Epidemiological survey of cestode-larva disease in Greek sheep flocks

dc.contributor.author	Christodoulopoulos, G	en
dc.contributor.author	Theodoropoulos, G	en
dc.contributor.author	Petrakos, G	en
dc.date.accessioned	2014-06-06T06:48:28Z
dc.date.available	2014-06-06T06:48:28Z
dc.date.issued	2008	en
dc.identifier.issn	03044017	en
dc.identifier.uri	http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.02.002	en
dc.identifier.uri	http://62.217.125.90/xmlui/handle/123456789/4159
dc.subject	Echinococcus granulosus	en
dc.subject	Epidemiology	en
dc.subject	Greece	en
dc.subject	Sheep	en
dc.subject	Taenia hydatigena	en
dc.subject	Taenia multiceps	en
dc.subject.other	article	en
dc.subject.other	cysticercosis	en
dc.subject.other	echinococcosis	en
dc.subject.other	gid	en
dc.subject.other	Greece	en
dc.subject.other	health survey	en
dc.subject.other	herd	en
dc.subject.other	incidence	en
dc.subject.other	nonhuman	en
dc.subject.other	prevalence	en
dc.subject.other	sheep	en
dc.subject.other	worm infection	en
dc.subject.other	Age Factors	en
dc.subject.other	Animal Husbandry	en
dc.subject.other	Animals	en
dc.subject.other	Cestode Infections	en
dc.subject.other	Cysticercosis	en
dc.subject.other	Dogs	en
dc.subject.other	Echinococcosis	en
dc.subject.other	Echinococcus	en
dc.subject.other	Female	en
dc.subject.other	Greece	en
dc.subject.other	Larva	en
dc.subject.other	Male	en
dc.subject.other	Prevalence	en
dc.subject.other	Risk Factors	en
dc.subject.other	Sheep	en
dc.subject.other	Sheep Diseases	en
dc.subject.other	Taenia	en
dc.subject.other	Animalia	en
dc.subject.other	Canis familiaris	en
dc.subject.other	Cestoda	en
dc.subject.other	Echinococcus granulosus	en
dc.subject.other	Ovis aries	en
dc.subject.other	Taenia hydatigena	en
dc.subject.other	Taenia multiceps	en
dc.title	Epidemiological survey of cestode-larva disease in Greek sheep flocks	en
heal.type	journalArticle	en
heal.identifier.primary	10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.02.002	en
heal.publicationDate	2008	en
heal.abstract	The epidemiological status of hydatidosis, cysticercosis, and gid in sheep and the production practices of sheep farmers that increase the risk of exposure of sheep to infecting agents of these diseases were investigated in Thessaly, central Greece during 2002-2006. A total of 700 hoggets (sheep up to the age of 1 year) and 1500 adult sheep were examined randomly at an abattoir survey and the prevalences of hydatidosis and cysticercosis were found 39.32% and 29.41%, respectively. Hoggets had significantly lower prevalences of hydatidosis and cysticercosis compared to adult sheep (p < 0.001). The distribution of parasitic cysts showed an overdispersion pattern mostly in the hogget population. The proportion of fertile hydatid cysts was significantly higher in hoggets compared to adult sheep (p < 0.001). A cohort of 74 sheep flocks was observed during the same period in a prospective survey to assess the incidence of gid. A total of 57 sheep belonging to 15 flocks (20.27% of investigated flocks) developed clinical signs of gid at an annual rate of 11.40 ± 4.77 (95% C.I.). In the infected flocks there were 3.80 ± 0.92 (95% C.I.) gid cases per flock. The mean age of onset of clinical signs for all sheep was 11.86 ± 1.33 months (95% C.I.) (range 5-22 months) while for hoggets was 8.48 ± 0.73 (95% C.I.) (range 5-12 months) and for adult sheep 17.23 ± 1.42 (95% C.I.) (range 13-22 months). A significant difference was observed in the prevalence of unilateral blindness between hoggets (31.42%) and adult sheep (4.54%) (p < 0.05). The most common production practices identified in a questionnaire survey of sheep farmers that may increase the risk of exposure of sheep to hydatidosis, cysticercosis, and gid were the improper disposal of dead animals, the access of farm dogs to offal of slaughtered sheep, the carelessness of farmers to treat farm dogs with anthelmintics, and the grazing of flocks in fields where stray dogs have free access. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.	en
heal.journalName	Veterinary Parasitology	en
dc.identifier.issue	3-4	en
dc.identifier.volume	153	en
dc.identifier.doi	10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.02.002	en
dc.identifier.spage	368	en
dc.identifier.epage	373	en