Angiostrongylus vasorum in foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and wolves (Canis lupus italicus) from Abruzzo region, Italy
| Autor: | Nicola D'Alterio, Domenico Otranto, Antonio Cocco, Elga Ersilia Tieri, Erica Di Censo, Maria Antonietta Saletti, Sandro Pelini, Giovanni Di Teodoro, Gabriella Parisciani, Ilaria Pascucci, Anna Rita D'Angelo, Maria Stefania Latrofa |
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| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Wolf
0301 basic medicine Vulpes Angiostrongylus vasorum 030231 tropical medicine Zoology 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine parasitic diseases medicine Parasite hosting Feces Fox Systemic lupus erythematosus biology Abruzzo region Regular Article 030108 mycology & parasitology biology.organism_classification medicine.disease Infectious Diseases Canis QL1-991 Italy Animal Science and Zoology Parasitology Lungworm |
| Zdroj: | International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, Vol 15, Iss, Pp 184-194 (2021) |
| ISSN: | 2213-2244 |
| Popis: | In Europe wildlife animals such as the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) are considered the main reservoir for Angiostrongylus vasorum as well as a potential threat for domestic dog infection. Though this parasite is endemic in fox populations, data on A. vasorum infection in wolves (Canis lupus italicus) are still scant, having only recently been described in Northwestern Spain, in Italy, in Croatia and in Slovakia. Based on the rising number of cases of canine lungworm infection in Central Italy (Abruzzo region), the aim of the present study was to investigate the infection by A. vasorum in fox and wolf populations sharing the same geographical area of dogs. From October 2008 to November 2019, A. vasorum specimens were collected, through routine post-mortem examination, from 56 carcasses (44 foxes and 12 wolves). Adult parasites were searched for in the right side of the heart and in pulmonary artery of all carcasses. First stage of larvae (L1) was searched in faeces using the Baermann technique and in lungs by tissue impressions. Overall, 230 adult specimens were collected and identified on a morphological basis. To confirm the morphological identification, 4 adult specimens (n = 3 from fox, n = 1 from wolf) were molecularly identified as A. vasorum by amplification of partial fragment of nuclear 18S rRNA (~1700 bp) genes. The anatomo-pathological and parasitological examinations indicated the presence of A. vasorum in 33 foxes (75%) and in 8 wolves (66.7%). The level of prevalence of infested wolves was higher than the previous one reported in other European countries. Interestingly, the prevalence of infection in foxes herein recorded was higher than that described in dogs (8.9%) living in the same geographical area. This result may confirm the hypothesis that the spread of canine angiostrongylosis is linked to fox populations infection. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Angiostrongylus vasorum was found in dead foxes and wolves in Chieti province, Italy. • The prevalence in foxes was higher than that described in dogs. • The prevalence in wolves was higher than the previous one reported in European countries. • The spread of canine angiostrongylosis is linked to fox populations infection. • The province of Chieti appears to be an enzootic focus for canine angiostrongylosis. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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