Endoparasites of European Wildcats (Felis silvestris) in Greece

Abstract

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris) is the only wild felid living in Greece. Wildcat populations are declining due to anthropogenic and phenological unfavourable conditions, and parasites may have an additional negative impact. In the present study, the occurrence of endoparasites in wildcats in Greece and the potential threats posed to wildcats, domestic animals, and humans in the study areas has been investigated. In a six-year period, 23 road-killed wildcats and 62 wildcat faecal samples were collected from different areas of the country. Necropsy for the detection of endoparasites and standard parasitological examinations of faecal samples were performed. Parasites were morphologically identified and, in selected cases, molecularly analysed. All necropsied wildcats (100%) were infected by three to 10 different parasite taxa, with the most prevalent being Taenia taeniaeformis (73.9%), Toxocara cati (60.9%), Angiostrongylus chabaudi (56.5%), Ancylostoma tubaeforme (39.1%), Cylicospirura spp. (34.8%), Troglostrongylus brevior (34.8%), and Capillaria aerophila (33.8%). Of the 62 faecal samples examined, 53 (85.5%) were positive for one or more parasite elements (larvae, eggs, or oocysts). The most frequent were T. cati (45.2%), A. chabaudi (29%), C. aerophila (24.2%), and Ancylostomatidae (17.7%). This is the first survey on endoparasites affecting wildcats in Greece. Some of the parasites here found are frequent in domestic and wild felids, while others, i.e., Oslerus rostratus and Cylicospirura petrowi, were described for the first time in the European wildcat. Most of them have a significant pathogenic potential, causing severe to hazardous diseases to infected felids and some, under specific circumstances, can also threaten human health.

Angiostrongylosis in Animals and Humans in Europe

“…To date, patent angiostrongylosis (i.e., shedding of L1 larvae) has been described only in the European wildcat (Felis silvestris), which is the natural host of A. chabaudi in Southern and Eastern Europe [47][48][49][50]. A few domestic cats from Italy have been found harbouring only immature/unfertilized A. chabaudi (reviewed in [50]).…”

“…Maps show the location of reports by country (and, for A.cantonensis, by island), and not distribution within countries or islands. Sources: A. cantonensis[10,78], A. chabaudi[47][48][49], A. daskalovi[8,[58][59][60][61], A. dujardini[11,91,92], A. vasorum[13,[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37].…”

New Insights into Gastrointestinal and Pulmonary Parasitofauna of Wild Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in the Harz Mountains of Germany

“…eggs in the present study add novel data on the helminth fauna of L. lynx. In Europe, cylicospirurosis is rarely reported in wildcats (F. silvestris silvestris) and the life cycle of Cylicospirura, which involves insects as intermediate hosts and small vertebrates as paratenic hosts, remains in many parts uncovered [68][69][70]. Pathology of neglected cylicospirurosis, which affects mainly wild felids, among them also lynxes (L. canadensis and L. rufus), is associated with stomach nodules due to severe granuloma formation [68,71,72].…”

Felid Parasitoses, New Insights and Open Perspectives

“…This Special Issue includes three papers on parasites in wild felids. Diakou et al [8] investigated the endoparasite fauna of European wildcats in Greece. Both copromicroscopical and post mortem examinations were included in this survey, providing a comprehensive picture of the parasites and their frequency in wildcats living in the area.…”

“…Furthermore, new host records and new distribution data for certain parasites are reported. Informative photographs and analyses of the epizootiology, clinical impact and zoonotic potential of the parasites found are also presented in this paper [8].…”