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Escherichia coli is present in the normal intestinal flora but some strains can cause intestinal and extraintestinal diseases, and research on its presence in food of animal origin is in the interests of public health. This study was designed to characterise E. coli strains according to their origin, their carriage of virulence genes specific for certain pathogroups, and phylogenetic group affiliation.

Simple Summary: The larvae of the Oestridae family parasitize the tissues, body cavities and gastrointestinal tract of mammalian hosts and thereby cause obligatory subcutaneous, nasopharyngeal and gastrointestinal myiasis, affecting wild and domestic mammals worldwide. The study aimed to present initial morphological and molecular findings regarding nasopharyngeal and subcutaneous myiasis in red deer and roe deer populations in Croatia. Larval specimens were obtained from 45 wild cervids during the timeframe spanning from 2015 to 2024. Subcutaneous larvae in both cervid species were identified as Hypoderma diana, while nasopharyngeal larvae were identified as Cephenemyia simulator in roe deer and Pharyngomyia picta in red deer. Our results provide a reference for similar investigations elsewhere in southeastern Europe, which are important for obtaining a complete understanding of botfly distribution throughout Europe as climate conditions become increasingly favorable to their growth. The infestation of ruminants by fly larvae of the Oestridae family can lead to nasopharyngeal or subcutaneous myiasis, which can harm animal welfare and productivity on sheep and cattle farms. The infestation of wild ruminants allows them to serve as reservoirs for subsequent transfer to domestic animals. The fly species most commonly responsible for myiasis have been well studied in many parts of the world, but less so in southeastern Europe. Here, we identified three botfly species among 197 subcutaneous larvae and 138 nasopharyngeal larvae from 36 wild roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and 9 wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) at 30 locations across Croatia. Instars were stored in 75% ethanol and their species and developmental stage were identified based on morphological and morphometric keys. Subcutaneous larvae in both cervid species were identified as Hypoderma diana, while nasopharyngeal larvae were identified as Cephenemyia simulator in roe deer and Pharyngomyia picta in red deer. Partial sequencing of the gene-encoding mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I confirmed the taxonomic classification of C. stimulator and P. picta but was unable to confirm that of H. diana for lack of previously published sequences. This study appears to be the first to combine the morphological and molecular characterization of myiasis-causing botflies in wild cervids in southeastern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms underlying the domestication process have already been well explained. Starting with Belyaev's pioneering experiment on silver foxes, which showed that selection for tameness (reduced fear response, changes in the 'hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system'—HPA axis) leads to destabilisation of the regulatory systems that control morphological and behavioural development, resulting in the changes characteristic of the domestication syndrome. Later, the thyroid rhythm hypothesis and the neural crest cell (NCC) hypothesis provided additional explanations. Recently, the parasite-mediated domestication hypothesis (PMD) has been proposed, suggesting an important role of endoparasites in the domestication process. Since parasites either directly or indirectly affect all mechanisms underlying the domestication syndrome (HPA, thyroid, NCC), the PMD proposes that they may be an important trigger of domestication. PMD can be tested either experimentally or comparatively. One of the basic assumptions of PMD is that parasite-susceptible, genetically less resistant/more tolerant wild animals were originally domesticated and that the susceptibility to parasites has been passed on to today's domestic animals. This can be verified primarily by comparing the parasite susceptibility of existing wild and domestic populations of the same species. We, therefore, followed a systematic comparative approach by analysing the parasite load in wild boar (WB) and free-ranging domestic pig (DP) populations from a comparable environment in a geographically close area. Fresh faeces from WB and DP populations, one each from Slovenia (SI) and Croatia (HR), were sampled. A total of 59 individual faecal samples were collected (SI: 12 WB, 20 DP; HR: 14 WB, 13 DP). Parasitological diagnostics were carried out using the sedimentation and floatation method. Five different taxa were found in WB and seven in DP. Three parasite taxa were found exclusively in DP (Cystoisospora suis, Trichuris sp., Balantidium coli), and one (Strongyloides sp.) only in WB. Of the parasites found in both cohorts, strongyles/Oesophagostomum sp. were significantly more abundant in DP, while Eimeria sp. was found in equal amounts in both (but in HR only in WB). According to the preliminary study presented here, there is evidence to support the PMD baselines in the wild boar—domestic pig association. However, we cannot draw a definitive conclusion as there are many aspects that may bias the interpretation based on parasite load alone, which are also discussed here. Therefore, comparative studies should be supported by a more focussed methodology, including an experimental approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Alveolar echinococcosis is one of the most pathogenic zoonoses caused by the larval forms of Echinococcus multilocularis. It is endemic in central Europe, but from 2001 to 2018, eight European countries reported their first cases of alveolar echinococcosis. These numbers testify to unprecedented spread of the infection. Case report We report the first case of alveolar echinococcosis from southern Croatia that was incidentally found in an immunocompromised 70-year-old male patient. He was admitted to the hospital due to macrohematuria and renal insufficiency. Diagnostic assessment of kidney impairment revealed a large liver infiltration whose radiographic appearance was suspicious of a cancer. Nevertheless, histopathological and molecular analysis of the liver biopsy confirmed alveolar echinococcosis. The lesion was irresectable due to expansion along the major liver vessels. Therefore, conservative treatment with albendazole was started and the existing immunosuppressive therapy was modulated. The control imaging following 11 months of albendazole treatment showed regression of the lesions. Conclusions It is not clear whether this case was imported or autochthonous, but it is evident that the incidence of alveolar echinococcosis is rising in Europe. Due to its rareness and malignant nature of the disease, it is often misdiagnosed or diagnosed late when radical surgical treatment is impossible to perform. Clinicians should be aware of this emerging parasitic disease, especially in immunocompromised patients, because every delay in reaching the diagnosis seriously hampers therapeutic efficacy. Better therapeutic options and standardized guidelines on the modulation of immunosuppressive therapy in these patients are highly needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 63-year-old male patient was sent to the University Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Zagreb, Croatia, in September 2017 for treatment of cystic liver lesions and pleural effusion. The patient [...]