查看更多>>摘要:Alveolar echinococcosis is a severe, potentially fatal, parasitic disease caused by ingestion of microscopic eggs of Echinococcus multilocularis. The lifecycle of the parasite is essentially sylvatic, and based on a prey-predator relationship between red foxes and small rodents. A westward expansion from the eastern historical focus has been reported in France, though the parasite has also been detected in the southern Alps. While the focus in the Auvergne region (central France) was described in the 1980s, the southern delimitation of the actual endemic area, especially in the south, was unknown in the absence of dedicated surveys. Red fox samples were collected from 2013 to 2020 in the framework of other transversal epidemiological studies in five sampling areas from southwestern and southeastern France. One hundred and seven intestines were analysed by SSCT, and 221 faecal samples from intestines were analysed by copro-qPCR. None of the 328 foxes exhibited E. multilocularis worms or DNA. Although the presence of E. multilocularis cannot be totally excluded in the departments from the study areas, the sample size tested argues for an absence of the parasite in these studied areas, which is in accordance with the currently known endemic situation in France. These new data are helpful in determining the southernmost limit of E. multilocularis distribution in France. The warm, dry Mediterranean climate in the southeastern areas is less favourable to the transmission of E. multilocularis and especially to the survival of eggs in the environment than the climate in the French Alps or Liguria (Italy) climate where the parasite is present. The intermediate area between the southwestern study areas and the historical focus of Auvergne, which is separated by around 150 km, will be investigated in the coming years. Moreover, an ongoing national surveillance programme on E. multilocularis in foxes is targeting French departements along the edge of the known endemic area both in the southeast and southwest. The data produced will supplement the results of this study, thus greatly helping to define the current distribution of E. multilocularis in France and to target prevention measures to reduce human exposure.
查看更多>>摘要:Hookworms are the most common and voracious blood-sucking parasites of the small intestines of mammalian hosts such as dogs, cats, ruminants and humans. Canine hookworms are endemic in the Southeast Asian countries including Bangladesh. There is scarcity of information on the prevalence of hookworms of stray dogs in Bangladesh. The present study determined the prevalence of canine hookworms using fecal examination fol-lowed by morphometric and molecular identification. Fecal samples were collected from 320 stray dogs living in rural areas of Mymensingh district (Gauripur upazila, Mymensingh sadar upazila and Tarakanda upazila) and hookworm eggs were identified using the flotation techniques. The overall prevalence of hookworm was 79.1% through microscopic examination. Estimated fecal prevalence was higher in Gauripur upazila (89.7%) followed by Mymensingh sadar upazila (84.8%) and Tarakanda upazila (53.2%). Five hookworm species were identified based on the morphometric examination, namely, Ancylostoma caninum, Ancylostoma ceylanicum, Ancylostoma tubaeforme, Ancylostoma braziliense and Ancylostoma duodenale, respectively. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was performed with the genomic DNA by targeting the 5.8S rRNA (-404 bp) and Cytochrome oxidase-1 (Cox 1, -450 bp) and confirmed the identification for the first time in Bangladesh. This study reveals that stray dogs may act as reservoir hosts of human hookworm infection. Further detail molecular study is warranted to explore the genetic diversity of hookworms that infect both dogs and human in Bangladesh.
查看更多>>摘要:Linguatula serrata is a worm-like parasite with zoonotic potential that inhabits the nasal cavities of canids. Although most cases of linguatulosis are associated with unspecific and rather mild respiratory symptoms, cases of unusual infestations and severe courses in both animals and humans have been reported. In central and northern Europe, the pathogen used to appear only sporadically, however, within the last few years the number of detections has increased noticeably. In July 2020 an approximately nine-month-old dog, imported from Romania, was presented in a veterinary practice in Gotha, central Germany, due to persistent worsening cough. Despite antibiotic treatment the tussis became more severe until the dog expectorated multiple worm-like structures. Three of these specimens were sent to the Institute of Parasitology (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig) for morphological and genetic species identification. The latter was based on a 1000-bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (cox1) and the complete nuclear 18S rRNA gene. The dog presented in this study suffered from a severe respiratory impairment caused by wormlike parasites inhabiting its upper respiratory tract. The detected parasites were morphologically identified as female specimens of the so-called tongue-worm L. serrata, which was confirmed by pairwise alignment and phylogenetic analysis of the produced sequences. We report an unusually severe case of L. serrata infection in an imported dog and discuss the spread of this potentially dangerous parasite in central and northern Europe.