Exotic pet owners, ranging from small mammals to reptiles, comprise a considerable portion of veterinary clients. Parasitic infections are a threat both for the animal health and the health of the owner. This study aimed to investigate the gastrointestinal parasite species commonly encountered in exotic animal veterinary practice. Exotic pets’ fecal samples were examined for fecal parasites macroscopically and microscopically by saline fecal smears, fecal floatation and specific staining. Chi-squared test to investigate the association between the presence and type of the parasites with host species and clinical symptoms (p < 0.05). Three hundred fecal samples, including 262 from small mammals, 37 from reptiles and 1 from primate were investigated for gastrointestinal endoparasites. The exotic pet species consisted of Lagomorpha (189/300; 63%), Rodentia (68/300; 22.66%), Reptilia (37/189; 12.33%), Eulipotyphla (4/300; 1.3%), a sugar glider and a marmoset. Thirty-nine samples were found to be infected with at least one gastrointestinal parasite (13%). Parasites observed in the feces of exotic pets included oocysts, strongyle-shaped eggs, oxyurid eggs (Passalurus ambiguous) and cestode eggs. A sample from a guinea pig was diagnosed to be infected with Cryptosporidium sp. There was no significant association between clinical symptoms and host species with parasite infection (p > 0.05). Considering the continuous species alteration, the unidentified sources of the pets in the market, and the potential of zoonotic infections periodical surveys on the common pet species and their parasitic infection are inevitable. Subclinical intestinal parasites in pet animals may alter the well-being of the companion animal if adjoined with poor management. Usually there is no need for anti-parasitic therapy in an animal without clinical signs, but regular diagnostic tests for parasites are advisable for effective veterinary practice.

Bovine mastitis causes a lot of economic losses, and the appearance of resistant strains of bacteria has led to the use of alternative natural bioagents for treatment. It is generally believed that high levels of fat and/or protein in foods may protect bacteria against the effects of essential oils (EOs). The purpose of this paper was to investigate the effect of EOs of Mentha piperita (peppermint) and Mentha pulegium (pennyroyal) on three bovine mastitis bacteria (Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Staphylococcus aureus) in milk. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used for the analysis of EOs. Antibacterial effects of the EOs on bacteria were evaluated with minimum bactericide concentration (MBC), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and time-kill assay. Major components of peppermint EO were carvone (63.02%) and limonene (24.48%), and those of pennyroyal EO were pulegone (48.16%), eucalyptol (14.57%), and piperitenone (10.09%). The MIC and MBC were 0.62% and 1.25% for pennyroyal, 0.31-1.25% and 0.62-2.5% for peppermint, 0.31-0.62% and 0.62-2.5% for peppermint and pennyroyal, respectively. At 6-h, the bacterial reduction of treatments compared to the control group was significant for E. coli and S. agalactiae bacteria. The S. agalactiae and S. aureus counts significantly decreased in the peppermint and pennyroyal group at 24-h. In conclusion, peppermint and pennyroyal EO showed an antibacterial effect on these three bacteria and can be evaluated as an adjunct or alternative to antibiotics in the treatment of bovine mastitis.

Domestic poultry are considered natural reservoirs for the transmission of Campylobacter spp., mainly C. jejuni and C. coli, to other birds and humans. This study aimed to determine the Campylobacter infection status in backyard ducks in Iran. A total of 100 cloacal swabs were obtained from apparently healthy backyard ducks in different rural areas of Amol, a city in northern Iran. Bacterial isolation was based on traditional culture procedures, and genus and species identification were performed using an mPCR. All isolates were examined for antimicrobial resistance to seven antibiotics by Kirby Bauer’s disk diffusion test. The virulence-associated genes cadF, iamA, pldA, cdtA, cdtB, cdtC, and wlaN were detected as well. Out of the 27 Campylobacter isolates recovered, 19 (70.4%) were C. coli, and 3 (11.1%) were C. jejuni. The remaining five isolates (18.5%) were not identified. All (100%) isolates showed resistance to ciprofloxacin. Most isolates were resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, and nalidixic acid. The resistance rate to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and erythromycin was moderate but was relatively low to gentamicin. Moreover, over two-thirds of the isolates were MDR. All virulence genes, except iamA, were variably detected. The cadF and pldA genes had the highest (92.6%) and lowest (7.4%) positivity rates, respectively. In addition, a statistically significant association was observed between Campylobacter spp. and most of the critical virulence genes (p < 0.05). Our findings imply that backyard ducks should be paid attention to as a major source of human campylobacteriosis.