Eleni Claudia, De Liberato Claudio, Azam Dena, Morgan Eric R, Traversa Donato
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Regioni Lazio e Toscana, Italy.
School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, UK.
Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl. 2013 Nov 17;3(1):12-4. doi: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2013.10.003. eCollection 2014 Apr.
In the past decade, the parasitic nematode Angiostrongylus vasorum has attracted attention for its emergence in previously free areas and for the rise in clinical cases in domestic dogs. Italy is regarded as one of the countries where this potentially life-threatening parasite is spreading, especially due to bridging infections between wildlife and domestic dogs. The present article describes the presence of A. vasorum in wolves from Italy. Nematodes were observed in histological sections of three wolves found dead in Rome province, central Italy. Morphological and molecular identification of the nematodes, by polymerase chain reaction of rDNA ITS-2 and sequencing, confirmed the nematodes to be A. vasorum, with 99% genetic homology with A. vasorum from sympatric dogs. This is the second report of this species in wolves and the first in this host in Italy, and coincides with increasing records of A. vasorum in dogs and foxes in Italy. Implications for the epidemiology of this emerging parasite and for wildlife health are concisely discussed.
在过去十年中，寄生线虫管圆线虫因其在以前未出现过的地区出现以及家犬临床病例的增加而受到关注。意大利被视为这种可能危及生命的寄生虫正在传播的国家之一，特别是由于野生动物和家犬之间的交叉感染。本文描述了意大利狼体内管圆线虫的存在情况。在意大利于中部罗马省发现死亡的三只狼的组织切片中观察到了线虫。通过核糖体DNA ITS-2的聚合酶链反应和测序对线虫进行形态学和分子鉴定，证实这些线虫为管圆线虫，与同域分布的犬体内的管圆线虫有99%的基因同源性。这是该物种在狼体内的第二次报告，也是在意大利该宿主中的首次报告，并且与意大利犬和狐狸体内管圆线虫记录的增加相吻合。简要讨论了这种新出现的寄生虫的流行病学及其对野生动物健康的影响。
