Santoro Mario, D'Alessio Nicola, Cerrone Anna, Lucibelli Maria Gabriella, Borriello Giorgia, Aloise Gaetano, Auriemma Clementina, Riccone Nunzia, Galiero Giorgio
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Portici (Naples), Italy.
Museo di Storia Naturale della Calabria e Orto Botanico, Università della Calabria, Rende (Cosenza), Italy.
PLoS One. 2017 Mar 7;12(3):e0173556. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173556. eCollection 2017.
Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis and rickettsiosis are zoonotic tick-borne diseases of canids caused by the intracellular obligate bacteria Ehrlichia canis and Rickettsia species respectively. In this study, we investigated using standard and real-time PCR and sequencing, the occurrence and molecular characterization of E. canis and Rickettsia species in the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) from the southern Italian population. Samples were screened by using molecular assays also for Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii, Clamydophyla spp., Coxiella burnetii, Leishmania spp., Cryptosporidium spp., and Giardia spp. detection, and helminths were studied by traditional methods. Out of six carcasses tested, three were positive for E. canis and co-infection with Rickettsia sp. occurred in one of those. Sequences of the 16S rRNA E. canis gene were identical to each other but differed from most of those previously found in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and wolves (Canis lupus) from southern Italy. Helminths included just cystacanths of Sphaerirostris spp. from the intestine of two Eurasian otters and the nematode Angiostrongylus vasorum from the lungs of a single Eurasian otter. None of the samples was positive for the other investigated selected pathogens. This study is the first report on the evidence of infection by rickettsial pathogens in the Eurasian otter. The present result prompts some inquiries into the pathogenic role of those bacteria for the isolated sub-populations of the endangered Eurasian otter in southern Italy.
犬单核细胞埃立克体病和立克次体病是分别由细胞内专性细菌犬埃立克体和立克次体属引起的犬科动物人兽共患蜱传疾病。在本研究中，我们使用标准PCR、实时PCR和测序技术，调查了意大利南部种群的欧亚水獭（Lutra lutra）中犬埃立克体和立克次体属的发生情况及分子特征。还通过分子检测方法对样本进行了新孢子虫、弓形虫、衣原体属、伯氏考克斯体、利什曼原虫属、隐孢子虫属和贾第虫属的检测，并采用传统方法研究了蠕虫。在检测的6具尸体中，3具犬埃立克体呈阳性，其中1具同时感染了立克次体属。犬埃立克体16S rRNA基因序列彼此相同，但与之前在意大利南部红狐（Vulpes vulpes）和狼（Canis lupus）中发现的大多数序列不同。蠕虫包括来自两只欧亚水獭肠道的球吻棘头虫属的囊棘以及来自一只欧亚水獭肺部的血管圆线虫。其他所调查的选定病原体的样本均未呈阳性。本研究是关于欧亚水獭感染立克次体病原体证据的首次报告。目前的结果引发了一些关于这些细菌对意大利南部濒危欧亚水獭孤立亚种群致病作用的疑问。
