Wild carnivores and Thelazia callipaeda zoonotic eyeworms: A focus on wolves

Bezerra‐Santos, Marcos Antônio; Moroni, Barbara; Otranto, Domenico; Perrucci, Stefania; Cavicchio, Paolo; Cordon, Rossana; Cianfanelli, Caterina; Lia, Riccardo Paolo; Rossi, Luca; Otranto, Domenico

doi:10.1016/j.ijppaw.2022.03.005

Cited by 17 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Interestingly, the only two outbreaks of human sylvatic trichinellosis recorded in Northwest Italy, both following the consumption of wild boar meat infected by T. britovi [ 54 , 55 ], occurred in alpine valleys in the provinces of Torino and Cuneo, where Trichinella positive wolves were also found in this study. Wolf centered surveillance of these zoonotic pathogens is nowadays facilitated by existing networks aiming to the conservation of this carnivore species in Europe, which generate a remarkable flow of wolf carcasses towards accredited veterinary institutions in view to monitor the natural and anthropogenic causes of death, and optimize the collection of biological samples for diverse purposes [ 56 , 57 , 58 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wolf Is Back: A Novel Sensitive Sentinel Rejoins the Trichinella Cycle in the Western Alps

Pleite

Moroni

García-Garrigós

et al. 2023

Veterinary Sciences

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Trichinella is a foodborne parasite whose wildlife reservoirs are represented by carnivores and omnivores with predatory and scavenger behavior. The aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of Trichinella infection in grey wolves (Canis lupus) that recolonized the Western Alps from the end of the past century, and discuss the epidemiological role played by this apex predator in the early phases of its return. During the period 2017–2022, diaphragm samples were obtained from 130 individuals collected in the frame of a wolf mortality survey. Trichinella larvae were found in 15 wolves (11.53%) with a parasite intensity of 11.74 larvae per gram. Trichinella britovi was the only species identified. This is the first prevalence survey of Trichinella in wolves recolonizing the Alps. Results suggest that, in this particular biotope, the wolf has rejoined the Trichinella cycle and has the potential to play an increasingly important role as maintenance host. Arguments in favor and against this perspective are discussed and knowledge gaps highlighted. The calculated Trichinella larval biomass in the estimated wolf population roaming in Northwest Italy will serve as baseline value to explore possible shifts in the relative importance of wolves as Trichinella reservoir within the regional carnivore community. Finally, wolves re-colonizing the Alps already appear as sensitive sentinels to monitor the risk of Trichinella zoonotic transmission by infected wild boar meat.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wolf Is Back: A Novel Sensitive Sentinel Rejoins the Trichinella Cycle in the Western Alps

Pleite

Moroni

García-Garrigós

et al. 2023

Veterinary Sciences

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“…The history of RD restoration in NW Italy, and the long-term surveillance of selected parasitic infections (namely those with an obvious macroscopic presentation) in a sample of the RD populations established in the study area, offered us a unique perspective on co-restoration of RD-specific metazoans following the translocation and/or spontaneous migration of the host from neighboring zones via faunal corridors. The unintentional and (less frequently) intentional restoration of parasitic biodiversity in the frame of conservation projects has been reported in other mammalian models throughout the last few decades [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ], while the recovery of generalist parasites in spontaneous wildlife reintroduction is more common [ 21 , 22 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unintentional Recovery of Parasitic Diversity Following Restoration of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) in North-Western Italy

Moroni

Begovoeva

Rossi

et al. 2022

Animals

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Red deer (Cervus elaphus) populations in north-western Italy have been remodeled in recent decades. Multiple translocations and the spontaneous migration from Switzerland and France resulted in the successful redistribution of the red deer after human-driven extirpation during the 18th century. The scarcely diverse parasitic community harbored by these cervids has been enriched with two species-specific taxa, Onchocerca jakutensis and Phayigomyia picta, suggesting that the recovery of parasitic biodiversity could be included amongst future conservation goals of this intensively managed game. Nodular onchocercosis was reported in three red deer populations since 2011, while nasal bots were reported since 2018. Hypoderma spp. larvae were identified for the first time in 1989, then a second record was made in 2014 in the province of Biella, where a yearling male in poor condition infested with Hypoderma diana was observed. In the perspective that the restoration of species-specific parasite communities of native mammals in Europe is increasingly perceived as a conservation target, with similar dignity as the conservation of their hosts, baseline data presented in this communication may give new insights for future parasite conservation efforts.

