Echinococcus infections in the Baltic region

Marcinkutė, Audronė; Šarkūnas, Mindaugas; Moks, Epp; Saarma, Urmas; Jokelainen, Pikka; Bagrade, Guna; Laivacuma, Sniedze; Strupas, Kęstutis; Sokolovas, Vitalijus; Deplazes, Peter

doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.07.032

Cited by 61 publications

(61 citation statements)

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“…), such as the tapeworms Echinococcus granulosus and E. multilocularis (e.g. Moks et al., ; Marcinkute et al., ) that cause the potentially fatal diseases cystic and alveolar echinococcosis, respectively. Using questionnaires, regular Europe‐wide studies should be initiated to investigate public attitudes.…”

Section: Suggestions For Science‐based Wolf Conservation and Managemementioning

confidence: 99%

Wolf population genetics inEurope: a systematic review, meta‐analysis and suggestions for conservation and management

et al. 2016

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The grey wolf (Canis lupus) is an iconic large carnivore that has increasingly been recognized as an apex predator with intrinsic value and a keystone species. However, wolves have also long represented a primary source of human-carnivore conflict, which has led to long-term persecution of wolves, resulting in a significant decrease in their numbers, genetic diversity and gene flow between populations. For more effective protection and management of wolf populations in Europe, robust scientific evidence is crucial. This review serves as an analytical summary of the main findings from wolf population genetic studies in Europe, covering major studies from the 'pre-genomic era' and the first insights of the 'genomics era'. We analyse, summarize and discuss findings derived from analyses of three compartments of the mammalian genome with different inheritance modes: maternal (mitochondrial DNA), paternal (Y chromosome) and biparental [autosomal microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)]. To describe large-scale trends and patterns of genetic variation in European wolf populations, we conducted a meta-analysis based on the results of previous microsatellite studies and also included new data, covering all 19 European countries for which wolf genetic information is available: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Belarus, Russia, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Spain and Portugal. We compared different indices of genetic diversity in wolf populations and found a significant spatial trend in heterozygosity across Europe from south-west (lowest genetic diversity) to north-east (highest). The range of spatial autocorrelation calculated on the basis of three characteristics of genetic diversity was 650-850 km, suggesting that the genetic diversity of a given wolf population can be influenced by populations up to 850 km away. As an important outcome of this synthesis, we discuss the most pressing issues threatening wolf populations in Europe, highlight important gaps in current knowledge, suggest solutions to overcome these limitations, and provide recommendations for science-based wolf conservation and management at regional and Europe-wide scales.

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Section: Suggestions For Science‐based Wolf Conservation and Managemementioning

confidence: 99%

Wolf population genetics inEurope: a systematic review, meta‐analysis and suggestions for conservation and management

et al. 2016

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“…One example of this may be the cestode Echinococcus multilocularis, which has a well-described life cycle, frequently including rodent species as intermediate hosts and foxes as definitive hosts. In parts of northern Europe, including Estonia and the other Baltic states, foxes frequently consume rodents, and the current prevalences of Echinococcus multilocularis in red foxes are among the highest recorded (30-60%; Moks et al 2005, Marcinkute et al 2015, Laurimaa et al 2016. In such areas, infection might be expected to decline if rodent consumption declines over time.…”

Section: The Ecosystem Role Of Red Foxes In the Face Of Global Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Europe‐wide biogeographical patterns in the diet of an ecologically and epidemiologically important mesopredator, the red fox Vulpes vulpes: a quantitative review

