Echinococcosis in pigs and intestinal infection with Echinococcus spp. in dogs in southwestern Lithuania

Abstract

Cystic echinococcosis is a major emerging zoonosis in many Eastern European and Asian countries. Post slaughter examinations of 684 pig livers in Lithuania revealed significantly higher numbers of Echinococcus granulosus infections in animals from family farms (13.2%; 95% CI 10.7-16.2) as compared with those from industrial farms (4.1%; 95% CI 0.8-11.5). The prevalence was also significantly higher in pigs older than 1 year than in younger ones. In addition, in 0.5% of the pigs from the family farms, infertile and calcified E. multilocularis lesions were identified by PCR. Faecal samples from rural dogs (n=240) originating from 177 family farms in 12 villages were investigated for taeniid eggs with two methods. Significantly more dogs excreting taeniid eggs were diagnosed with the flotation/sieving method (n=34) as compared to the modified McMaster method (n=12). Multiplex PCR performed with DNA from taeniid eggs isolated from faeces of 34 dogs revealed 26 infections with Taenia spp., 9 with E. granulosus and 2 with E. multilocularis (4 cases with concurrent Taenia spp. and E. granulosus or E. multilocularis infections). Genotyping of E. granulosus cyst tissues from 7 pigs, 1 head of cattle and from E. granulosus eggs from 8 dog faeces revealed the genotype G6/7 ('pig/camel strain') in all cases. The high infection pressure with Echinococcus spp. in family farms necessitates initiating control programs. CI 0.8-11.5). The prevalence was also significantly higher in pigs older than 1 year than in younger ones. In addition, in 0.5% of the pigs from the family farms, infertile and calcified E. multilocularis lesions were identified by PCR. Faecal samples from rural dogs (n=240) originating from 177 family farms in 12 villages were investigated for taeniid eggs with two methods. Significantly more dogs excreting taeniid eggs were diagnosed with the flotation/sieving method (n=34) as compared to the modified McMaster method (n=12).Multiplex PCR performed with DNA from taeniid eggs isolated from faeces of 34 dogs revealed 26 infections with Taenia spp., 9 with E. granulosus and 2 with E. multilocularis (4 cases with concurrent Taenia spp. and E. granulosus or E. multilocularis infections).Genotyping of E. granulosus cyst tissues from 7 pigs, 1 head of cattle and from E. granulosus eggs from 8 dog faeces revealed the genotype G6/7 ('pig/camel strain') in all cases. The high infection pressure with Echinococcus spp. in family farms necessitates initiating control programs.

Application of multiplex PCR for the simultaneous detection of Taenia spp. from domestic dogs in the north of Iran

“…In our work, we found that 12 % of the dogs were infected with Taenia spp., while another group reported 21.8 % (16) of infection rate in the examined dogs (Beiromvand et al, 2011). An investigation in Lithuania showed signifi cant differences between a modifi ed McMaster method and the sieving-fl otation technique (Bružinskaitė et al, 2009). The sieving-fl otation technique, which was applied in the present study, is the appropriate method for concentration and detection of Taeniid eggs in stool samples.…”

Global Distribution of Alveolar and Cystic Echinococcosis

“…So far, four genotypes have been identified (Table 6). In Lithuania, E. intermedius (the pig strain, G7) with a farm dogepig cycle maintained by home slaughter practices has been predominantly observed in humans, pigs, cattle (sterile cysts) and in dogs (Bruzinskaite et al, 2009 (Oksanen and Lavikainen, 2015) and E. granulosus (G1) was found in a dog in Estonia(Marcinkut_ e et al, 2015) but the importance of this cycle is not known. In Poland, CE also occurs in animals (mainly pigs) and in humans; in people, E. intermedius (G7) and E. granulosus (G1) have been confirmed (autochthonous origin could not be excluded in two patients with G1) (Dybicz et al, 2015;Marcinkut_ e et al, 2015).…”

A molecular survey of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato in central-eastern Europe

“…The disease seems to be less prevalent in the UK, Central Europe, the Baltic States and the Scandinavian countries [5,6]. Surveys that addressed the incidence of CE over the last decade from central-eastern Europe has reported a relatively greater incidence in Romania (average incidence annual rate was 0.29 per 100,000 population) and Ukraine (0.30), whereas in Hungary (0.07), Poland (0.08) and Slovakia (0.10) lower numbers of human cases were documented [7].…”