Taeniid cestodes in a wolf pack living in a highly anthropic hilly agro-ecosystem

Abstract

The Italian wolf population in human-modified landscapes has increased greatly in the last few decades. Anthropisation increases the risk of transmission of many zoonotic infections and in this context, control of taeniid cestode species needs to be addressed from a One Health perspective. Predator-prey interactions are at the root of taeniid cestode transmission, and the wolf plays a key role in the maintenance and transmission of taeniids. To date, all available data on the taeniids of wolves in Italy refer to populations living in a wild habitat. Between 2018 and 2019, we investigated taeniids in a wolf pack living in a highly anthropic hilly agro-ecosystem. Thirty-eight faecal samples were collected and analysed, 4 of which were also genetically characterised for individual wolves and belonged to three different animals. Samples collected were analysed microscopically and by molecular analysis in order to identify the taeniid species. Taeniid eggs were detected in 34.2% (13/38) of samples. Within samples positive to taeniid eggs only Echinococcus granulosus s.s. and Taenia hydatigena were identified in 26.3% and 10.5% of the samples, respectively. On microscopic examination, Capillaria spp., Ancylostomatidae and Toxocara canis eggs, Crenosoma vulpis larvae, and coccidian oocysts were also found. The combination of low biodiversity of taeniid species with a high occurrence of E. granulosus s.s. recorded in this study could be the consequence of a deeper link occurring between wolves and livestock in human-modified landscapes than in wild settings.

A novel intermediate host for Taenia serialis (Gervais, 1847): The European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L. 1758) from the Monti Sibillini National Park (MSNP), Italy

“…Recently, Citterio et al (2021) detected T. serialis eggs in only 0.2% of 2872 red foxes collected from 2012 to 2018 in Northern Italy. Interestingly, Italian wolf ( Canis lupus italicus ), although is a deeply studied species, where hundreds of researches investigate its helminths, has never been diagnosed positive for T. serialis , also considering different regions, ecological setting (anthropic vs not anthropic), and sample size (see for example: Gori et al, 2015 ; Poglayen et al, 2017 ; Macchioni et al, 2021 ), making the red fox the first putative definitive host. In support of this, preliminary results, obtained by examining guts of some wolves found dead in the same area, have not still revealed the presence of T. serialis tapeworm (unpublished data).…”

Evaluating noninvasive methods for estimating cestode prevalence in a wild carnivore population

“…We aimed to build on previous and current methods to leverage information from scat samples in an intensively monitored wolf population. A few studies have identified helminth infections in wolves across their range using noninvasive methods [ 19 , 20 ], yet samples are often analyzed at the group-level [ 15 , 21 ], or at the individual-level but lack individual-level covariates [ 22 ]; therefore, inference about infections in individual wolves is limited. Additionally, molecular methods are required for identifying parasite taxa with similar egg morphology, such as taeniid cestodes [ 23 , 24 ].…”

“…granulosus and E . multilocularis , are zoonotic [ 30 , 31 ] and infect and cause disease in livestock [ 22 , 33 , 34 ]. For these reasons, monitoring and preventive medicine development occurs globally [ 35 , 36 ]).…”

“…Cestodes are common intestinal, parasitic tapeworms-adults usually occupy vertebrate digestive tracts, and larvae occupy bodies of vertebrates or invertebrates [29]. Wolves, a definitive host, play a crucial role in the maintenance and transmission of Taeniidae [22,30,31], although prevalence in wolves is conditional on their major prey species (i.e., intermediate hosts) [32]. Importantly, certain cestode species, such as E. granulosus and E. multilocularis, are zoonotic [30,31] and infect and cause disease in livestock [22,33,34].…”

“…Wolves, a definitive host, play a crucial role in the maintenance and transmission of Taeniidae [22,30,31], although prevalence in wolves is conditional on their major prey species (i.e., intermediate hosts) [32]. Importantly, certain cestode species, such as E. granulosus and E. multilocularis, are zoonotic [30,31] and infect and cause disease in livestock [22,33,34]. For these reasons, monitoring and preventive medicine development occurs globally [35,36]).…”