title: Occurrence of blastocystis sp. in cattle in Aragón, northeastern Spain.
abstract: The occurrence of Blastocystis sp. in cattle is reported herein for the first time in Spain. Stool samples from 554 bovines ranging from 3 days old to adults collected from 30 cattle farms in Aragón (northeastern Spain) were concentrated by the formalin-ethyl acetate method and examined light microscopically for the presence of gastrointestinal parasites. Vacuolated cells of Blastocystis sp. was detected in fecal specimens from 10 calves (1.8%) aged from 7 weeks to 6 months. Infected calves were detected at 3 of the 30 farms surveyed (10%). Blastocystis sp. cells were rounded or oval, with a diameter ranging from 6.25 to 15 microns. Blastocystis infection in cattle was never correlated with diarrhea, although infection intensities were generally low.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Pathology, Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, (Barcelona), Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quílez
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Acedo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Clavel
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Causapé
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016844:Blastocystis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016776:Blastocystis Infections / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000469:parasitology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D013030:Spain