Molecular Survey on Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum Infection in Wild Birds of Prey Admitted to Recovery Centers in Northern Italy

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum (Apicomplexa, Sarcocystidae) are protozoan parasites infecting a wide range of intermediate hosts worldwide, including birds. Raptors acquire the infections through the ingestion of both infected preys and oocysts in the environment suggesting they might be used as indicators of the spread of these pathogens. Here, we report an epidemiological survey with the aim of determining the prevalence of T. gondii and N. caninum infections in wild birds of prey, hospitalized in two Wildlife Recovery Centres (WRCs) in Northern Italy. Genomic DNA extracted from brain tissue samples was submitted to Real Time PCR targeting T. gondii B1 and N. caninum Nc5 genes. T. gondii genotyping was then performed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis, targeting three polymorphic genes (GRA6, BTUB, and altSAG2). T. gondii DNA was found in 35 (62.5%) out of 56 examined samples; concerning genotyping, it was possible to amplify at least one gene for 26 animals, and obtained sequences belonged to Type II. N. caninum DNA was only detected in two (3.6%) common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), adding a new species to the list of suitable intermediate hosts for this pathogen. Data obtained in the present study thus confirmed the spread of both T. gondiiand N. caninum in wild bird of prey, endorsing the role of WRCs in the epidemiological surveillance of wildlife.

Prevalence of Neospora caninum antibodies in fattening pigs and sows from intensive farms in northern Italy

“…Considering that wild boar populations are nowadays in expansion in terms both of the number of animals and habitat range, the increased frequency of contacts among wild boars, livestock, and humans could influence the transmission of zoonotic and animal-specific pathogens, as previously demonstrated in this area for other similar protozoa infections (Gazzonis et al 2018b(Gazzonis et al , 2019a. In the same study area, a recent molecular survey reporting the presence of N. caninum in brain tissue of wild birds of prey not only suggests the involvement of avian species in the parasite life cycle but also the environmental circulation of Neospora, indicating a possible role of these wild populations in the epidemiology of the parasite infection at the interface of the domestic and sylvatic life cycle (Gazzonis et al 2021).…”

“…Moreover, other domestic species in northern Italian regions were also exposed to the parasite with variable seroprevalence values, i.e., 30.2% in dogs (Ferroglio et al 2007a), 31.9% in cats (Ferroglio et al 2005), and 0.4% in horses (Villa et al 2018). Among wild mammals, Ferroglio and Rossi (2001) confirmed serological exposure to N. caninum in wild ruminants (5.9% in chamois, 2.3% in roe deer, and 1.9% in red deer), whereas parasitic DNA was detected in 10.3% of rodents (Ferroglio et al 2007b) and 2.8% of eastern cottontail rabbits (Zanet et al 2013); besides, Gazzonis et al (2021) reported a molecular prevalence of 3.6% in wild birds in northern Italy. All these data confirm the circulation of N. caninum in both domestic and wild animals in Italy.…”

“…Regarding Italy, N. caninum infection was reported in various species, i.e., in cattle (Otranto et al 2003;Rinaldi et al 2005;Villa et al 2021) and other domestic species, including dogs, cats, equids, and small ruminants (Ferroglio et al 2005(Ferroglio et al , 2007aVilla et al 2018;Gazzonis et al 2020), but also in wild mammals and birds (Ferroglio and Rossi 2001;Ferroglio et al 2007b;Zanet et al 2013;Gazzonis et al 2021).…”

A Highlight on Avian Toxoplasmosis: One Health Disease with a Special Reference to the Current Egyptian Situation

“…Up to now, some studies have been carried out to investigate the prevalence of T. gondii in psittacines and passerines species (Dubey, 2002;Hartley et al, 2008;Gazzonis et al, 2021). Fetal toxoplasmosis has been reported in parrots in Australia and New Zealand, psittacines in America, and budgerigars in Switzerland and the Netherlands (Dubey et al, 2004;Ferreira et al, 2012;Howe et al, 2014).…”

Editorial for the Special Issue “Parasitic Diseases from Wild Animals with Emphasis on Zoonotic Infections”

“…Raptors are examined as reservoirs of Toxoplasma, and they can act as indicators of environmental contamination by the parasite. A study carried out in Italy found 62.5% of brain samples positive to at least one out of three parasite markers [4] and added the common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) as a new host for the parasite.…”