Ceferino Manuel López

This study aims to assess the current situation of the main nasal bot flies (Cephenemyia stimulator and Oestrus ovis) affecting roe deer in Spain and to identify the factors influencing their spread. Between 2018 and 2025, 1600 roe deer heads were examined. The overall prevalence of C. stimulator was 39.9% (CI 95% 37.5–42.3), with a mean larval intensity of 44.1 (SD 71.99). In contrast, a low mean larval burden of O. ovis (2.6; SD 1.90) was found in 1.6% of the animals (CI 95% 1.0–2.3). Our findings revealed the first case of mixed myiasis caused by both oestrids. Roe deer abundance was the main risk factor for the prevalence of C. stimulator, whereas larval burden was significantly highest in young animals. In addition, the percentage of infested animals and larval intensity was generally higher in northern areas. The high prevalence of C. stimulator in Spain and its notable increase in recent years indicate that control measures must be taken. Our results reveal that preventing roe deer overpopulation, especially in northern regions of the country, would be key to decreasing the likelihood of nasal bot fly infestation.

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) is an emerging disease in Europe since it was first introduced in 2022 in Italy, Spain, and Portugal. The disease is traditionally considered less severe in cattle, but outbreaks have appeared with increasing frequency in the last decades. The outbreak in Spain coursed with numerous cattle farms reporting clinical disease. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the incidence of clinical disease in cattle farms from NW Spain and describe the clinical signs and their frequency. We investigated 29 cattle farms that reported EHD and estimated an incidence of farms with clinical signs of 6.2% ( n = 467) in the study area (range: 2.3%–33.3%). The mean incidence of clinical signs, mortality, and lethality rates were 8.9%, 1.7%, and 23.0%, respectively. Interestingly, mortality and lethality were significantly higher in dairy cattle than in beef (OR of 3.0 and 4.4, respectively). Oral lesions, dysphagia, and hoof problems were common clinical signs found in the study. Among all, the presence of tongue edema, dehydration, and dyspnea was associated with higher lethality rates. These results highlight a significant impact of EHD during the emergency. In fact, it must be noted that our data are based on passive surveillance, so true incidences are likely to be higher. The clinical signs and epidemiologic characteristics reported in this paper may contribute to understanding the clinical implications of the disease in cattle and help anticipate the effects of EHD virus (EHDV) introduction into naïve regions.

Wildlife is an important reservoir of zoonotic pathogens. The objective of the present study was to assess the importance of wild ungulates in the epidemiology of Rickettsia spp. Ticks and spleen samples were collected from 262 red deer (Cervus elaphus) and 83 wild boar (Sus scrofa) hunted in southwestern Spain over a 5‐year period. DNA was extracted from tick pools (n = 191) and spleens (n = 345), and two nested PCR assays targeting the rOmpA and rOmpB genes were used to detect Rickettsia DNA. Five tick species were identified (Hyalomma lusitanicum, Dermacentor marginatus, Ixodes ricinus, Rhipicephalus bursa and Haemaphysalis sulcata). Rickettsia DNA was detected in 31 (16.2%) tick pools and two red deer spleen samples (0.8%). Four validated Rickettsia species (R. slovaca, R. monacensis, R. helvetica and R. raoultii), one uncultivated species (Candidatus R. rioja) and two uncharacterized Rickettsia spp. were detected in ticks. R. helvetica and R. slovaca were also detected in spleen samples from red deer. The overall prevalence in ungulate spleen samples was lower than in tick pools suggesting that these ungulates do not play a major role in the transmission of Rickettsia spp. However, their importance as spreaders of positive ticks cannot be ruled out. The results present a challenge for the veterinary and public health communities since most of the Rickettsia spp. detected are pathogenic. Furthermore, the new Rickettsia species could be potential pathogens. For these reasons, identifying Rickettsia species present in ticks and wildlife is of particular interest to clarify their sylvatic cycle and establish appropriate control measures.

