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Miró G, Wright I, Michael H, Burton W, Hegarty E, Rodón J, Buch J, Pantchev N, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G. Seropositivity of main vector-borne pathogens in dogs across Europe. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:189. [PMID: 35668469 PMCID: PMC9169295 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05316-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Canine vector-borne disease (CVBD) has been an area of increasing interest in Europe over the last few decades, and there have been changes in the prevalence and distribution of many of these diseases. Monitoring CVBD infections in Europe is often done by individual countries, but aggregated data for the European countries are helpful to understand the distribution of CVBDs. METHODS We used an extensive retrospective database of results from point-of-care rapid enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests on dogs across Europe to identify distribution and seropositivity in animals tested for selected CVBDs (Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi, Leishmania spp., and Dirofilaria immitis) from 2016 through 2020. Geographic distribution of positive tests and relative percent positive values were mapped by the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics classification for regions with sufficient test results for reporting. RESULTS A total of 404,617 samples corresponding to 1,134,648 canine results were available from dogs tested in 35 countries over the 5-year study period. Over this period the number of test results per year increased whereas test positivity decreased. Leishmania spp. had the largest increase in total test results from 25,000 results in 2016 to over 60,000 results in 2020. Test positivity for Leishmania spp. fell from 13.9% in 2016 to 9.4% in 2020. Test positivity fell for Anaplasma spp. (7.3 to 5.3%), Ehrlichia spp. (4.3 to 3.4%), and Borrelia burgdorferi (3.3 to 2.4%). Dirofilaria immitis test positivity trended down with a high of 2.7% in 2016 and low of 1.8% in 2018. Leishmania spp. test positivity was highest in endemic areas and in several non-endemic countries with low numbers of test results. Co-positivity rates were significantly higher than expected for all pathogen test positive pairs except for Ehrlichia spp. with Borrelia burgdorferi and D. immitis with Borrelia burgdorferi. CONCLUSIONS This study represents the largest data set on CVBD seropositivity in Europe to date. The increase in the number of test results and decreasing test positivity over the study period may reflect changes in testing behavior and increased screening of healthy animals. The Europe-wide mapping of CVBD provides expected test positivity that can help inform veterinarians' decisions on screening and improve prevention and identification of these important, sometimes zoonotic, diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guadalupe Miró
- Department of Animal Health, Veterinary Faculty, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Ian Wright
- Mount Veterinary Practice, Fleetwood, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Jesse Buch
- IDEXX Laboratories, Inc, Westbrook, ME, USA
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Baxarias M, Homedes J, Mateu C, Attipa C, Solano-Gallego L. Use of preventive measures and serological screening tools for Leishmania infantum infection in dogs from Europe. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:134. [PMID: 35534848 PMCID: PMC9088038 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05251-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There are several screening tools for detecting Leishmania infantum infection in dogs and various preventive measures to protect against it. Some studies have investigated them, but not many have described their current use. The aim of this study was to investigate which preventive measures and serological screening tools for L. infantum infection were employed from 2012 to 2018 in dogs from different endemic European countries. Methods A set of electronic datasheets was completed for each dog from several veterinary centres. Classification of preventive measures included: (1) repellents, (2) vaccines and (3) immunomodulators. Classification of serological tests included the: (1) direct agglutination test (DAT), (2) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), (3) indirect immunofluorescence (IFI), (4) rapid tests and (5) other assays. Dogs were also classified depending on their risk of exposure and living area. Results Information from 3762 dogs was gathered. Preventive measures were applied in 91.5% of dogs and the most frequently used were repellents (86.2%) followed by vaccines (39.8%) and Leisguard® (15.3%). The different types of repellents (collar and spot-on) were used similarly. A combination of a vaccine and repellents was preferred in the high-risk group while the low-risk preferred a combination of Leisguard® and a repellent (Chi-square test: X2 = 88.41, df = 10, P < 0.001). Furthermore, all preventive measures were similarly used through the years except for repellents, which were predicted to have a small increase of use each year. Regarding serological screening tools, the most used were rapid and ELISA tests. Rapid tests, ELISA tests and DAT were used similarly through the years, but a significant change was found in the use of IFI and other assays whose use decreased a little each year. Conclusions Repellents were the preferred measure, while vaccines and Leisguard® were second-line options. Some dogs were not treated by any measures, which highlights the need for dog owner education. Moreover, there seems to be a preference for rapid tests in the clinical setting to detect specific L. infantum antibodies while ELISA or IFI are less often employed. This underlines an increasing problem, as qualitative rapid tests have a variable diagnostic performance limiting the adequate diagnosis of seropositive dogs in endemic areas. Graphical abstract ![]()
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13071-022-05251-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Baxarias
- Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | | | | | - Charalampos Attipa
- Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Laia Solano-Gallego
- Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.
