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- Fasciolosis epidemiology and prospects for its control at Cape Verde IslandsPublication . Rosa, Fernanda; Crespo, Maria Virgínia; Simões, M.; Évora, I. C.; Moreira, E.; Ferreira, M. L.Lymnaea species and their infection by Fasciola gigantica were investigated at Santiago, St. Antão, S. Nicolau, Sal and Fogo Islands. The study of the fluctuations of Lymnaea natalensis populations and the prevalence of F. gigantica in the snail was performed between October/November 1994 and March/April 1999. At Santiago Island, Lymnaea natalensis was found in 20 habitats and F. gigantica infected snails were detected in 14. Uninfected L. auricularia were identified in 6 habitats at Sto. Antão. On 4097 freshwater snails studied, 1383 (33,76%) were collected on October/November and 2714 (64,24%) on March/April. The snail density and the prevalence of Fasciola gigantica infection were irregular and tended to be higher during March/April in almost all of the habitats. The prevalence of Fasciola gigantica in cattle was 39,17% out of 120 cattle slaughtered at Praia abattoir. F. gigantica eggs output were registered on faeces from cattle (17,82%) and donkeys (14,29%) collected at the snails habitats. The association of the intra-mollusc and cattle infections was difficult to establish. However, a decrease on the prevalence of intra-mollusc infection was observed, followed by a reduction on the cattle infection in the following year. This pattern seems to be more evident after the 1995 heavy rain period. The animals at risk, as well as the freshwater snail and Fasciola habitats, related to the increasing diagnosis of fascioliasis in man, show that this disease is still a serious problem in animal production and in human health. Nevertheless, the improvement of irrigation systems by reducing available water at the habitats for the snail/trematode development, seems to be an effective control measure for their decrease.
- Parasitological fauna in farm animals from Cape Verde Islands and Guinea-Bissau (West Africa)Publication . Crespo, Maria Virgínia; Rosa, FernandaSince the Atlantic Islands and the coast of West Africa have been discovered that scientists studied their parasitological fauna, mainly the one associated to serious diseases in man and farm animals, which were unknown in Europe. The Cape Verde Islands and Guinea-Bissau were used as “arrival and departure points” during the portuguese discoveries, which promoted the introduction of parasites from other geographical areas or the opposite. On the other hand, as they have been related during several centuries by historical, religious, geographical and political reasons, the spread out of parasitical agents to the previously uninhabitated islands was the most probable occurrence. Based on available references and on the results obtained from parasitological studies in domestic animals performed during 1991 and 1999, at the Cape Verde Islands and Guinea-Bissau, 65 parasitic species were listed, included in PLATYHELMINTHES (TREMATODA and CESTODA), NEMATODA, INSECTA, ARACHNIDA and PENTASTOMIDA PHYLLA. The parasitological diversity was higher at Guinea-Bissau, with 55 species, than at Cape Verde Islands, with 30, from which six species were not found at Guinea-Bissau. Considering the overall species identified, 22 (33,84%) are of afrotropical origin and all the remaining are cosmopolite (61,54%) and pantropical (4,62%), revealing the scarcity of afrotropical species in the islands, only 4 (6,15%). As the majority of species were of cosmopolitan origin, they could have been introduced by domestic animal migrations connected to species evolution or more recently by maritime traffic from all over the world. On the other hand, the obtained differences express the dissimilarity in bio and climatic conditions between a continental area with a regular rainy season and an insular area where the irregularity of the rainy season restricts the diversity of the parasitological fauna.