Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell'Università, 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy.
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via dell'Università, 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy.
Parasitol Int. 2022 Dec;91:102641. doi: 10.1016/j.parint.2022.102641. Epub 2022 Aug 4.
Parasitic infections such as Strongylida and Eimeria still represent a major health problem of dairy cattle impacting their health, welfare, and productivity. In view of the scarcity of data on risk factors contributing to the spread of parasitic infections in cattle breeding, an epidemiological study in intensive dairy farms in northern Italy was planned. 495 animals (lactating and dry cows, heifers, and calves) from 19 farms were enrolled in the study. Individual fecal samples were analyzed by a quantitative copromicroscopic analysis to detect the number of Strongylida eggs or Eimeria oocysts per gram of faeces (EPG/OPG). Data concerning management, sanitary and biosecurity measures were collected using a questionnaire; a management measures score (MMS) was also calculated. The possible influence of risk factors on Strongylida and Eimeria was thus assessed by statistical analysis using generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs). Eimeria spp. was the most frequently detected parasitic taxon (herd and individual prevalence: 89.5% and 46.2%, respectively), followed by Strongylida (herd and individual prevalence: 63.1% and 16.6%, respectively). The presence of Strongylida resulted associated to the productive category (p-value = 0.028), with heifers and dry cows at higher risk of infection than lactating cows and calves, and to the MMS (p-value = 0.007). Higher prevalence values were recorded in farms with intermediate or low MMS compared to those with optimal MMS. As regard Eimeria infection, a greater effect of MMS on OPG was recorded in calves when compared to those recorded in heifers (OR = 0.228, p-value = 0.003) and dry cows (OR = 0.241, p-value = 0.009). Gastrointestinal parasitic infections still remain an underestimated problem in intensive dairy cattle breeding. MMS may help in the choice of strategies aimed at minimizing the impact of parasites on animal health, thus improving the productivity of the entire herd.
寄生虫感染，如Strongylida 和 Eimeria，仍然是奶牛养殖业的主要健康问题，影响其健康、福利和生产力。鉴于有关导致牛场寄生虫感染传播的风险因素的数据稀缺，计划在意大利北部的密集奶牛场进行一项流行病学研究。19 个农场的 495 头动物（泌乳牛、干奶牛、小母牛和犊牛）参与了该研究。通过定量粪便显微镜检查分析个体粪便样本，以检测粪便中 Strongylida 卵或 Eimeria 卵囊的数量（每克粪便的 Strongylida 卵或 Eimeria 卵囊数，EPG/OPG）。使用问卷收集有关管理、卫生和生物安全措施的数据；还计算了管理措施评分（MMS）。然后通过使用广义线性混合模型（GLMMs）的统计分析来评估风险因素对 Strongylida 和 Eimeria 的可能影响。Eimeria spp. 是最常检测到的寄生虫分类群（群体和个体流行率分别为 89.5%和 46.2%），其次是 Strongylida（群体和个体流行率分别为 63.1%和 16.6%）。Strongylida 的存在与生产类别相关（p 值=0.028），与泌乳牛和犊牛相比，小母牛和干奶牛感染风险更高，与 MMS 相关（p 值=0.007）。与具有最佳 MMS 的农场相比，中间或低 MMS 的农场记录的患病率更高。关于 Eimeria 感染，与记录在小母牛和干奶牛中的情况相比，MMS 对犊牛 OPG 的影响更大（OR=0.228，p 值=0.003）。胃肠道寄生虫感染在密集奶牛养殖中仍然是一个被低估的问题。MMS 可以帮助选择旨在最大限度减少寄生虫对动物健康影响的策略，从而提高整个牛群的生产力。