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Pereira MA, Santos R, Nóbrega C, Mega C, Cruz R, Esteves F, Santos C, Coelho C, Mesquita JR, Vala H, Santos-Gomes G. A Questionnaire-Based Survey on the Long-Term Management of Canine Leishmaniosis by Veterinary Practitioners. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12060731. [PMID: 35327128 PMCID: PMC8944528 DOI: 10.3390/ani12060731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Canine Leishmaniosis is a chronic and potentially fatal disease, caused by Leishmania infantum, a zoonotic microorganism. In economically disadvantaged regions, costs associated with long-term patient monitoring may determine that some owners decline veterinary follow-up of their dogs, with potentially severe implications for animal welfare and public health. This online, questionnaire-based survey aimed to assess how Portuguese veterinary practitioners perform long-term patient management and recognize relapses. More than half of the respondents stated that most dog owners declare having financial restraints, which condition the use of diagnostic tests during long-term follow-up. Allopurinol ad aeternum or until disease remission and domperidone were the most prescribed treatment, and relapses were detected by the reappearance or worsening of clinical signs by most veterinary practitioners. The rate of relapse detection was higher in the most economically favored regions, probably because of a lesser constraint on the use of the appropriate diagnostic tests. This study confirms that owner financial restraints negatively influence veterinary follow-up and relapse recognition, potentially compromising clinical decision making and favoring the maintenance of Leishmania infantum infection endemic status in Portugal. Abstract Canine Leishmaniosis (CanL) is a chronic and potentially fatal disease. In economically disadvantaged regions, costs associated with long-term patient monitoring may determine that some owners decline veterinary follow-up of their dogs. This online, questionnaire-based survey aimed to assess how Portuguese veterinary practitioners perform long-term patient monitoring and recognize relapses. More than 50% of respondents reported that 50–100% of dog owners declared financial restraints. Hence, in these circumstances, most veterinary practitioners only performed clinical examination and serology. However, when owners did not declare financial restriction, other tests were additionally performed, such as renal and hepatic profiles, hemogram, serum protein electrophoresis and urine protein creatinine ratio. The mean number of exams performed when owners presented financial restraints was significantly lower than the number of exams performed without economic limitations. Most veterinary practitioners prescribed allopurinol ad aeternum or until disease remission and domperidone. CanL relapses were recognized by more than half of respondents “Always”, through the reappearance or worsening of clinical signs, whereas about a quarter detected an increase in anti-Leishmania antibody levels and identified abnormalities in the serum protein electrophoresis profile. The relapse rate was higher in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and north, the most economically favored regions of Portugal. This study confirms that owner financial restraints negatively influence veterinary follow-up and relapse recognition, ultimately compromising clinical decision making and favoring the maintenance of Leishmania infantum infection endemicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A. Pereira
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal; (C.N.); (C.M.); (R.C.); (F.E.); (C.S.); (C.C.); (H.V.)
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL, Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal;
- CERNAS—Research Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, ESAV, Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, 3500-606 Viseu, Portugal
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +351-232-446-600
| | - Rute Santos
- Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, 7300-110 Portalegre, Portugal;
- Research Centre for Endogenous Resource Valorization (VALORIZA), 7300-555 Portalegre, Portugal
| | - Carmen Nóbrega
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal; (C.N.); (C.M.); (R.C.); (F.E.); (C.S.); (C.C.); (H.V.)
- Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Cristina Mega
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal; (C.N.); (C.M.); (R.C.); (F.E.); (C.S.); (C.C.); (H.V.)
- CERNAS—Research Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, ESAV, Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, 3500-606 Viseu, Portugal
| | - Rita Cruz
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal; (C.N.); (C.M.); (R.C.); (F.E.); (C.S.); (C.C.); (H.V.)
- Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, 4050-091 Porto, Portugal;
- Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), 4050-600 Porto, Portugal
| | - Fernando Esteves
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal; (C.N.); (C.M.); (R.C.); (F.E.); (C.S.); (C.C.); (H.V.)
- CERNAS—Research Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, ESAV, Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, 3500-606 Viseu, Portugal
| | - Carla Santos
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal; (C.N.); (C.M.); (R.C.); (F.E.); (C.S.); (C.C.); (H.V.)
| | - Catarina Coelho
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal; (C.N.); (C.M.); (R.C.); (F.E.); (C.S.); (C.C.); (H.V.)
- CERNAS—Research Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, ESAV, Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, 3500-606 Viseu, Portugal
| | - João R. Mesquita
- Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, 4050-091 Porto, Portugal;
- Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), 4050-600 Porto, Portugal
- ICBAS—School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Helena Vala
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal; (C.N.); (C.M.); (R.C.); (F.E.); (C.S.); (C.C.); (H.V.)
- CERNAS—Research Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, ESAV, Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, 3500-606 Viseu, Portugal
- Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5001-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Gabriela Santos-Gomes
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, UNL, Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal;
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Bongiorno G, Bosco A, Bianchi R, Rinaldi L, Foglia Manzillo V, Gizzarelli M, Maurelli MP, Giaquinto D, El Houda Ben Fayala N, Varloud M, Crippa A, Oliva G, Gradoni L, Cringoli G. Laboratory evidence that dinotefuran, pyriproxyfen and permethrin combination abrogates Leishmania infantum transmissibility by sick dogs. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2022; 36:81-87. [PMID: 34724230 PMCID: PMC9298322 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Dogs are reservoir hosts of leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum and transmitted by phlebotomine vectors. The effect of dinotefuran, pyriproxyfen and permethrin spot-on solution (Vectra®3D, Ceva Santé Animale, Libourne, France) on Leishmania transmissibility by naturally infected dogs via reared Phlebotomus perniciosus, was assessed. Dogs affected by leishmaniasis were submitted to xenodiagnosis and 6 infecting >10% of insects were treated topically on day 0. Antifeeding, insecticidal and anti-transmissibility effects were evaluated through xenodiagnoses performed on days 1, 7 and 28, using individual pre-treatment parameters as control. Feeding and mortality rates were assessed at 24 h, whereas promastigote infection, maturation and burden were assessed up to 96 h post blood meal (potentially infectious rate). On day 1, the anti-feeding efficacy was >95% in 4 dogs, insecticidal efficacy 100% in 4 dogs, and anti-transmissibility effect 100% in 6 dogs. Efficacy rates recorded on day 7 were very similar to day 1. On day 28, anti-feeding and insecticidal efficacy values were much broader, ranging 32.6-100% and 7.7-94.4%, respectively. Potentially infectious insects were recorded from two dogs, with sharp decrease in transmissibility rate as compared with pre-treatment condition. Altogether, Vectra®3D abrogated by >98% the potential Leishmania transmissibility by the examined pool of infected dogs over 1 month.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. Bongiorno
- Unit of Vector‐borne DiseasesIstituto Superiore di SanitàRomeItaly
| | - A. Bosco
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal ProductionUniversity of Naples Federico IINaplesItaly
- CREMOPAREboliItaly
| | - R. Bianchi
- Unit of Vector‐borne DiseasesIstituto Superiore di SanitàRomeItaly
| | - L. Rinaldi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal ProductionUniversity of Naples Federico IINaplesItaly
- CREMOPAREboliItaly
| | - V. Foglia Manzillo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal ProductionUniversity of Naples Federico IINaplesItaly
| | - M. Gizzarelli
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal ProductionUniversity of Naples Federico IINaplesItaly
| | - M. P. Maurelli
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal ProductionUniversity of Naples Federico IINaplesItaly
- CREMOPAREboliItaly
| | - D. Giaquinto
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal ProductionUniversity of Naples Federico IINaplesItaly
| | - N. El Houda Ben Fayala
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal ProductionUniversity of Naples Federico IINaplesItaly
| | | | | | - G. Oliva
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal ProductionUniversity of Naples Federico IINaplesItaly
| | - L. Gradoni
- Unit of Vector‐borne DiseasesIstituto Superiore di SanitàRomeItaly
| | - G. Cringoli
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal ProductionUniversity of Naples Federico IINaplesItaly
- CREMOPAREboliItaly