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“…However, a third species, Phortica oldenbergi , has been demonstrated as a potential vector of T. callipaeda under experimental conditions [ 6 ]. In Europe, since the first report of this nematode in Italy [ 7 ], several other cases have been reported in other countries in different domestic and wild animal species, indicating a wide vertebrate host range for T. callipaeda , and supporting wild carnivores as important players on the spreading of this eyeworm in endemic areas, as well as in remote environments [ 1 – 3 , 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy of a formulation of sarolaner/moxidectin/pyrantel (Simparica Trio®) for the prevention of Thelazia callipaeda canine eyeworm infection

et al. 2022

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Background For a long time known as the oriental eyeworm, Thelazia callipaeda is a zoonotic nematode that infects the eyes of a wide range of vertebrate hosts including dogs, cats, wildlife carnivores, lagomorphs, and humans. The high occurrence of this infection in Europe and the first cases in the United States have increased scientific interest in the parasite, as it also represents a risk for people living in endemic areas. Therefore, treatment and prevention of thelaziosis in canine population are advocated to reduce the risk of human infection as well. Here, we assessed the efficacy of a formulation containing sarolaner/moxidectin/pyrantel (Simparica Trio®) administered orally at monthly intervals, for the prevention of establishment of infection with T. callipaeda in naturally infected dogs. In this formulation, moxidectin is expected to have efficacy against eyeworms, whereas sarolaner and pyrantel are not. Methods The study was conducted in eyeworm endemic areas of Italy and France, where dogs (n = 125) were assigned into two groups consisting of a negative control group (G1; n = 62), in which animals were treated monthly with a control product (sarolaner; Simparica®), and a treatment group (G2; n = 63) in which animals were treated monthly with Simparica Trio (sarolaner/moxidectin/pyrantel) from day 0 to day 150. In total, nine animals were withdrawn from the study (two animals became positive at day 30, and seven for reasons unrelated to eyeworm infection), resulting in 116 animals (n = 58 for G1; n = 58 for G2). Results In G1, 16 out of 58 animals (27.6%) were observed with eyeworms during the study, and none of the animals from G2 were ever observed with eyeworms, resulting in 100% efficacy (P < 0.0001) in the prevention of establishment of T. callipaeda infection. Adult nematodes and fourth-instar (L4)-stage larvae were recovered from the eyes of positive animals, counted, and morphologically identified as T. callipaeda. In addition, specimens from Italy were molecularly confirmed as belonging to the haplotype 1 (i.e., the only one circulating in Europe so far). Conclusions Data presented herein demonstrated 100% efficacy of Simparica Trio for the prevention of T. callipaeda eyeworm infection in dogs from highly endemic areas of France and Italy. The use of this formulation is advantageous, as it is a licensed product in Europe with a wide efficacy spectrum against other nematodes, multiple tick species, and fleas. In addition, preventing the development of infection in dogs could also be a prophylaxis measure for zoonotic T. callipaeda infection in humans inhabiting endemic areas. Graphical Abstract

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Wild carnivores and Thelazia callipaeda zoonotic eyeworms: A focus on wolves

Cited by 17 publications

References 33 publications

Wolf Is Back: A Novel Sensitive Sentinel Rejoins the Trichinella Cycle in the Western Alps

Wolf Is Back: A Novel Sensitive Sentinel Rejoins the Trichinella Cycle in the Western Alps

Unintentional Recovery of Parasitic Diversity Following Restoration of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) in North-Western Italy

Efficacy of a formulation of sarolaner/moxidectin/pyrantel (Simparica Trio®) for the prevention of Thelazia callipaeda canine eyeworm infection

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