Feline ocular onchocercosis by Onchocerca lupi: Phylogenetic insights and implication for veterinary health

Tudor, P.; Ionașcu, Iuliana; Mateescu, Cosmin; Bezerra‐Santos, Marcos Antônio; Gurău, Maria Rodica; Mateescu, Romanița Elena; Gagniuc, E.; Tudor, Niculae; Otranto, Domenico

doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106723

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Moreover, although beyond the aim of our study, the reactivity of peptides 120 and 130 against infections by other filarioid species (C. bainae and A. reconditum and D. immitis and D. repens), deserves further investigation, as does the applicability of our assay to the diagnosis of feline infection by O. lupi. Indeed, cases of feline infections by this parasite are increasingly being reported (e.g., in Portugal, USA, and Romania), thus raising questions on the potential role of cats as reservoir of infection [40][41][42] . Furthermore, given that cases of O. lupi infections are being identified in animals from geographical areas where this parasite is considered non-endemic (e.g., UK) or of previously unknown endemicity (Israel) 43,44 , alongside cases of human infection 5,12 , the availability of a rapid, specific and sensitive tool for serodiagnosis of O. lupi infection is urgently needed, as it will assist the implementation of surveillance programmes aimed to investigate the geographic distribution and the epidemiology of this parasite.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of an indirect ELISA for the serodiagnosis of canine infection by Onchocerca lupi

Latrofa,

Louzada-Flores,

Maia

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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Onchocercalupi is a zoonotic filarioid parasite of dogs and cats with widespread distribution. A specific non-invasive diagnostic assay for the detection of O.lupi infections remains unavailable. This study aimed to assess the accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of an ELISA test designed using nine peptides from two O.lupi proteins. Sera (n = 54) collected from O.lupi infected dogs from endemic areas (Portugal and USA), alongside sera from dogs positive for Dirofilariaimmitis, D.repens, Cercopithifilariabainae, and Acanthocheilonemareconditum (n = 53) from a non-endemic area for O.lupi, as well as from helminth-free dogs (n = 60), were tested. The checkerboard titration method was applied for the optimization of peptide concentrations and conjugate anti-dog dilutions. Sensitivity, specificity, and optimal cut-off values were calculated using ROC curve analysis. All peptides reacted against sera of O.lupi, with no correlation between optic density (OD) values and microfilariae (mfs) loads. Sensitivity and specificity values ranging from 85.45 to 100%, and 88.89% to 100%, respectively, were recorded for all peptides examined, with 100% specificity and sensitivity observed for peptides 40_3, 40_5, 130_3, 120_3 and 40_1, 130_5, respectively. The maximum cut-off value was observed for peptides 40_5 (0.765) and 40_3 (0.708). Testing of sera from dogs positive for other filarioids resulted in lower OD values (up to 1.565) for peptides 40_3 and 40_5 when compared with O.lupi (up to 2.929). The availability of this assay will be of value in epidemiological studies of canine O.lupi infection in both endemic and non-endemic areas, and in assessing the risk for zoonotic transmission.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of an indirect ELISA for the serodiagnosis of canine infection by Onchocerca lupi

Latrofa,

Louzada-Flores,

Maia

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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“…and O. lupi share a unique characteristic in that they have dermal mfs. The zoonotic potential of O. lupi [ 6 ] has attracted the interest of the scientific community [ 5 ], with studies published over the last 20 years on many clinical aspects of the infection caused by this filarioid in both dogs [ 7 ] and cats from North America [ 8 ] and Europe [ 9 , 10 ]. Nonetheless, the vector of this onchocercid is still unknown although O. lupi genomic DNA was molecularly detected in black flies (Simuliidae) [ 11 ], Culex spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cercopithifilaria spp. of dogs: little known but prevalent filarioids beneath the skin

Bezerra-Santos,

Dantas-Torres,

Ramos

et al. 2023

Parasites Vectors

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Filarioids of the genus Cercopithifilaria are little studied, yet widespread parasites, that are relatively unique in being one of the very few nematodes transmitted by hard ticks. These filarioids live in the subcutis while microfilariae are found in the dermis. Definitive hosts include domestic dogs as well as a wide range of vertebrates, such as ruminants, non-human primates, murids, marsupials, porcupines, viverrids, bears and lagomorphs. The genus Cercopithifilaria contains three taxa (i.e. C. bainae, C. grassii and a yet undescribed species, namely Cercopithifilaria sp. II) that are known to infect dogs worldwide, with their occurrence overlapping the distribution of the main tick vector, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato. In recent decades, more attention has focused on these filarioids since they have been associated with clinical signs of infection, such as dermatitis, chronic polyarthritis and cutaneous cysts, and possibly with facilitating infections caused by other tick-borne pathogens. Nevertheless, these parasites remain largely underdiagnosed in clinical practice due to the lack of awareness of veterinary practitioners and to major obstacles to their diagnosis. In this review, we have assessed currently available data on Cercopithifilaria spp. infecting dogs worldwide and discussed the biological, clinical and epidemiological aspects of these filarioids, with the overall aim to gain a better understanding of their potential role in skin diseases. Graphical abstract

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Cutaneous filarioid nematodes of dogs in the United States: Are they emerging, neglected, or underdiagnosed parasites?

Gruntmeir

Kelly²,

Ramos³

et al. 2023

Front. Vet. Sci.

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Filarioid nematodes, which are vector-borne parasites of cosmopolitan distribution, of dogs are medically important. They are represented by species in which microfilariae were found to be circulating in the bloodstream (e.g., Dirofilaria sp., Acanthocheilonema sp., and Brugia sp.) or skin-dwelling (e.g., Cercopithifilaria sp. and Onchocerca sp.). Those species whose microfilariae are detected in blood have been extensively studied, especially Dirofilaria immitis, due to their clinical importance. In recent decades, there has been an increased interest by the scientific community in filarioid nematodes whose microfilariae are detected in the skin because of the zoonotic aspect of Onchocerca lupi. In the United States (US), although D. immitis has been considered the main filarioid infecting dogs, the intense animal movement and global canine filarioid diversity may indicate that the likely presence of cutaneous filarioid nematodes is more common than previously expected. Hence, a question remains: Are these canine filarioid nematodes emerging, neglected, or simply underdiagnosed in the US? In this review, we provide an overview of pertinent information that briefly summarizes the biology of the different canine filarioid nematode species, clinical signs associated with infections, and currently available diagnostic tools using molecular and microscopy-based methods and highlight knowledge gaps where research and surveillance efforts remain necessary. The data herein presented serve as an alert to the scientific community about the importance of filarioid nematodes infecting dogs other than D. immitis. Additionally, the zoonotic potential of several filarioid species reinforces the necessity of a proper diagnosis and the need for broader surveillance to understand their diversity and distribution, to highlight the potential introduction of certain species, and mitigate their establishment in the country and new animal and human cases.

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Feline ocular onchocercosis by Onchocerca lupi: Phylogenetic insights and implication for veterinary health

Cited by 3 publications

References 42 publications

Development of an indirect ELISA for the serodiagnosis of canine infection by Onchocerca lupi

Development of an indirect ELISA for the serodiagnosis of canine infection by Onchocerca lupi

Cercopithifilaria spp. of dogs: little known but prevalent filarioids beneath the skin

Cutaneous filarioid nematodes of dogs in the United States: Are they emerging, neglected, or underdiagnosed parasites?

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