Eurytrema coelomaticum natural infection in small ruminants: a neglected condition

Hepatobiliary Platynosomosis in Black-Tufted Marmosets (Callithrix penicillata): A Lethal Threat for Wildlife and Captive Populations

Helminthic infections, particularly those caused by trematodes, pose a significant health risk to both animals and humans. This study investigates hepatobiliary platynosomosis (HP) caused by Platynosomum illiciens in black-tufted marmosets (Callithrix penicillata) in Central Brazil. Data were retrospectively collected from autopsy records at the Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology and Forensics, University of Brasília, from January 2006 to July 2021. Epidemiological, clinical, and pathological information was analyzed, including comparisons between free-ranging and captive marmosets. A total of 1596 nonhuman primate (NHP) death records were examined, with black-tufted marmosets accounting for 75.6% (1206/1595) of autopsies. HP was identified in 10.8% (131/1206) of these cases. Captive marmosets showed a higher prevalence of HP (49.6%) than free-ranging ones (6.5%). This study revealed a significant seasonal trend, with higher HP prevalence observed during the wet season until the onset of the dry season. Pathological examinations revealed severe liver and bile duct damage in fatal HP cases, including fibrosis, bile duct thickening, and the presence of flukes. Captive marmosets exhibited pronounced clinical signs, such as weight loss and apathy. Morphological and molecular analysis of sampled flukes confirmed P. illiciens infecting the marmosets. These findings underscore the substantial impact of HP on marmoset populations, particularly in captive settings. The high lethality (58% overall; 81.6% in captivity) highlights the need for improved management and preventive measures in captive environments. This study contributes to understanding HP epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and pathological outcomes, underscoring the disease's significance for the health of both free-ranging and captive NHP populations. Our findings also support the need to develop targeted strategies to mitigate the impact of HP on primate species populations.

Eurytrematosis: An emerging parasitosis in cattle from Northeast Argentina

This study was carried out in the northwest region of Misiones Province, Argentina, focusing on the clinical, pathological, epidemiological, and parasitological aspects of Eurytrema spp. in cattle. Clinical monitoring of five cattle cases exhibiting chronic weight loss revealed that affected animals had enlarged pancreases, with severe fibrosis and presence of Eurytrema coelomaticum in the pancreatic ducts. Histopathological analysis confirmed severe fibrosing periductal lymphoplasmacytic interstitial pancreatitis with intralesional trematodes. A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted from June 2018 to May 2021, involving 44 farms and 718 fecal samples. Coproparasitological analysis revealed a within-farm prevalence of 70.7 %, with an animal-level prevalence of 37.5 %. A multivariable generalized linear model identified the abundance of snails, the limited availability of monthly veterinary assistance, and loss of body condition as significant risk factors for Eurytrema sp. prevalence. Spatial analysis detected three significant clusters with varying prevalence levels, highlighting areas of high and low parasite occurrence. This study represents the first detailed investigation of Eurytrema sp. in Argentina, confirming its endemic presence in the central-northern region of Misiones Province. The findings underscore the need for further research to evaluate the parasite's spread across the province and its potential impact on livestock production.

Characterization of the Complete Mitochondrial Genome and Phylogenetic Analyses of Eurytrema coelomaticum (Trematoda: Dicrocoeliidae)

Eurytrema coelomaticum, a pancreatic fluke, is recognized as a causative agent of substantial economic losses in ruminants. This infection, commonly referred to as eurytrematosis, is a significant concern due to its detrimental impact on livestock production. However, there is a paucity of knowledge regarding the mitochondrial genome of E. coelomaticum. In this study, we performed the initial sequencing of the complete mitochondrial genome of E. coelomaticum. Our findings unveiled that the mitochondrial genome of E. coelomaticum spans a length of 15,831 bp and consists of 12 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and two noncoding regions. The A+T content constituted 62.49% of the genome. Moreover, all 12 protein-coding genes of E. coelomaticum exhibit the same arrangement as those of E. pancreaticum and other published species belonging to the family Dicrocoeliidae. The presence of a short string of additional amino acids (approximately 20~23 aa) at the N-terminal of the cox1 protein in both E. coelomaticum and E. pancreaticum mitochondrial genomes has contributed to the elongation of the cox1 gene in genus Eurytrema, surpassing that of all previously sequenced Dicrocoeliidae. The phylogenetic analysis displayed a close relationship between E. coelomaticum and E. pancreaticum, along with a genus-level association between Eurytrema and Lyperosomum. These findings underscore the importance of mitochondrial genomic data for comparative studies of Dicrocoeliidae and even Digenea, offering valuable DNA markers for future investigations in the systematic, epidemiological, and population genetic studies of this parasite and other digenean trematodes.

Pancreatic eurytrematosis in small ruminants: A forgotten disease or an untold history?

Trematodiosis are among the most neglected parasitic diseases worldwide. The pancreatic eurytrematosis (PE) is a chronic parasitic infection mostly reported in cattle but has been unnoticed in small ruminants for many decades. Our review showed PE has been recorded as scattered regional reports in goats and sheep, mainly in Asia and Eastern Europe. Eurytrema coelomaticum, Eurytrema cladorchis, and Eurytrema pancreaticum have been the main pathogenic species infecting pancreatic ducts of small ruminants. Climatic, environmental, and regional conditions in both hemispheres may support the survival and feasibility of intermediate hosts and parasitic forms, enabling the emergence and spread of PE in small ruminants. As a primarily asymptomatic condition, PE in goats and sheep flocks may also have a high prevalence, causing severe parasitic pancreatitis, production losses, and death. There is little information on anthelmintic therapeutics for PE in small ruminants, and most used anti-fluke drugs are ineffective. PE is likely more unnoticed than a neglected trematodiosis in goats and sheep, or both from a global perspective.

Comparison of two coprological methods for the diagnosis of Eurytrema ssp. in cattle and sheep

Eurytrematosis is a disease caused by flukes of the genus Eurytrema. These parasites infect the pancreatic ducts of a wide variety of species, including cattle, sheep and humans. Diagnosing eurytrematosis through the analysis of faecal samples can be difficult because most of the available techniques are considered of low sensitivity. In this context, a modification of the Dennis, Stone and Swanson technique (Belem Sedimentation Technique, BST) was previously developed to increase the probability of detecting infected animals; nevertheless, the values of eggs per gram obtained using the modified technique are generally low. We proposed a modification of the this technique (MBST), to increase the sensitivity and detection rate of infected animals. The objective of this work was to describe MBST and compare it with BST. Faecal samples of 212 clinically healthy animals (174 from cattle and 38 from sheep) from 20 farms were taken by the intra-rectal route and stored at 4°C. The samples were processed using BST and MBST. Positive samples amounted to 55 (25.9%) using BST and 121 (57.1%) using MBST. In the simples from cattle, 52 (29.8%) and 107 (61.4%) were positive in BST and MBST, respectively. In sheep, three (7.8%) and 14 (36.8%) positive samples were obtained in BST and MBST, respectively.The results obtained using the two methods were significantly different, indicating a lack of agreement between their findings. The results suggest that MBST is a more sensitive method to detect Eurytrema spp. eggs in faeces than BST.