Lahmar S, Boufana B S, Lahmar S, Inoubli S, Guadraoui M, Dhibi M, Bradshaw H, Craig P S
Service de Parasitologie, Ecole Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire, 2020 Sidi Thabet, Tunisia.
Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 2009 Jun;103(4):323-31. doi: 10.1179/136485909X440836.
Echinococcus granulosus is endemic throughout Tunisia and E. multilocularis has previously been reported as the cause of two cases of human alveolar echinococcosis in the north-west of the country. The aim of the present study was to screen wild carnivores from the north-western Jendouba governorate and semi-stray dogs from the Siliana and Sejnane regions of northern Tunisia for these two zoonotic cestodes. The results of the coproscopy, coproELISA and coproPCR that were undertaken were compared with those of necropsy, where possible. Overall, 111 faecal samples (51 from wild carnivores and 60 from stray dogs) were tested by coproELISA for Echinococcus antigen and by coproPCR for E. granulosus and E. multilocularis species-specific DNA. All 60 dogs and seven of the wild carnivores were necropsied. Eleven (18.4%) of the dogs and one golden jackal (Canis aureus) were found positive for E. granulosus at necropsy. The jackal was found to be carrying 72 E. granulosus tapeworms, which were confirmed to be of the common sheep-dog (G1) genotype. Faecal samples from 10 (19.6%) of the wild carnivores--putatively, four golden jackals, two red foxes (Vulpes vulpes atlantica), one hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) and three genets (Genetta genetta)--gave a positive result in the Echinococcus coproELISA. In the coproPCR-based follow-up, E. granulosus DNA was detected in faecal samples from five jackals, two foxes and six stray dogs. The DNA of E. multilocularis was not, however, detected in any of the faecal samples investigated. This is the first report from Tunisia of (coproPCR-)confirmed E. granulosus infections in golden jackals and red foxes. The possible role of such wild hosts in the transmission of E. granulosus in Tunisia should be investigated further. The possibility of the active transmission of E. multilocularis in Tunisia still remains an open question.
细粒棘球绦虫在突尼斯各地均为地方病，此前有报道称多房棘球绦虫是该国西北部两例人体肺泡型棘球蚴病的病因。本研究的目的是筛查突尼斯西北部杰尔巴省的野生食肉动物以及该国北部锡利阿纳和塞尼亚内地区的半流浪狗，以检测这两种人畜共患绦虫。在可能的情况下，将所进行的粪便检查、粪便酶联免疫吸附测定（coproELISA）和粪便聚合酶链反应（coproPCR）结果与尸检结果进行比较。总体而言，对111份粪便样本（51份来自野生食肉动物，60份来自流浪狗）进行了粪便酶联免疫吸附测定以检测棘球绦虫抗原，并通过粪便聚合酶链反应检测细粒棘球绦虫和多房棘球绦虫的物种特异性DNA。对所有60只狗和7只野生食肉动物进行了尸检。尸检发现11只（18.4%）狗和1只金豺（金豺）感染细粒棘球绦虫呈阳性。发现这只豺携带72条细粒棘球绦虫，经证实为常见的羊犬（G1）基因型。10只（19.6%）野生食肉动物的粪便样本——据推测，4只金豺、2只赤狐（大西洋赤狐）、1只鬣狗（斑鬣狗）和3只灵猫（非洲灵猫）——在棘球绦虫粪便酶联免疫吸附测定中呈阳性结果。在基于粪便聚合酶链反应的后续检测中，在5只豺、2只狐狸和6只流浪狗的粪便样本中检测到细粒棘球绦虫DNA。然而，在所调查的任何粪便样本中均未检测到多房棘球绦虫的DNA。这是突尼斯首次报告（通过粪便聚合酶链反应确认）金豺和赤狐感染细粒棘球绦虫。此类野生宿主在突尼斯细粒棘球绦虫传播中可能发挥的作用应进一步研究。多房棘球绦虫在突尼斯是否存在活跃传播的可能性仍然是一个悬而未决的问题。