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Zatelli A, Fondati A, Leishmaniosis C, Maroli M. The Knowns and Unknowns of the efficacy of neem oil (Azadirachta indica) used as a preventative measure against Leishmania sand fly vectors (Phlebotomus genus). Prev Vet Med 2022; 202:105618. [DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2022.105618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Bongiorno G, Meyer L, Evans A, Lekouch N, Doherty P, Chiummo R, Gradoni L. Insecticidal efficacy against Phlebotomus perniciosus in dogs treated orally with fluralaner in two different parallel-group, negative-control, random and masked trials. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:18. [PMID: 34998427 PMCID: PMC8742344 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-05128-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Dogs are the reservoir host of Leishmania infantum, the agent of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (VL), which is transmitted by the bite of phlebotomine sand flies. The sand fly Phlebotomus perniciosus is the main vector of zoonotic VL in the western Mediterranean region. Fluralaner has been shown to effectively kill this vector. The aim of this study was to evaluate the insecticidal efficacy of oral fluralaner in dogs bitten by P. perniciosus. Methods Two parallel-group, negative-controlled, randomized, masked laboratory trials with equivalent designs were performed in two different locations using two different pathogen-free laboratory-bred P. perniciosus strains for the challenge. In each trial, 12 purpose-bred beagles, initially ranked on natural attractiveness to sand flies, were randomly allocated to two groups (6 animals/group). Dogs in one group received fluralaner orally at the approved dose on day 0, and dogs in the control group were not treated. Each dog was subsequently exposed to an average of 70 unfed live sand fly females on days 1, 28, 56 and 84. Viability of blood-fed females was then evaluated for up to 96 h after exposure, and insecticidal efficacy was measured as the survival rate of flies fed on the fluralaner-treated dogs versus that of dogs in the control group. Significance was calculated for the proportion of live fed sand fly counts from treated versus control group dogs. Results Comparison of the survival proportions between treated and control groups showed that fluralaner insecticidal efficacy was highly significant in both trials (P < 0.001 or P < 0.01 in different assessments) through to day 56. In the first trial, efficacy reached 100% on days 1 and 28, and 99.1% on day 56; in the second trial, the insecticidal efficacy was 98.5, 100 and 85.9%, respectively on the same days. On day 84, efficacy was in the range of 53–57% (P < 0.05) in the first trial and 0% in the second trial. Conclusion A single oral fluralaner administration to dogs under laboratory conditions results in strong and reproducible insecticidal efficacy against P. perniciosus for at least 8 weeks. Graphical Abstract ![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Gioia Bongiorno
- Unit of Vector-Borne Diseases, Istituto Superiore Di Sanità, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Padraig Doherty
- Iorras Product Development Limited, Glenamoy-Ballina, Co. Mayo, F26Y286, Ireland
| | - Rafael Chiummo
- MSD Animal Health Innovation GmbH, 55270, Schwabenheim an der Selz, Germany
| | - Luigi Gradoni
- Unit of Vector-Borne Diseases, Istituto Superiore Di Sanità, 00161, Rome, Italy.
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A survey on canine leishmaniosis: Best practice and guideline awareness among Italian veterinary practitioners. Prev Vet Med 2021; 195:105450. [PMID: 34364152 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2021.105450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a severe, potentially life-threatening disease of dogs and is considered one of the most important vector-borne zoonoses in Europe, where there is evidence that it is currently spreading into previously unaffected areas. Veterinary practitioners represent the first-line defence against CanL and in recent years, several guidelines have been developed to assist veterinarians in the correct diagnosis, management and prevention of the disease. The present study was aimed at surveying Italian practitioners on how they manage CanL and compare results to recommendations from guidelines developed by the European Scientific Council for Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP®), by the Leishvet® organization and by the Canine Leishmaniasis Working Group (C.L.W.G.). Approximately 14.0 % of veterinarians contacted replied to the survey. Results suggest that Italian practitioners are aware of currently available guidelines for the management of CanL and adherence to recommendations is good. Interestingly, 16.0 % carry out year-long prevention, even though recent data suggest that transmission in Italy continues to be seasonal. In conclusion, the high awareness among practitioners reported here should be considered an excellent opportunity for guideline developers to continue updating their recommendations to include any new information that can support the correct management of CL.
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