et al. 2017

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Understanding how the diet of an ecologically important mesopredator varies throughout a large region can provide an insight into the trophic responses of generalist carnivores to global change. We review the diet of the red fox Vulpes vulpes in Europe. The main aims of this study were: (1) to identify biogeographical patterns in red fox diet throughout Europe; (2) to investigate the significance of the human footprint index (a measure of anthropogenic influence on habitats) for the Europe‐wide food habits of red foxes; and (3) to discuss the ecosystem role of red foxes in the face of global change. We hypothesised that in the red fox: (1) diet composition is likely to vary along a latitudinal gradient, between seasons (pooled into warm and cold periods of the year), and in relation to human impact on habitats; and (2) dietary breadth will increase with latitude and be greater during the warm period than during the cold period. We conducted a Europe‐wide analysis of red fox diet, using data from 66 studies in 17 European countries. Multivariate analysis and generalised linear models were used to evaluate variation in diet composition and niche breadth in relation to latitude, season, and human footprint index. The analysis revealed that red fox diet composition varies considerably in response to latitude, human influence, and warm and cold periods. Dietary breadth decreases at higher latitudes in the cold period, but not in the warm period, and increases in areas with high human impact. Among individual dietary items, the consumption of lagomorphs is more frequent in areas with higher human footprint index. The occurrence of rodents and birds in fox diet increases uniformly with latitude, while that of plants and invertebrates responds differently to latitude in the warm and cold periods. With climate warming, red foxes may incorporate a wider spectrum of food categories into their diet in northern areas in the future. Widening of fox dietary niche breadth could have important consequences for ecosystems and for the spread of zoonotic diseases.

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“…In fact, until the 1990s, only a ‘core’ area consisting of Eastern France, southern Germany, parts of Switzerland and Austria were known to be endemic for the disease [5]. More recently, the expansion of the parasite into several new areas such as the Baltic regions, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the increase of human AE incidence in ‘core’ areas such as Austria, France and Switzerland, suggested that the disease was spreading in Europe and the incidence of human AE increasing at least in some regions [6–10]. Although greater awareness and the use of advanced diagnostic tools may have contributed to an improvement in the detection of E. multilocularis infection in animals and humans, epidemiological research conducted over the past 20 years, suggested the expansion of this parasite in European countries [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The geographical distribution and prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in animals in the European Union and adjacent countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

et al. 2016

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BackgroundThis study aimed to provide a systematic review on the geographical distribution of Echinococcus multilocularis in definitive and intermediate hosts in the European Union (EU) and adjacent countries (AC). The relative importance of the different host species in the life-cycle of this parasite was highlighted and gaps in our knowledge regarding these hosts were identified.MethodsSix databases were searched for primary research studies published from 1900 to 2015. From a total of 2,805 identified scientific papers, 244 publications were used for meta-analyses.ResultsStudies in 21 countries reported the presence of E. multilocularis in red foxes, with the following pooled prevalence (PP): low (≤ 1 %; Denmark, Slovenia and Sweden); medium (> 1 % to < 10 %; Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and the Ukraine); and high (> 10 %; Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Liechtenstein and Switzerland). Studies from Finland, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Norway reported the absence of E. multilocularis in red foxes. However, E. multilocularis was detected in Arctic foxes from the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard in Norway.ConclusionsRaccoon dogs (PP 2.2 %), golden jackals (PP 4.7 %) and wolves (PP 1.4 %) showed a higher E. multilocularis PP than dogs (PP 0.3 %) and cats (PP 0.5 %). High E. multilocularis PP in raccoon dogs and golden jackals correlated with high PP in foxes. For intermediate hosts (IHs), muskrats (PP 4.2 %) and arvicolids (PP 6.0 %) showed similar E. multilocularis PP as sylvatic definitive hosts (DHs), excluding foxes. Nutrias (PP 1.0 %) and murids (PP 1.1 %) could play a role in the life-cycle of E. multilocularis in areas with medium to high PP in red foxes. In areas with low PP in foxes, no other DH was found infected with E. multilocularis. When fox E. multilocularis PP was >3 %, raccoon dogs and golden jackals could play a similar role as foxes. In areas with high E. multilocularis fox PP, the wolf emerged as a potentially important DH. Dogs and cats could be irrelevant in the life-cycle of the parasite in Europe, although dogs could be important for parasite introduction into non-endemic areas. Muskrats and arvicolids are important IHs. Swine, insectivores, murids and nutrias seem to play a minor or no role in the life-cycle of the parasite within the EU and ACs.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1746-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Echinococcus infections in the Baltic region

Cited by 61 publications

References 32 publications

Wolf population genetics inEurope: a systematic review, meta‐analysis and suggestions for conservation and management

Wolf population genetics inEurope: a systematic review, meta‐analysis and suggestions for conservation and management

Europe‐wide biogeographical patterns in the diet of an ecologically and epidemiologically important mesopredator, the red fox Vulpes vulpes: a quantitative review

The geographical distribution and prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in animals in the European Union and adjacent countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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