Hepatitis E is an important public health problem mostly in developing but occasionally also in industrialized countries. Domestic and wildlife animals are considered reservoirs of the hepatitis E virus (HEV). Since no information on the prevalence of autochthonous HEV infections in human and animal in Poland is available, the aim of the study was to investigate the HEV seroprevalence of different wildlife species as potential virus reservoirs in the country. No HEV antibodies were found in any of the sera collected from the red deer (Cervus elaphus), European bison (Bison bonasus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), elk (Alces alces), fallow deer (Dama dama), sika deer (Cervus nippon), Tatra chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra tatrica) or brown bear (Ursus arctos). HEV-specific antibodies were detected in 44.4% (95% CI 38.3-50.7) serum samples originated only from wild boars. The percentage of seropositive wild boars differed significantly between the provinces and was positively correlated with the wild boar density and rurality of the area. This study showed that HEV circulates among wild boar population in Poland, and this species should be considered as an important reservoir of the virus.

The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a strictly protected species of large carnivore in Poland. It inhabits forest complexes in north-eastern Poland and the Carpathian region in southern Poland. The status of the lynx within Poland requires special attention because its range decreased between 1980 and 2001 and has not yet recovered. One of the factors negatively affecting lynx populations is diseases, particularly parasites. The helminth fauna of the Eurasian lynx is not fully known in Poland. Previous coprological studies revealed that Polish lynx have been infected with seven species of nematodes, three species of cestodes, and one species of trematode. In this study, we present new data based on examination of opportunistically collected lynx carcasses. The aim of the study was to complement data on the helminth fauna of Eurasian lynx inhabiting Poland based on morphological and molecular analysis of parasites. Four species of cestodes—Taenia lynciscapreoli, Mesocestoides lineatus, Spirometra sp., and Taenia krabbei—were found for the first time in Eurasian lynx from Poland and three previously reported species of nematodes—Ancylostoma tubaeforme, Toxascaris leonina, and Toxocara cati—were confirmed. Larvae of Trichinella britovi were also detected in Eurasian lynx in Poland for the first time.

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of feeding protein-iron complex (PIC) on productive performance and indicators of iron metabolism, hematology parameters, antioxidant and immune status during first 35 days of a calf’s life. Preparation of the complex involved enzymatic hydrolysis of milk casein (serine protease from Yarrowia lipolytica yeast). Iron chloride was then added to the hydrolyzate and lyophilizate. Calves were divided into treated groups: LFe (low iron dose) 10 g/day calf of protein-iron complex, HFe (height iron dose) 20 g/day calf, and control group. Dietary supplements containing the lower dose of concentrate had a significant positive effect on iron metabolism, while the higher dose of concentrate resulted in increase of total iron binding capacity (TIBC), saturation of transferrin and decrease of and unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC), which suggest iron overload. Additionally, treatment with the lower dose of iron remarkably increased the antioxidant parameters, mainly total antioxidant (TAS) and glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx). Higher doses of PIC were related to lower total antioxidant status. IgG, IgM, insulin, glucose, TNFα and IGF-1 concentration did not change significantly in either group after supplementation. In practice, the use of protein-iron complex concentrate requires taking into account the iron content in milk replacers and other feedstuffs.

In this study, sarcocysts from three Polish Tatra chamois were isolated and identified using morphological and molecular methods for the first time. Six cysts were found in the latissimus dorsi muscle and another two in the diaphragm. No sarcocysts were detected in the myocardium, tongue, and esophagus. The isolated cysts were long with rounded ends, 0.35–0.61 mm in length, and 0.02–0.06 mm in width. All the sarcocysts were identified as Sarcocystis tenella on the basis of light microscopy and sequencing of cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (cox1) and small-subunit rRNA (ssu rRNA) genes. Comparative analysis showed a 99.23 % identity of the cox1 gene sequences from Tatra chamois and sheep sarcocysts, and an even higher degree of sequence identity (99.88 %) was documented in the case of the ssu rRNA gene. When compared at a haplotype level, all the sheep sequences of cox1 differed from those isolated from Tatra chamois. In contrast, one out of the two ssu rRNA haplotypes from the sheep isolates was identical with the haplotype from Tatra chamois. In conclusion, we showed that cox1 and ssu rRNA genes can be used as genetic markers for identification of the S. tenella, with cox1 gene providing better resolution during phylogenetic analyses. However, both genetic population analysis and phylogenetic inference with cox1 and ssu rRNA genes demonstrated that they do not constitute good markers for spatial differentiation of S. tenella.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00436-015-4619-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Campylobacter spp. is the most commonly reported, bacterial cause of human foodborne infection worldwide. Commercial poultry and free-living birds are natural reservoirs of three particular species: Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Campylobacter lari. The aim of this study was to determine the genotypic characteristics and antibiotic susceptibility of 43 Campylobacter strains, obtained from free-living birds, in Poland. In total, 700 birds were examined. The strains were isolated from 43 birds (6.14%) from the feces of 7 wild bird species: Mallard ducks Anas platyrhynchos (29 positive/121 tested), great cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo (5/77), velvet scoters Melanitta fusca (4/30), tawny owls Strix aluco (2/5), common buzzard Buteo buteo (1/3), rook Corvus frugilegus (1/6), and Eurasian tree sparrow Passer montanus (1/30). Thirty-eight (88.37%) of obtained strains belonged to C. jejuni and five (11.63%) to C. coli. Other 428 examined birds from different bird species were Campylobacter negative. The antimicrobial susceptibility to nine antimicrobials was also studied in investigated isolates of Campylobacter spp. Sixteen of the examined strains (37.21% of all positive samples) showed susceptibility to all of the nine antimicrobials. Moreover, the prevalence of selected virulence genes, such as flaA, cadF, ceuE, virB11, cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC were all analyzed. The virulence gene that was found most frequently in total number of Campylobacter strains was ceuE (72.10%) and other genes, such as flaA, cadF, cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC, were found in over 60% of all examined strains. Variable antimicrobial susceptibility and the presence of different virulence genes of examined strains, isolated from free-living birds, suggest that special attention should be given to wild birds and any potential approaches to the control of antibiotic-resistant Campylobacter should be discussed.