Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise "G. Caporale" (IZSAM), Campo Boario, 64100, Teramo, Italy.
Published: August 2021
In Europe wildlife animals such as the red fox () are considered the main reservoir for as well as a potential threat for domestic dog infection. Though this parasite is endemic in fox populations, data on infection in wolves () 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 in fox and wolf populations sharing the same geographical area of dogs. From October 2008 to November 2019, 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 by amplification of partial fragment of nuclear 18S rRNA (~1700 bp) genes. The anatomo-pathological and parasitological examinations indicated the presence of 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.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8182381 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.05.003 | DOI Listing |
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