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Age-dependent Occurrence of the Intestinal Ciliate Balantidium coli in Pigs at a Danish Research Farm

Aldersafhœngig forekomst af tarmciliaten Balantidium coli hos grise på en dansk svineavlsstation.

Abstract

A cross sectional study of the prevalence and intensity of Balantidium coli in pigs was carried out on a Danish research farm. The prevalence of B. coli infection increased from 57% in suckling piglets to 100% in most pig groups ≥4 weeks old. The mean number of cysts per gram faeces (CPG) of pigs aged 12 weeks and younger were ≤206, whereas pigs aged 28 weeks and >52 weeks had significantly higher counts of ≥865 CPG. Although some lactating sows had very high CPG’s, no significant differences in CPG could be detected between the intensities of pregnant sows, lactating sows and empty and dry sows. No human cases of B. coli infection have been published in Denmark though it is zoonotic.

Sammendrag

Forskellige aldersgrupper af grise på den danske stats svineavlsstation “Sjælland III” blev undersøgt for tilstedevaerelsen af cyster af tarmciliaten Balanti-dium coli. Infektionen var meget udbredt, idet cyster kunne påvises hos halvdelen af pattegrisene og hos alle på nær en af de ældre grise.

Intensiteten af cysterne var lav (gennemsnit ≤206/g faeces) hos grise op til 3 måneders alderen, mens den var markant højere hos et halvt år garnie grise og over 1 år garnie grise. Gennemsnitsudskillelsen af cyster var høj hos lakterende søer, men der kunne ikke påvises signifikant forskel fra andre grupper af søer. B. coli fra svin kan inficere mennesker, men det zoonotiske aspekt i Danmark er ikke kendt.

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Correspondence to O. Hindsbo.

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This work was conducted as a research project by parasitology students (*) under the supervision of (1) and (3).

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Hindsbo, O., Nielsen, C.V., Andreassen, J. et al. Age-dependent Occurrence of the Intestinal Ciliate Balantidium coli in Pigs at a Danish Research Farm. Acta Vet Scand 41, 79–83 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03549657

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