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Ruminants
Special Issues
Parasitological Diagnosis and Alternative Control in Ruminants
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Parasitological Diagnosis and Alternative Control in Ruminants

A Special Issue of Ruminants (ISSN 2673-933X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 6212

Editor

Dr. Elizabeth Moreira dos Santos Schmidt

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
2. School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (FMVZ), São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rua Prof. Dr. Walter Maurício Corrêa, s/n, Botucatu 18618-681, SP, Brazil
Interests: acute-phase proteins; inflammation, immune response; gastrointestinal nematodes; protein electrophoresis; biomarkers; non-invasive biomarkers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, in ruminant production, it is important to consider environmental, social, and economic factors in order to sustainably enhance productivity. The immune response of the host, which is associated with nutrition and breed, also plays an important role in the epidemiology of parasitic diseases. Advances in developing biomarkers to improve the diagnosis of parasitic diseases are essential in achieving a better understanding of the pathophysiology of parasite infections in ruminants. Biomarkers provide important information, supporting the prevention and management of health risks. Additionally, as prophylaxis against gastrointestinal nematode infections relies on the use of anthelmintics and their frequent administration leads to resistance in parasites, we urgently need to identify alternatives and strategies for the control of gastrointestinal parasites. We welcome submissions exploring these topics in any species of ruminant. This Special Issue will gather and highlight research on evidence-based medicine and diagnosis in parasitic diseases in ruminants, as well as alternative control methods in parasites. For this Special Issue, we welcome original research papers, as well as literature reviews, exploring different research areas, such as inflammatory response in parasitic diseases, gastrointestinal parasites, blood parasites, biomarkers for diagnosis, and alternatives and strategies for parasite control.

Dr. Elizabeth Moreira dos Santos Schmidt
Guest Editor

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Ruminants is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1200 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

  • inflammation
  • dairy cattle
  • sheep
  • goats
  • proteins
  • helminths
  • biomarkers
  • beef cattle
  • protozoan
  • immune response

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3061 KB  
Article
Surgical Isolation of a Haemonchus contortus FESC Strain: Morphological and Molecular Characterization for Use in Research
by César Cuenca-Verde, Rosa Isabel Higuera-Piedrahita, Héctor Alejandro de la Cruz-Cruz, Enrique Flores-Gasca, María del Rocio Morales-Méndez, Marco Antonio Muñoz-Guzmán, Fernando Alba-Hurtado and Jorge Alfredo Cuéllar-Ordaz
Ruminants 2026, 6(3), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants6030052 - 5 Jul 2026
Viewed by 1147
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus is one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal nematodes in all ecosystems in Mexico, where sheep are raised on pasture, and it poses a significant threat. This study aimed to examine the surgical isolation of a Mexican H. contortus strain, its morphological [...] Read more.
Haemonchus contortus is one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal nematodes in all ecosystems in Mexico, where sheep are raised on pasture, and it poses a significant threat. This study aimed to examine the surgical isolation of a Mexican H. contortus strain, its morphological and molecular characterization, and the maintenance of this strain for future research. Biological behavior and some phenotypic aspects of the adults were considered. Fecal samples were obtained from naturally infected sheep, larval cultures were performed, and a nematode-free lamb was infected. Once the infection was established, the donor sheep were euthanized, the adults recovered, and H. contortus females and males were selected. A surgical transfer from H. contortus adult to the abomasum of a receptor lamb was performed, and the beginning of the egg excretion was confirmed three days post-transfer; fecal cultures from the receptor lamb were conducted to verify the purity of the strain. After three lambs were infected with 3000, 5000, and 10,000 L3, the pre-patent period, prolificacy, and measurements of the adult stages of the strain were studied. The molecular characteristics were evaluated by qPCR; primers were designed based on NCBI genomic DNA sequences of H. contortus to amplify a 176 bp fragment, and the amplicon was sequenced for taxonomic identification. The results of this study describe biological characteristics and some phenotypic aspects of the adults, as well as eggs and infective larvae, and molecular characteristics of the isolated strain, and establish a successful methodology for isolating and maintaining a pure strain of H. contortus (FESC-strain); it can be used as a reference in experimental infections or anthelmintic resistance studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitological Diagnosis and Alternative Control in Ruminants)
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9 pages, 751 KB  
Communication
Seroprevalence of Anti-Neospora caninum and Anti-Toxoplasma gondii Antibodies in Cattle Intended for Human Consumption in the State of Paraíba, Brazil
by Geraldo Moreira Silva Filho, Jordania Oliveira Silva, Audisio Alves Costa Filho, Roberta Nunes Parentoni, Arthur Willian Lima Brasil, Thais Ferreira Feitosa and Vinícius Longo Ribeiro Vilela
Ruminants 2025, 5(4), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants5040048 - 11 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1723
Abstract
We aimed to assess the seroprevalence of anti-Neospora caninum and anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in cattle intended for human consumption in Paraíba, Brazil, and the associated risk factors. A total of 110 serum samples from slaughtered cattle were analyzed using the Indirect [...] Read more.
We aimed to assess the seroprevalence of anti-Neospora caninum and anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in cattle intended for human consumption in Paraíba, Brazil, and the associated risk factors. A total of 110 serum samples from slaughtered cattle were analyzed using the Indirect Fluorescence Antibody Test (IFAT), with cut-off points of 1:200 for N. caninum and 1:64 for T. gondii. Seroprevalence was 8.2% (9/110) for N. caninum (titers 1:200–1:6400) and 18.2% (20/110) for T. gondii (titers 1:64–1:512). Risk factor analysis revealed that the variable female sex (cows) and the extensive farming system were statistically significantly associated with seroprevalence for N. caninum. Whereas for T. gondii, extensive farming, frequent animal purchase, and the lack of separation between calves and adult cattle were statistically significant. These findings demonstrate the circulation of these parasites in herds, with implications for animal and public health, indicating a potential risk of transmission to definitive hosts and humans through the consumption of raw or undercooked infected meat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitological Diagnosis and Alternative Control in Ruminants)
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10 pages, 1421 KB  
Article
Effect of Pasture Height on the Development of Free-Living Stages of Haemonchus contortus and Haemonchus placei
by Cesar Cristiano Bassetto, Michelle Cardoso Santos, Natalia Mizuhira Magro and Alessandro Francisco Talamini do Amarante
Ruminants 2025, 5(3), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants5030043 - 10 Sep 2025
Viewed by 2123
Abstract
Haemonchus contortus and Haemonchus placei infect different species of ruminants, but when small ruminants and cattle share the same pasture, cross-infections can occur. Weather conditions and the herbage microenvironment influence the development and survival of larvae during the free-living stage. Development of free-living [...] Read more.
Haemonchus contortus and Haemonchus placei infect different species of ruminants, but when small ruminants and cattle share the same pasture, cross-infections can occur. Weather conditions and the herbage microenvironment influence the development and survival of larvae during the free-living stage. Development of free-living stages (eggs, L1, L2, and L3) for both nematode species in sheep faeces deposited on short grass (4 cm) and tall grass (60 cm) ground was evaluated during nine days at the beginning of the rainy season. Rainfall occurred during five of the nine days assessed, and the tall and short grass environments demonstrated different temperatures, with a maximum of 34.0 °C to 42.0 °C and 31.0 °C to 38.0 °C and a minimum of 12.0 °C to 17.0 °C and 10.0 °C to 24.5 °C for the short and tall grass, respectively. Due to the development of eggs into infective larvae (L3), decreased egg counts were observed over time in faecal samples from both species and environments. However, some eggs were still present in samples until eight days post-deposition among tall grass. In both environments, the development times for all larval stages were similar. Small numbers of H. contortus larvae were found in the soil and grass, whereas no H. placei larvae were found. In conclusion, the trend of development in different environments was similar for both nematode species; however, the tall grass environment provided better conditions for the development of larval stages of both Haemonchus species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitological Diagnosis and Alternative Control in Ruminants)
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Other

