Cystic echinococcosis in donkeys in eastern Africa

Abstract

Cystic echinococcosis is endemic in humans and domestic animals in eastern Africa. All the species of the Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato complex have been reported in this region except for E. equinus, possibly due to the small number of studies involving equids. This study reports the frequency of different Echinococcus species in donkeys from Eastern Africa. A total of 5961 donkeys were examined during meat inspection in three slaughterhouses in Kenya.Identification of Echinococcus spp. was achieved through polymerase chain reactionrestriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 gene. The prevalence of CE was 5.7% (337/5961). The 263 genotyped cysts belonged to E. equinus (n = 163), E. granulosus sensu stricto (n = 70), E. canadensis (G6/7) (n = 26) and E. ortleppi (n = 4). One donkey harboured a metacestode of Spirometra theileri. All E. equinus cases, except two, originated from southern Ethiopia, whereas the other species were more evenly distributed across the study area. Most of the cysts belonging to E. equinus were fertile (111/163), while those of the other species were non-fertile. This is the first report of Echinococcus spp. in donkeys from sub-Saharan Africa and the first confirmation of E. equinus in East Africa. The frequent fertility of E. equinus cysts in donkeys affirms their suitability as intermediate hosts of this species, while low frequency and cyst fertility suggest a marginal role of donkeys in the transmission of E. granulosus s. s., E. canadensis (G6/7) and E. ortleppi.

High species diversity of Echinococcus spp. in wild mammals of Namibia

“…The presence of E. equinus in the Kruger NP was recently confirmed by the identification of a fertile cyst in a white rhinoceros ( Ceratotherium simum ) ( Zaffarano et al, 2021 ). Interestingly, E. equinus was never found in lions in various conservation areas in Kenya where large zebra populations are present ( Kagendo et al, 2014 ), possibly due to the general rarity of this parasite in eastern Africa ( Mulinge et al, 2023 ).…”

When wildlife comes to town: interaction of sylvatic and domestic host animals in transmission of Echinococcus spp. in Namibia

“…One of these, E. felidis, obviously depends on the lion as definitive host and is therefore restricted to the remaining range of this predator (Romig et al, 2017), while a distinct genotype ('G Omo') related to, but not identical with E. granulosus s.s. was described from a human CE patient in southern Ethiopia, without any further information on the lifecycle available (Wassermann et al, 2016). All taxa, apart from E. felidis and 'G Omo', are well described from domestic definitive and/or intermediate hosts in Africa (Deplazes et al, 2017;Mulinge et al, 2023). Human CE cases are known predominantly from northern, eastern and southern Africa, mainly caused by E. granulosus s.s., to a lesser degree by E. canadensis G6/7, and rarely by E. ortleppi (lit.…”