63.7%), Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus (7.9%) and R. bursa (7.5%). R. (Boophilus) annulatus was only collected in the province of Cádiz (southern Spain). We found 8 ixodid tick species on the wild boar, mainly Hy. m. marginatum (68.7%), R. bursa (14.6%) and Dermacentor marginatus (9.3%). We found one adult Hy. marginatum rufipes and one adult Hy. anatolicum excavatum parasitizing wild boar from south-central Spain. Mean prevalence of ixodid ticks was 41.3+/-0.08% (n=475) and 31+/-0.09% (n=284) and intensity of parasitization was 13.9+/-0.2 (n=283) and 13.6+/-0.3 (n=130) ticks/animal for Iberian red deer and wild boar, respectively. Only 5 of the 13 ixodid tick species found were shared by Iberian red deer and wild boar. This finding could indicate a host preference when Iberian red deer and wild boar share common habitats. In both Iberian red deer and wild boar from south-central Spain the monthly relative frequencies of Hy. m. marginatum and R. bursa presented an inverse pattern. The highest Hy. m. marginatum relative frequencies coincided with the lowest R. bursa relative frequencies along the year. R. bursa and I. ricinus were present in areas from northern to southern Spain while Hyalomma sp. and D. marginatus were exclusively collected in the two southern thirds of Spain. Haemaphysalis sp. and D. reticulatus were collected in northern Spain. Hy. m. marginatum and R. bursa were present during the whole year in red deer and wild boar from south-central Spain, showing more than one life cycle per year. These results are important for understanding the role of wild ungulates in the maintenance of tick infestations and to improve tick control programmes.     

Renal cell carcinoma with bone metaplasia in a horse

A case of renal tubular carcinoma with bone metaplasia is reported in a 20-year-old male, mixed breed horse having a history of weight loss and hematuria. This report includes the clinical signs, macroscopic and microscopic lesions, and the immunohistochemical findings of this neoplasm.     

Variation in free jumping technique within and among horses with little experience in show jumping

OBJECTIVE: To quantify variation in the jumping technique within and among young horses with little jumping experience, establish relationships between kinetic and kinematic variables, and identify a limited set of variables characteristic for detecting differences in jumping performance among horses. ANIMALS: Fifteen 4-year-old Dutch Warmblood horses. PROCEDURE: The horses were raised under standardized conditions and trained in accordance with a fixed protocol for a short period. Subsequently, horses were analyzed kinematically during free jumping over a fence with a height of 1.05 m. RESULTS: Within-horse variation in all variables that quantified jumping technique was smaller than variation among horses. However, some horses had less variation than others. Height of the center of gravity (CG) at the apex of the jump ranged from 1.80 to 2.01 m among horses; this variation could be explained by the variation in vertical velocity of the CG at takeoff (r, 0.78). Horses that had higher vertical velocity at takeoff left the ground and landed again farther from the fence, had shorter push-off phases for the forelimbs and hind limbs, and generated greater vertical acceleration of the CG primarily during the hind limb push-off. However, all horses cleared the fence successfully, independent of jumping technique. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Each horse had its own jumping technique. Differences among techniques were characterized by variations in the vertical velocity of the CG at takeoff. It must be determined whether jumping performance later in life can be predicted from observing free jumps of young horses.     

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in wild pigs (Sus scrofa) from Spain

Sera collected from 507 hunter-killed wild pigs (Sus scrofa) between 1993 and 2004 from five geographic regions in northern Spain and seven regions in southern Spain were assayed for antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii by the modified agglutination test (MAT). Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 185 (38.4%) of 507 pigs with titers of 1:25 in 71, 1:50 in 111 and > or =1:500 in 3; seroprevalence was significantly higher (P<0.05) in pigs from southern regions. Seroprevalence was density dependent; it was higher in pigs from high stocking per hectare and availability of forage. Statistically significant differences were not observed between T. gondii seroprevalence and hunting estates (open versus fenced), sex or age. Serological results indicate a widespread exposure to T. gondii among Spanish wild boars, suggesting that this population could represent a public health risk for persons that handle or consume raw or undercooked infected wild pig meat.     

Influence of the Th2 immune response established by Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection on the protection offered by different vaccines against Chlamydophila abortus infection

Chlamydophila abortus is the aetiological agent of enzootic abortion in small ruminants in which it infects the placenta to cause abortion during the last trimester of gestation. In a mouse model, a Th1 immune response involving IFN-gamma production and CD8+ T cells is necessary for the infection to be resolved. The authors previously demonstrated that infection with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, a rodent gastrointestinal nematode extensively used in experimental models to induce Th2 responses, alters the specific immune response against C. abortus infection, increasing bacterial multiplication in liver and reducing specific IFN-gamma production. The aim of the present work was to clarify whether a Th2 immune response has any influence on the success of vaccination using both inactivated and attenuated vaccines. The results showed that the Th2 response established prior to vaccination did not influence the induction of protection offered by the vaccines. However, the effectiveness of this protective response can be altered, depending on the adjuvant employed in the inactivated vaccines, when the Th2 response is established after vaccination, just before challenge with C. abortus.     

一些优质小麦及其杂种后代高分子量谷蛋白亚基组成与面包品质之关系

应用ＳＤＳ－ＰＡＧＥ技术分析了陕优２２５等１６个品种及３个组合杂种后代分离材料高分子量谷蛋白亚基组成及与面包品质的关系。结果表明，普通小麦中罕见的Ｇｌｕ－Ｂ１编码来基１４＋１５象Ｇｌｕ－Ｄ１编码亚基５＋１０一样，对面包品质有重要贡献，存在于陕优２２５、小偃６号等优质品种中。