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36 pages, 2161 KB  
Systematic Review
Global Prevalence and Heterogeneity of Fasciola Infection in Cattle: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 49 Million Animals over the Past Three Decades
by Abel Villa-Mancera, José Manuel Robles-Robles, Jaime Olivares-Pérez, Agustín Olmedo-Juárez, Roberto González-Garduño, José Luis Ponce-Covarrubias, Nallely Rivero-Perez, Felipe Patricio, Huitziméngari Campos-García and Samuel Ortega-Vargas
Ruminants 2026, 6(3), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants6030075 - 31 Aug 2026
Viewed by 323
Abstract
Fascioliasis, caused by Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica, is a major veterinary and zoonotic disease affecting cattle production systems worldwide. Despite extensive research, prevalence estimates vary considerably across geographic regions and study methodologies, necessitating a systematic synthesis to inform evidence-based control strategies [...] Read more.
Fascioliasis, caused by Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica, is a major veterinary and zoonotic disease affecting cattle production systems worldwide. Despite extensive research, prevalence estimates vary considerably across geographic regions and study methodologies, necessitating a systematic synthesis to inform evidence-based control strategies and public health interventions. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted of studies reporting Fasciola prevalence in cattle from 1996 to 2024. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed on 338 studies encompassing approximately 49 million cattle samples. Subgroup analyses were performed to examine variations by continent, diagnostic method, Fasciola species, study period, sample size, and climate zone. Meta-regression identified sources of heterogeneity, and publication bias was assessed using Egger’s test. Certainty of evidence for the principal pooled outcomes was assessed using the GRADE framework. The global pooled prevalence of Fasciola infection in cattle was 26.5% (95% CI: 24.0–29.1), with very high heterogeneity (I2 = 99.5%). Significant geographic variation was observed, with Europe showing the highest prevalence (42.1%, 95% CI: 33.1–51.1), followed by Oceania (38.9%, 95% CI: 24.3–53.6), America (31.4%, 95% CI: 24.5–38.4), and Africa (24.3%, 95% CI: 21.1–27.5), and Asia showed the lowest (18.3%, 95% CI: 13.9–22.8). The diagnostic method emerged as the most important source of heterogeneity (R2 = 26.3%), with ELISA detecting a substantially higher prevalence (49.0%, 95% CI: 41.8–56.2) than post-mortem examination (19.2%, 95% CI: 16.2–22.3). F. hepatica exhibited a higher prevalence (33.1%, 95% CI: 27.9–38.2) than other species. No temporal trends were detected between the study periods. The climate zone explained 3.1% of the heterogeneity. Publication bias was not significant (Egger’s p = 0.157). Fasciolosis represents a substantial global burden in cattle populations, with its prevalence strongly influenced by diagnostic methodology and geographic location. The critical role of the choice of diagnostic method in prevalence estimation underscores the urgent need for standardized surveillance protocols. These findings have important implications for veterinary disease control programs and zoonotic disease prevention strategies in both endemic and emerging regions worldwide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasitological Diagnosis and Alternative Control in Ruminants)
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