Xenodiagnosis of Leishmania infection in hares (Lepus granatensis) from a focus of human leishmaniasis in Fuenlabrada at southwestern Madrid region (Spain) proved that they are infective to Phlebotomus perniciosus. Molecular characterization of isolates obtained from sand flies infected after xenodiagnosis demonstrates that hares were infected by Leishmania infantum. This is the first evidence of the transmission of L. infantum from hares to sand flies.
For the first time, DNA from human pathogenic R. helvetica (7.5%), R. monacensis (6.1%), A. phagocytophilum (1.4%), E. muris (0.7%), F. tularensis (2.7%) and Babesia sp.EU1 (0.7%) has been detected in Romania. The tick Ixodes ricinus is one of the most important vectors of a large variety of pathogens of veterinary and medical importance in Europe (1). The most prevalent I. ricinus-borne infection in humans in Europe is Lyme borreliosis, a multisystemic disorder caused by spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex (2) .
SUMMARY Existing algorithms for predicting species' distributions sit on a continuum between purely statistical and purely biological approaches. Most of the existing algorithms are aspatial because they do not consider the spatial context, the occurrence of the species or conditions conducive to the species' existence, in neighbouring areas. The geostatistical techniques of kriging and cokriging are presented in an attempt to encourage biologists more frequently to consider them. Unlike deterministic spatial techniques they provide estimates of prediction errors.
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a noninvasive assay, conjunctival swab (CS) nested-PCR (n-PCR), for diagnosing canine leishmaniasis (CanL) in different stages of infection in comparison to the performance of the indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT), lymph node microscopy, and buffy coat n-PCR. To this end, we performed a cross-sectional survey among 253 nonselected dogs in areas of endemicity in central Italy. We also performed a longitudinal study of CS n-PCR among 20 sick dogs undergoing antileishmanial treatment.
Feeding success depends on host availability, host defensive reactions and host preferences. Host choice is a critical determinant of the intensity at which pathogens are transmitted. The aim of the current study was to describe host preferences of Palaearctic Culicoides species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) Latreille using traps baited with the five different host species of poultry, horse, cattle, sheep and goat. Collections were carried out nightly in July and August 2009 in western France with three replicates of a 5 × 5 randomized Latin square (five sites, five hosts).
Feeding success of free-living hematophagous insects depends on their ability to be active when hosts are available and to reach places where hosts are accessible. When the hematophagous insect is a vector of pathogens, determining the components of host-seeking behavior is of primary interest for the assessment of transmission risk. Our aim was to describe endo/exophagy and circadian host-seeking activity of Palaearctic Culicoides species, which are major biting pests and arbovirus vectors, using drop traps and suction traps baited with four sheep, as bluetongue virus hosts.