Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is caused by different prion strains that are discriminated by the molecular characteristics of the pathological prion protein. In 2011, Switzerland reported two presumptive cases of BSE in cattle with a prion protein phenotype different from previously...

Background: Although mustelids occur worldwide and include a wide range of species, little is known about the diseases affecting them. Mustelids have regularly been submitted for post mortem investigation in the framework of the program for general wildlife health surveillance in Switzerland, which ...

Endoparasitic infections represent relevant causes of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases in cats. The aim of the study was to investigate the occurrence of endoparasites in Swiss cats in order to evaluate the risk of onset of parasitic diseases and potential correlated zoonoses. Therefore...

This article gives an overview on livestock-guarding dogs. Caring for these dogs to ensure good health and peak performance is discussed as well as the different diseases (canine distemper, leptospirosis, rabies and parasites) and methods (vaccination, minimizing contact with carriers and...

The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a wild canid new to Switzerland. It is an officially monitored species and all deceased individuals are submitted for post-mortem examination to collect baseline health data. This includes parasitological examinations, with an emphasis on zoonotic, reportable...

Equine granulocytic anaplasmosis (EGA) and equine piroplasmosis (EP) are triggered by tick-borne pathogens - the intracellular bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum and the intracellular Protozoa Babesia caballi and Theileria equi. These pathogens attack cells in the blood stream and cause similar...

Angiostrongylus vasorum is an emerging parasitic nematode of dogs, red foxes, and other wild canids. The severity of infection in dogs ranges from subclinical to fatal cardiopulmonary and bleeding disorders collectively known as canine angiostrongylosis. A symbiotic relationship between...

A transdisciplinary project was undertaken by veterinarians and historians to investigate various aspects of potential zoonotic diseases that were classified, or have been seriously considered as reportable diseases in Switzerland (bovine spongiform encephalopathy [BSE], brucellosis, neosporosis,...

This issue contains 5 papers on apicomplexn parasites in farm animals including Sarcocystis, coccidian parasites, Toxoplasma gondii and Besnoitia besnoiti.