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Pathogens
Special Issues
Parasitic Diseases in Livestock: Advances in Diagnostics, Understanding and Control
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Parasitic Diseases in Livestock: Advances in Diagnostics, Understanding and Control

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitic Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 858

Special Issue Editors

Dr. César Cristiano Bassetto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Biociências, UNESP-Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu 18618-689, SP, Brazil
Interests: haemonchus; gastrointestinal nematodes; livestock; parasites; diagnostic
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ana Cláudia Alexandre de Albuquerque

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, UNESP-Universidade Estadual Paulista, Jaboticabal 14884-900, SP, Brazil
Interests: host-parasite relationship; helminth infection; immune response to nematode infection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Parasitic diseases negatively impact livestock production, causing millions of dollars of losses annually across the world. The main sanitary problems in animal husbandry are caused by parasites such as protozoa, gastrointestinal nematodes, and ectoparasites like ticks and flies. Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of these parasites is crucial for progress in new methods of diagnosis and control.

In this context, we would like to invite you to consider publishing your research results in this Special Issue, which involves novelties in the diagnostics of parasites; the understanding of host–parasite interaction, immunity, and pathogenicity; and novelties in control.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Parasitologia.

Dr. César Cristiano Bassetto
Dr. Ana Cláudia Alexandre de Albuquerque
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • gastrointestinal nematodes
  • livestock
  • parasitic diseases
  • parasites
  • sheep
  • cattle
  • host–parasite interaction

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 688 KB  
Article
Comparing the Performance of McMaster, FLOTAC and Mini-FLOTAC Techniques in the Diagnosis of Strongylid Infections in Two Horse Populations in Portugal
by Marta Varandas, João Lozano, Ricardo Agrícola, Lídia Gomes, Teresa Rosa, Mariana Magalhães, Luís Lamas, Laura Rinaldi, Manuela Oliveira, Adolfo Paz-Silva and Luís Madeira de Carvalho
Pathogens 2025, 14(11), 1075; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14111075 - 22 Oct 2025
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Abstract
The diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) strongyle infections in equids is still mainly performed using quantitative coprological techniques, like the McMaster (McM), but more sensitive and precise techniques, like FLOTAC (FL) and Mini-FLOTAC (MF), have been proposed over the past 20 years. The present [...] Read more.
The diagnosis of gastrointestinal (GI) strongyle infections in equids is still mainly performed using quantitative coprological techniques, like the McMaster (McM), but more sensitive and precise techniques, like FLOTAC (FL) and Mini-FLOTAC (MF), have been proposed over the past 20 years. The present study aimed to compare the analytical performance of these three methods in the diagnosis of strongyle infections in horses. Between October 2023 and June 2024, 32 fecal samples were processed using the McM, FL and MF techniques to identify strongyles’ eggs, estimate their shedding (eggs per gram of feces, EPG), standard errors, sensitivities, precisions, and perform Spearman’s correlation and Cohen’s kappa analyses. The McM detected a higher shedding (584 ± 179 EPG), in comparison with FL and MF, with both these differences being statistically significant (p < 0.001); FL achieved the highest precision (72%), which differed significantly from McM (p = 0.03). All techniques were positively (rs = 0.92–0.96) and significantly (p < 0.001) correlated and shared substantial (k = 0.67–0.76) and significant (p < 0.001) agreement. The MF achieved the highest diagnostic sensitivity (93%), followed by FL (89%) and McM (85%), although not significantly (p = 0.90). These results suggest the usefulness of implementing FL or MF methods in equine medicine for precise and, in the latter case, quick parasitological diagnosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in Livestock: Advances in Diagnostics, Understanding and Control)
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14 pages, 4253 KB  
Article
Immunopathological Changes Caused by Oesophagostomum radiatum in Calves: Insights into Host–Parasite Interactions
by Cesar Cristiano Bassetto, Ana Cláudia Alexandre de Albuquerque, José Gabriel Gonçalves Lins, Guilherme Fernandes Dias Canalli, Anandra Kauára dos Santos Gomes and Alessandro Francisco Talamini Amarante
Pathogens 2025, 14(11), 1074; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14111074 - 22 Oct 2025
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Abstract
The intensity and prevalence of different gastrointestinal nematode species vary across regions worldwide. Oesophagostomum radiatum commonly shows a high occurrence in young cattle. O. radiatum causes anaemia, hypoproteinaemia, and immunopathological changes in the large intestine wall, impairing calves’ body weight gain. This study [...] Read more.
The intensity and prevalence of different gastrointestinal nematode species vary across regions worldwide. Oesophagostomum radiatum commonly shows a high occurrence in young cattle. O. radiatum causes anaemia, hypoproteinaemia, and immunopathological changes in the large intestine wall, impairing calves’ body weight gain. This study aimed to assess the impact of natural O. radiatum infection on haematological parameters and immune responses in 23 Nellore calves, considering sex-based differences. Assessments included Oesophagostomum egg count (EPG), worm count, packed cell volume (PCV), total plasma protein, histopathological and immunohistochemistry analyses. A large number of parasites attached to the colon mucosa were observed, along with massive nodule formation and haemorrhagic lesions, mainly within a 20–30 cm-long segment adjacent to the nodules. The maximum mean egg shedding was approximately 165 EPG for males and 173 EPG for female calves; however, males presented a significantly higher worm count (969 ± 200.5) than females (460 ± 99.5). There were significant positive correlations between the total O. radiatum worm count and O. radiatum EPG for both female and male calves. Significant negative correlations were observed between the total O. radiatum worm count and PCV in female calves. Our results demonstrated that natural O. radiatum infection in Nellore calves induced marked immunopathological alterations, including chronic inflammatory responses that impaired intestinal function. Sex-related differences suggested that female calves may develop more effective tissue responses. These findings emphasise the economic impact of subclinical infections and reinforce the importance of control strategies to minimise productivity losses in cattle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitic Diseases in Livestock: Advances in Diagnostics, Understanding and Control)
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