Metastrongyloid and trichuroid cardiorespiratory nematodes of dogs and cats are considered emergent in several European countries, and an increase in the number and extent of endemic foci has been described. Since data on their prevalence are limited in this continent, faecal samples from new arrivals (365 dogs and 65 cats) at two animal shelters in North‐western Spain were analysed using both floatation and Baermann techniques. In order to confirm the microscopic identification of Metastrongylidae first stage larvae, molecular characterization based on the sequence of the ITS‐2 was performed. The possible influence of some variables such as the species, sex and age of the animals and the co‐infection with other gastrointestinal parasites on the prevalence of cardiorespiratory nematodes was analysed. The most prevalent metastrongylid was Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (15.4%) followed by Angiostrongylus vasorum (4.1%) and Crenosoma vulpis (1.1%). Regarding trichuroids, Eucoleus aerophilus and/or Eucoleus boehmi eggs were detected in 28 dogs (7.7%) and four cats (6.2%). Almost all animals positive to cardiorespiratory nematodes (86.8%) were co‐infected with gastrointestinal parasites. The prevalence of Metastrongylidae and respiratory trichuroids was significantly higher in dogs co‐infected with Taenia spp. and Toxocara canis or Giardia duodenalis and Sarcocystis spp., respectively. In cats, a significant higher prevalence of Metastrongylidae nematodes was found in animals co‐infected with Toxocara cati. Our results reveal that cardiorespiratory nematodes are common in companion animals from north‐western Spain, showing higher prevalences than those previously reported from this country. This investigation represents the first report of C. vulpis, E. aerophilus and E. boehmi in dogs from Spain. The identification of a number of zoonotic parasites is of public health concern. Our results indicate that these nematodes should be included in the differential diagnosis of dogs and cats from north‐western Spain showing respiratory or cardiac clinical signs.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is one of the major pathogens involved in neonatal calf diarrhoea (NCD) causing high economic losses in dairy farms. Antibiotic treatment is common in cases of systemic illness caused by NCD, but antimicrobial susceptibility tests (AST) are usually not performed. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize the antimicrobial susceptibility of ETEC strains obtained from calves with diarrhoea between 2018–2020. Faecal samples (n = 420) were analyzed to detect the typical ETEC virulence factors F5 and STa. Positive samples were cultured to identify and isolate ETEC strains (n = 41) and ASTs were performed. Our results are alarming since ETEC strains resistant to three or more families of antimicrobials were detected in all isolates. Only four antibiotics (ceftiofur, cefoperazone, cefquinome and gentamicin) presented efficacy against more than 90% of the ETEC strains, while the other ten antibiotics were effective against less than 40% of the strains. In addition, a high number of strains were resistant to most first-line antimicrobials used in veterinary practice. For this reason, when ETEC infection is suspected, an AST must always be performed to select the most appropriate antimicrobial in each case and to avoid the emergence of new resistance mechanisms.

Cephenemyia stimulator is a Palearctic species developing in the nasal cavity and pharynx of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). It is widely spread in the range of distribution of this ungulate in Europe. Since the first report of C. stimulator in Spain in 2001, a rapid geographic expansion has been observed, first in the north of the country, with high prevalence and intensities of infestation that caused some mortal cases, and, lately, also in Extremadura and Andalucía, the southernmost populations of European roe deer. These observations suggest an adaptation of this parasite to different ecosystems of the Iberian Peninsula. Almost simultaneously, C. stimulator is also expanding its range to northern Europe, with the first cases being reported in Sweden. Thus, Cephenemyia stimulator may be an example of a parasite currently displaying distributional changes along its southernmost and northernmost range margins. Thus, it is of the utmost importance to unravel all the epidemiological and clinical aspects of this myiasis, as well as implementing surveillance measures including reliable and non-invasive diagnostic techniques to monitor its expansion and adaptation to different ecosystems and/or hosts and to reduce the negative impact on roe deer populations.

Although wildlife can act as reservoirs of some Anaplasma species, studies on the presence and distribution of Anaplasma spp. in wild cervids are mainly limited and focused on zoonotic species. In order to identify the Anaplasma species in roe deer from Spain and to detect co‐infections, 224 spleen samples were tested for Anaplasma spp. using a commercial qPCR; positive samples were further characterized using generic 16S rRNA primers and species‐specific primers targeting the msp2 and groEL genes. Anaplasma DNA was detected in the 50.9% of samples, and four Anaplasma species were identified. Anaplasma phagocytophilum (43.8%) was predominant, followed by Anaplasma bovis (13.8%), Anaplasma capra (5.8%) and Anaplasma ovis (2.2%). In addition, strains similar to Anaplasma platys were found in nine animals. Most positive roe deer (71.9%) were infected with a single Anaplasma species, whereas co‐infections with two (19.3%) or three (8.8%) Anaplasma species were also found. This study confirms the widespread occurrence of Anaplasma spp. in roe deer from Spain, being the first report of A. platys‐like strains and A. capra in this cervid; it is also the first report of A. capra in Spain. The detection of Anaplasma species pathogenic for humans and/or domestic animals in roe deer suggests that this cervid may play a role in the sylvatic cycle of these bacteria contributing to the appearance of clinical anaplasmosis cases. In addition, co‐infections are common in roe deer revealing that Anaplasma species specific PCR assays are essential for a reliable identification as well as for determining their real prevalence.