Prevalence of Babesia microti-like infection in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Portugal

Cardoso, Luı́s; Cortes, Hélder; Reis, Antónia; Rodrigues, Paula; Simões, Margarida; Lopes, Ana Patrícia; Vila-Viçosa, Maria João; Talmi-Frank, Dalit; Eyal, Osnat; Solano‐Gallego, Laia; Baneth, Gad

doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.12.060

Cited by 61 publications

(66 citation statements)

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“…Apart from domesticated dogs, B. canis has been molecularly confirmed in the neighbouring countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina from a single fox [17] and two captive grey wolves from Hungary [19] as well as in a single red fox (1/91) from Portugal [14]. Since data on Babesia infection in free-ranging carnivores are scarce, we performed a molecular and pathological investigation of Babesia and Theileria species infecting the free-ranging population of wolves from Croatia to understand the prevalence, distribution and potential health impacts of these parasites on a wild canid population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The prevalence and impact of Babesia canis and Theileria sp. in free-ranging grey wolf (Canis lupus) populations in Croatia

et al. 2017

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Background Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. are important emerging causes of disease in dogs. Alongside these domesticated hosts, there is increasing recognition that these piroplasms can also be found in a range of wild animals with isolated reports describing the presence of these pathogen in foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and captive grey wolves (Canis lupus). The prevalence and impact of these infections in free-ranging populations of canids are unknown. To gain a better insight into the epidemiology and pathogenesis of piroplasm infections in free-ranging grey wolves, pathological and molecular investigations into captive and free-ranging grey wolves in Croatia were performed.ResultsThe carcasses of 107 free-ranging wolves and one captive wolf were the subjects of post-mortem investigations and sampling for molecular studies. A blood sample from one live captured wolf for telemetric tracking was also used for molecular analysis. PCR amplification targeting the 18S RNA gene revealed that 21 of 108 free-ranging wolves and one captive animal were positive for Theileria/Babesia DNA. Subsequent sequencing of a fragment of the 18S RNA gene revealed that 7/22 animals were positive for Babesia canis while the other amplified sequence were found to be identical with corresponding 18S rDNA sequences of Theileria capreoli isolated from wild deer (15/22). Haematological and cytological analysis revealed the presence of signet-ring shaped or pear-shaped piroplasms in several animals with the overall parasite burden in all positive animals assessed to be very low. Pathological investigation of the captive animal revealed fatal septicemia as a likely outcome of hemolytic anaemia. There was little or no evidence of hemolytic disease consistent with babesiosis in other animals.ConclusionImportantly, the presence of B. canis in free-ranging grey wolves has not been described before but has been reported in a single fox and domestic dogs only. That B. canis infections cause disease in dogs but have little impact on wolf health possibly suggests that the wolf is the natural and the domestic dog is a secondary host. Surprisingly, the frequent finding of Theileria capreoli in wolves suggests that this Theileria species is not restricted to ungulates (cervids) but commonly infects also this carnivore species. Nevertheless, the potential role that these asymptomatically infected animals may play in the dispersal of these pathogens to susceptible sympatric species such as domesticated dogs requires further investigation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2106-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unlike “B. vulpes”, B. canis has been reported only in a single animal during a study of the fox population in Portugal [14] and in a single fox in a similar survey in Bosnia and Herzegovina [17]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The prevalence and impact of Babesia canis and Theileria sp. in free-ranging grey wolf (Canis lupus) populations in Croatia

et al. 2017

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“…[13] recently reviewed previous identifications of this parasite attributing many of them to B. capreoli . In contrast to ungulates, information on the occurrence and prevalence of piroplasmids in wild canids is limited [34]. In Europe, a continent where the Red fox is present at high densities [35], B. microti -like piroplasms were molecularly confirmed in foxes from Central and Northern Spain [9,36,37], Croatia [38] and Portugal [34].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Europe, a continent where the Red fox is present at high densities [35], B. microti -like piroplasms were molecularly confirmed in foxes from Central and Northern Spain [9,36,37], Croatia [38] and Portugal [34]. In Portugal, a single fox was also found infected with B. canis [34]. Considering the relevant insights into piroplasm-wildlife epidemiology [39,40], the increasing importance of Babesia as an emerging zoonotic disease [2,10] and the lack of information on piroplasm epidemiology in Northwestern Italy [23], we widely investigated Babesia / Theileria infection prevalence in wild ungulates and carnivores from the Piedmont region (Italy) and their biomolecular characteristics, by amplifying and sequencing part of the V4 hyper-variable region of the 18S rRNA gene.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Piroplasmosis in wildlife: Babesia and Theileria affecting free-ranging ungulates and carnivores in the Italian Alps

