The article presents the results of epizootological and epidemiological monitoring of dirofilariasis in the south of Russia in the period 2000-2024. During this period, 4378 blood samples of dogs living and serving in the south of Russia were examined. In general, the prevalence of dirofilaria in definitive hosts decreased from 21.0 ± 1.1% (2000-2008) to 13.6 ± 0.9% (2017-2024). Long-term observations have shown that the level of infection of domestic dogs directly depends on the conditions of their keeping. Over the past twenty years, the prevalence of dirofilariasis in service and apartment dogs has decreased by 4 times, and a stray animal continue to grow and currently reaches 25.0%.

Based on the analysis of 317 medical records of patients with dirofilariasis treated in the clinic of infectious and parasitic diseases for the period 2000-2024, a decrease in the number of patients with dirofilariasis on average per year from 19.56±0.28 (2000-2008) to 6.38±1.50 (2017-2024) people was noted.

Long-term observations of dirofilariasis in animals and humans indicate a positive epidemiological and epizootological situation in the south of Russia. Official statistics indicate a stable incidence rate of the population in Russia of 0.04-0.09 per 100 thousand people, which is due to the expansion of the distribution area of dirofilaria to the northern and north-eastern regions of the country and the urbanization of this invasion.

Objective: to assess the infestation of blood-sucking mosquitoes with dirofilariasis pathogens in the Khabarovsk urban agglomeration.

Materials and methods: from July to September 2024 and from June to July 2025, 2736 female bloodsucking mosquitoes of the genera Culex, Anopheles, and Aedes were caught and examined in the Khabarovsk urban agglomeration. Mosquitoes were collected in the southern, central, and northern parts of Khabarovsk and adjacent territories. The study was carried out using real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Results: as a result of the studies, the genetic material of Dirofilaria repens and Dirofilaria immitis was detected in 19 pools of Culex mosquitoes and in 44 pools of Aedes mosquitoes. During the study period, the estimated infection rate of blood-sucking mosquitoes was 3.0% for Dirofilaria immitis and 0.3% for Dirofilaria repens, respectively. Dirofilaria repens DNA was not detected in any of the samples of Culex mosquitoes. During the study period, the highest infection rate of Dirofilaria immitis mosquitoes was recorded in September (EIR = 4.2%), when the capture was carried out on the territory of the Cynological Service Center.

Conclusion: The results of molecular genetic monitoring of the circulation of dirofilariasis pathogens in the city of Khabarovsk showed a predominance of mosquitoes containing Dirofilaria immitis DNA in the collections, and, obviously, reflect the situation with the infestation of the main definitive hosts dogs, which makes it relevant to conduct studies to assess the infestation of animals kept in the surveyed areas.

A high epidemiological significance of Aedes mosquitoes as carriers of Dirofilaria spp. has been established in the territory of the Khabarovsk urban agglomeration due to their high numbers and invasion by dirofilariasis pathogens.

The aim of this work is to study the species and sex structure of ixodid tick communities removed from people and collected from vegetation in the Tyumen region in 2021-2024, and the frequency of detection of genetic markers of pathogens of vector-borne infections in these ticks.

Research methods: collecting ticks from vegetation on a flag, removing from human skin, identification by morphological features, polymerase chain reaction method.

Results: Two species of ixodid ticks were detected: Ixodes persulcatus and Dermacentor reticulatus. Among the ticks removed from people, taiga ticks were more common than meadow ticks. Among the ticks of both species removed from people, females were significantly more common. The prevalence of genetic markers of pathogens was higher in I. persulcatus than in D. reticulatus. The frequency of detection of Borrelia DNA was higher in I. persulcatus than in D. reticulatus, and in taiga ticks collected from vegetation, it was higher than in those removed from people. The dynamics of the frequency of detection of genetic markers of pathogens in taiga ticks collected from vegetation suggests that in 2021-2024 there was a decrease in the infection of taiga ticks with the tick-borne encephalitis virus and an increase in infection with Borrelia, Ehrlichia and Anaplasma. The results show the leading role of taiga ticks in maintaining the epidemic activity of natural foci in the Tyumen region and the need to continue monitoring the epidemiological significance of meadow ticks. The detected increase in the prevalence of genetic markers of borrelia, ehrlichia and anaplasma in taiga ticks by 2024, the detection of borrelia DNA for the first time in several years in 2024 in meadow ticks collected from vegetation, apparently indicate an increase in the epidemic risk of human infection with tick-borne infections.

