Parasites and Reproduction: Interactions in Domestic Animals

A special issue of Veterinary Sciences (ISSN 2306-7381).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (9 June 2024) | Viewed by 2232

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Interests: transmissible tumours; reproductive pathology; tumour-like lesions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Interests: veterinary reproduction; reproductive pathology; veterinary parasitology

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Interests: veterinary reproduction; buiatrics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Parasitic diseases are widespread in animals and cause local or systemic diseases. Most parasites are located in the gastrointestinal tract and sometimes in the genital tract; therefore, they may cause problems in growth, reproduction, and fertility.

Parasite localization in the genital tract should be related to the sexual hormone chemotaxis or a favorable environment for their multiplication, thanks to chemical or physical aspects, such as the lower body temperatures of the testis, for example. Their genital location may favor greater spread through coitus both among animals and in the environment.

Parasitic infestations affect animals of all ages; they are very common even in newborns who often become elective targets with important repercussions on growth and future fertility.

Furthermore, they may cause effects in pregnant animals, such as abortions or stillbirths. This Special Issue aims to collect case reports, original papers, and reviews that propose new approaches for diagnosing and treatment options in dogs, cats, horses, and ruminants with multidisciplinary approaches. Fish, exotics, and wild and zoo animals are also taken into consideration.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. Localization of parasites in the genital tract;
  2. Parasites causing abortion;
  3. The spreading of parasites via coitus, parturition, or lactation;
  4. Systemic parasitic infection affecting fertility;
  5. Effects of anti-parasitic drugs on reproduction;
  6. The prevention and control of intestinal parasitic infections in neonatology

Dr. Gabriele Marino
Dr. Stefania Di Giorgio
Dr. Salvatore Monti
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. Veterinary Sciences 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 2100 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

  • parasites
  • reproductive tract
  • domestic animals
  • wild animals

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

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

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

10 pages, 851 KiB  
Communication
Seroprevalence of IgG and IgM Antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in Dogs in Greece
by Georgios Sioutas, Athanasios I. Gelasakis, Isaia Symeonidou, Constantina N. Tsokana, Panagiotis Alevizos, Dimitra Bitchava and Elias Papadopoulos
Vet. Sci. 2024, 11(8), 339; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11080339 - 27 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1793
Abstract
Toxoplasmosis, caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, is a zoonotic disease that affects various animal species, including dogs, that can serve as sentinels for indirectly estimating the environmental contamination. The current study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii IgG and [...] Read more.
Toxoplasmosis, caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, is a zoonotic disease that affects various animal species, including dogs, that can serve as sentinels for indirectly estimating the environmental contamination. The current study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii IgG and IgM antibodies in dogs across different regions of Greece and assess their living area as a potential risk factor. In total, 1282 blood samples were collected from dogs in urban and rural areas of Greece, including Attica and Thessaloniki. Serum samples were tested for T. gondii-specific IgG and IgM antibodies using an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test. A chi-square test was performed to assess the association between seropositivity for T. gondii and geographical location (urban/rural). The overall T. gondii seroprevalence was 47.6%, while the seroprevalence of IgG and IgM antibodies was 34.3% and 22.2%, respectively. Dogs from rural areas exhibited a significantly higher seroprevalence (53.8%) than those from urban areas (43.9%) (p < 0.001), with the estimated odds ratio being equal to 1.49 (95% CI, 1.18 to 1.65) and the relative risk increased by 22.4%. Dogs in Greece are highly exposed to T. gondii, particularly in rural areas. Measures to prevent canine infections are necessary, and basic hygiene practices, such as hand washing after petting dogs, are required to reduce human infection risk and safeguard public health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Parasites and Reproduction: Interactions in Domestic Animals)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop