We investigated the epidemiology of Trypanosoma pestanai infection in European badgers (Meles meles) from Wytham Woods (Oxfordshire, UK) to determine prevalence rates and to identify the arthropod vector responsible for transmission. A total of 245 badger blood samples was collected during September and November 2009 and examined by PCR using primers derived from the 18S rRNA of T. pestanai. The parasite was detected in blood from 31% of individuals tested. T. pestanai was isolated from primary cultures of Wytham badger peripheral blood mononuclear cells and propagated continually in vitro. This population was compared with cultures of two geographically distinct isolates of the parasite by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and PCR analysis of 18S rDNA and ITS1 sequences. High levels of genotypic polymorphism were observed between the isolates. PCR analysis of badger fleas (Paraceras melis) collected from infected individuals at Wytham indicated the presence of T. pestanai and this was confirmed by examination of dissected specimens. Wet smears and Giemsa-stained preparations from dissected fleas revealed large numbers of trypanosome-like forms in the hindgut, some of which were undergoing binary fission. We conclude that P. melis is the primary vector of T. pestanai in European badgers.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3038870 | PMC |
| http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0016977 | PLOS |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
The Epidemiological Investigation of , , and Arenavirus Infections in Small Mammals in Northwestern Iran.
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis
August 2024
Institut de Sytématique, Evolution et Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE-PSL, Université des Antilles, Paris, France.
The control and prevention of rodent-borne diseases are mainly based on our knowledge of ecology and the infectious status of their reservoir hosts. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of , , and arenavirus infections in small mammals and to assess the potential of disease occurrence in East Azerbaijan, northwest of Iran, in 2017 and 2018. Spleen and lung samples were obtained from all trapped small mammals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFleas of wild carnivores in Romania: diversity, distribution, and host-associations.
Parasit Vectors
March 2024
InTheres, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, Toulouse, France.
Background: Fleas are important hematophagous insects, infesting mammals and birds with a worldwide distribution. Fleas of medical importance have been reported from various carnivores worldwide, such as felids, canids, or mustelids. Romania hosts a wide carnivore diversity, but very little is known about flea species that parasitize these animals in Romania.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurveillance for gastrointestinal, subcutaneous, and ectoparasites of invasive North American raccoons (Procyon lotor) in central Spain.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports
November 2022
Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, United States of America; Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, United States of America; Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, United States of America. Electronic address:
Article Synopsis
- The American raccoon, an invasive species in Europe, shows a high prevalence of ectoparasites like fleas and ticks, particularly in males and in one subpopulation in the Henares region.
- Low levels of endoparasites were found in a portion of the examined raccoons, with no presence of certain dangerous species like Baylisascaris procyonis.
- Variations in raccoon populations suggest that continued monitoring of parasites is necessary due to potential health risks they pose to humans and animals.
() in Eurasian badgers () and Ixodidae ticks, Italy.
Parasitology
October 2021
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, 70010Valenzano, Italy.
Trypanosomes are haemoflagellate protozoa transmitted by blood-feeding arthropods causing infections in a wide range of mammals, including humans. Adult badgers (Meles meles, n = 2), displaying severe paralysis, ataxia and severe ectoparasite infestation, were rescued from a peri-urban area of Bari (southern Italy). Blood samples and ectoparasites were screened for Trypanosoma spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWild Rodents and Their Ectoparasites in an Enzootic Plague Focus, Western Iran.
Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis
May 2020
National Reference Laboratory for Plague, Tularemia and Q Fever, Research Centre for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Diseases, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Akanlu, Kabudar Ahang, Hamadan, Iran.
Entomological surveys of ectoparasites and their hosts are an essential tool for assessing the risks of rodent-borne diseases transmitted to humans by arthropod vectors. This study was carried out to update the epidemiological data of plague with respect to species compositions of the rodents and their ectoparasites at enzootic foci located in Kurdistan Province, Iran. The rodents' habitats were selected based on past records of plague and subclimates in each study district with especial attention to the vegetation type.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!