This publication presents the results of a study of biomaterial from 203 dogs kept in apartments in one of the districts of a Moscow , in order to detect helminth eggs and diagnose nematodosis, the causative agent Toxocara canis. The larvae of nematodes of this species are capable of parasitizing the human body (larva migrans syndrome), causing a parasitic (zoonotic) disease larval toxocariasis. As a result of the studies, it was found that out of 203 samples of biomaterial from dogs, the diagnosis of toxocariasis was confirmed in 79. Thus, the extensiveness of the invasion was 39%.

To assess the influence of genetic features of metabolic processes in bone tissue on the reactivity of the hepatobiliary system in opisthorchiasis invasion, a study of biochemical parameters was conducted in subgroups of patients with chronic opisthorchiasis with and without mutations in loci associated with a predisposition to the development of osteoporosis. It was found that the presence of a mutation in the rs1544410 locus of the VDR gene enhances the negative impact of chronic opisthorchiasis invasion on bile secretion (increased alkaline phosphatase activity), and in the rs2234693 locus of the ESR1 gene – on the concentration of glucose in the blood. However, the presence of rare alleles associated with a predisposition to osteoporosis in other loci prevents the negative impact of chronic opisthorchiasis on the functions of the hepatobiliary system and pancreas, namely, an increase in the concentration of bilirubin (ESR1 rs2234693, ESR1 rs9340799), activity of AM (ESR1 rs9340799), ALT (LCT rs4988235), GGT and ALP (LCT rs4988235, LRP5 rs3736228). In the group with a mutation in the rs1800012 locus of the COL1 A1 gene, differences in the change in indicators (ALT, AST and GGT activity) after anthelmintic therapy were revealed, possibly associated with the role of collagen in the reaction of metabolic processes not only to invasion, but also to the treatment process.

Diagnosis of echinococcosis includes a complex of clinical, instrumental and laboratory methods. However, many of the latest high-precision methods are available only to the laboratories of large research centers. The majority of CdLS make (confirm) the diagnosis based on microscopy of punctures, histosections and the results of enzyme immunoassay (ELISA). The problem of laboratory diagnosis of echinococcosis and the evidence of routine CDL methods for the differential diagnosis of Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis are discussed.

The article describes cases of detection of sparganums extracted from various localization sites during surgical intervention in different animal species or during veterinary and sanitary examination of carcasses. The authors registered 5 cases of sparganosis in additional hosts (2 cats, 1 dog, snakes and 1 pig). In one case, proliferative sparganosis was diagnosed (15 specimens of sparganum were removed from the abdominal cavity of a cat), in the remaining cases, non-proliferative sparganosis was diagnosed. The distinctive features of sparganums bothridial slits (bothria) on the scolex, the presence of false segmentation on the strobilus, a flattened, elongated shape, and a milky-white color were characteristic of all the described cases of sparganosis.

The presented work presents a literature review of cryptosporidiosis, one of the most common parasitic (protozoan) diseases of animals dangerous for humans. The systematic position of pathogens, some issues of epizootology, clinical manifestations of the disease, pathogenesis and diagnostic methods are briefly described. The work is illustrated with photographs.

The article provides an overview of Russian and foreign literature on modern methods in parasitology. The methods of modern digitalization, machine learning and artificial intelligence are shown as the most promising areas for the development of scientific knowledge. It is determined that the creation of new breakthrough technologies – computer, cloud and databases significantly simplifies the conduct of parasitological research and allows a modern scientist to reach a new, higher-quality level of modern knowledge. The integration of digital solutions based on information and communication technologies into the work of parasitology specialists is an important area for increasing the productivity of modern science. This approach promotes a shift away from classical methods of parasitological research towards innovative developments using intelligent interfaces. Gradually, digital tools are becoming an integral part of the daily practice of parasitology, bringing research to a higher technological level. The analysis of the specifics of the introduction of IT technologies in this scientific field suggests that their practical application contributes to a deeper understanding of biological processes, helps to overcome difficulties in studying parasitic systems, and also reveals the potential of augmented reality technologies for more effective perception and analysis of scientific information in various research areas.