et al. 2014

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BackgroundPiroplasmosis are among the most relevant diseases of domestic animals. Babesia is emerging as cause of tick-borne zoonosis worldwide and free-living animals are reservoir hosts of several zoonotic Babesia species. We investigated the epidemiology of Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. in wild ungulates and carnivores from Northern Italy to determine which of these apicomplexan species circulate in wildlife and their prevalence of infection.MethodsPCR amplification of the V4 hyper-variable region of the 18S rDNA of Babesia sp./Theileria sp was carried out on spleen samples of 1036 wild animals: Roe deer Capreolus capreolus (n = 462), Red deer Cervus elaphus (n = 52), Alpine Chamois Rupicapra rupicapra (n = 36), Fallow deer Dama dama (n = 17), Wild boar Sus scrofa (n = 257), Red fox Vulpes vulpes (n = 205) and Wolf Canis lupus (n = 7). Selected positive samples were sequenced to determine the species of amplified Babesia/Theileria DNA.ResultsBabesia/Theileria DNA was found with a mean prevalence of 9.94% (IC95% 8.27-11.91). The only piroplasms found in carnivores was Theileria annae, which was detected in two foxes (0.98%; IC95% 0.27-3.49). Red deer showed the highest prevalence of infection (44.23%; IC95% 31.6-57.66), followed by Alpine chamois (22.22%; IC95% 11.71-38.08), Roe deer (12.55%; IC95% 9.84-15.89), and Wild boar (4.67%; IC95% 2.69-7.98). Genetic analysis identified Babesia capreoli as the most prevalent piroplasmid found in Alpine chamois, Roe deer and Red deer, followed by Babesia bigemina (found in Roe deer, Red deer and Wild boar), and the zoonotic Babesia venatorum (formerly Babesia sp. EU1) isolated from 2 Roe deer. Piroplasmids of the genus Theileria were identified in Wild boar and Red deer.ConclusionsThe present study offers novel insights into the role of wildlife in Babesia/Theileria epidemiology, as well as relevant information on genetic variability of piroplasmids infecting wild ungulates and carnivores.

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“…Babesia microti-like parasites -also known as Babesia sp., Babesia annae or Theileria annae -are frequently found in foxes in countries such as Croatia [7], Portugal [5] and Spain [8]. The common assumption is that Ixodes hexagonus is involved in the transmission cycle [9], and a recent study identified I. ricinus and I. canisuga as carriers and therefore as potential vectors [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fox on the run ¿ molecular surveillance of fox blood and tissue for the occurrence of tick-borne pathogens in Austria

Duscher

Fuehrer

Kübber‐Heiss

2014

Parasites & Vectors

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Background: The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a widespread species, harbouring many pathogens relevant for humans and pets. Indeed, Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia canis and Rickettsia spp. among the bacteria and Hepatozoon canis as well as Babesia sp. among the parasites have been the focus of several studies. Findings: In a cohort of 36 foxes shot on one day in the north-eastern part of Austria, Babesia microti-like pathogens were found in 50%, while H. canis was detected in 58.3% of the samples. The spleen was more useful for detection of H. canis, whereas B. microti-like parasites were more frequently found in the blood. Bacteria could not be confirmed in any of the cases to demonstrate the occurrence of such tick-borne pathogens using PCR and sequencing on blood and spleen samples. Conclusions: The occurrence of B. microti-like and H. canis parasites raised many questions, because these infections have never been found autochthonously in dogs. Furthermore in the case of H. canis the main vector tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, is absent in the sampling area, leaving space for further hypotheses for transmission such as vertical transmission, transmission via ingestion of prey animals or other vector ticks. Further studies are needed to evaluate the risks for pets in this area. PCRs delivered differing results with the different tissues, suggesting the use of both spleen and blood to obtain an integral result.

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Prevalence of Babesia microti-like infection in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Portugal

Cited by 61 publications

References 41 publications

The prevalence and impact of Babesia canis and Theileria sp. in free-ranging grey wolf (Canis lupus) populations in Croatia

The prevalence and impact of Babesia canis and Theileria sp. in free-ranging grey wolf (Canis lupus) populations in Croatia

Piroplasmosis in wildlife: Babesia and Theileria affecting free-ranging ungulates and carnivores in the Italian Alps

Fox on the run ¿ molecular surveillance of fox blood and tissue for the occurrence of tick-borne pathogens in Austria

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