Reichard Mason V, Criffield Marc, Thomas Jennifer E, Paritte Jacqueline M, Cunningham Mark, Onorato Dave, Logan Kenneth, Interisano Maria, Marucci Gianluca, Pozio Edoardo
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, 250 McElroy Hall, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA.
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 298 Sabal Palm Rd, Naples, FL, 34114, USA.
Parasit Vectors. 2015 Feb 4;8:67. doi: 10.1186/s13071-015-0674-z.
Parasites of the genus Trichinella are zoonotic nematodes common in carnivores throughout the world. We determined the prevalence and species of Trichinella infections in Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi).
Tongues from Florida panthers were collected at necropsy and examined by pepsin-HCl artificial digestion for infection with Trichinella spp. DNA was extracted from larvae and multiplex PCR using Trichinella species-specific primers was used to genotype the worms.
Trichinella spp. larvae were detected in 24 of 112 (21.4%; 14.6%-30.3%) panthers. Sixteen of the panthers (14.3%) were infected with T. pseudospiralis, 1 (0.9%) was infected with T. spiralis, and 2 (1.8%) had mixed infections of T. pseudospiralis and T. spiralis. Trichinella spp. larvae from 5 panthers were not identified at the species level due to degraded DNA.
This is the highest prevalence of T. pseudospiralis detected in North America up to now and suggests the Florida panther is a key mammalian reservoir of this parasite in southern Florida. Trichinella pseudospiralis can infect both mammals and birds indicating the source of infection for Florida panthers could be broader than believed; however, birds represent a small percentage (0.01%) of the cat's diet. Since wild pigs (Sus scrofa) can be parasitized by both T. pseudospiralis and T. spiralis and these swine can comprise a large portion (~40%) of a panther's diet in Florida, we believe that Florida panthers acquired these zoonotic parasites from feeding on wild pigs.
旋毛虫属寄生虫是一种人畜共患的线虫，在世界各地的食肉动物中普遍存在。我们确定了佛罗里达美洲狮（美洲狮佛罗里达亚种）体内旋毛虫感染的患病率和种类。
在尸检时收集佛罗里达美洲狮的舌头，通过胃蛋白酶 - 盐酸人工消化法检查是否感染旋毛虫属。从幼虫中提取DNA，并使用旋毛虫属特异性引物进行多重PCR，以对蠕虫进行基因分型。
在112只美洲狮中的24只（21.4%；14.6% - 30.3%）检测到旋毛虫属幼虫。其中16只美洲狮（14.3%）感染了伪旋毛虫，1只（0.9%）感染了旋毛虫，2只（1.8%）同时感染了伪旋毛虫和旋毛虫。由于DNA降解，5只美洲狮的旋毛虫属幼虫未在物种水平上鉴定出来。
这是目前在北美检测到的伪旋毛虫的最高患病率，表明佛罗里达美洲狮是佛罗里达州南部这种寄生虫的关键哺乳动物宿主。伪旋毛虫可感染哺乳动物和鸟类，这表明佛罗里达美洲狮的感染源可能比人们认为的更广泛；然而，鸟类在猫的饮食中所占比例很小（0.01%）。由于野猪可同时被伪旋毛虫和旋毛虫寄生，且这些猪在佛罗里达州美洲狮的饮食中占很大比例（约40%），我们认为佛罗里达美洲狮是通过捕食野猪而感染这些人畜共患寄生虫的。
