Institute of Parasitology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
Institute of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.
Parasit Vectors. 2018 Feb 6;11(1):85. doi: 10.1186/s13071-018-2672-4.
Angiostrongylus vasorum, Crenosoma vulpis and Eucoleus aerophilus are a source of increasing concern, potentially causing significant pulmonary and severe cardiac/systemic diseases in domestic dogs and wild canids, especially red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). To investigate the prevalence and geographical distribution of these parasites in central Germany, a total of 569 foxes were examined by dissection.
Pluck (heart and lung) and faecal samples of red foxes were collected from three regions of Germany. Lungs, hearts and adjacent vessels were processed for adult nematode detection. Parasitological diagnoses of faecal samples were performed by SAF technique, Giardia- and Cryptosporidium-Coproantigen-ELISAs and by a duplex copro-PCR for the detection of A. vasorum and C. vulpis DNA.
Foxes originated from three Federal States of central Germany: Thuringia (n = 359); Rhineland-Palatinate (n = 121) and Hesse (n = 89). High prevalences for all three nematodes were detected, with E. aerophilus (69.4%; 395/569), followed by C. vulpis (32.3%; 184/569) and A. vasorum (14.1%; 80/569). In case of A. vasorum, prevalences varied significantly between Federal States, with the highest prevalence of 27.3% in Rhineland-Palatinate, followed by 19.1% and 8.4% in Hesse and Thuringia, respectively. The presence of A. vasorum in fox populations showed a rather patchy distribution, increasing from north-eastern to south-western regions. Analyses on C. vulpis revealed prevalences of 35.1%, 30.3% and 25.6% (Thuringia, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, respectively). The most prevalent lungworm nematode was E. aerophilus, with a prevalence of 75.2%, 71.9% and 66.9% (Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Thuringia, respectively) and an almost area-wide equal distribution. Significant differences for single parasite prevalences within geographical regions of the Federal States could be detected whilst no correlation between age or gender and parasite occurrence was estimated. Weak seasonality for the winter months for A. vasorum, stronger correlation to spring and late summer for C. vulpis and no correlation to any season for E. aerophilus were detected. The method of dissection revealed a significantly higher sensitivity for C. vulpis when compared with the results of the duplex copro-PCR.
A sylvatic cycle was confirmed for all three lungworm nematodes in the examined area. The prevalences for all three lungworm nematodes are some of the highest recorded so far in German foxes. The data suggest that A. vasorum might be spreading from south-western to north-eastern parts of Germany.
血管圆线虫、犬新蛔虫和犬恶丝虫日益受到关注，可能导致家犬和野生犬科动物（尤其是赤狐）出现严重的肺部和心脏/全身疾病。为了研究这些寄生虫在德国中部的流行情况和地理分布，对总共 569 只狐狸进行了剖检。
从德国的三个地区采集赤狐的毛（心肺）和粪便样本。对肺、心和相邻血管进行处理，以检测成年线虫。粪便样本的寄生虫学诊断通过 SAF 技术、贾第鞭毛虫和隐孢子虫 ELISA 以及用于检测血管圆线虫和犬新蛔虫 DNA 的双重粪便 PCR 进行。
狐狸来自德国中部的三个联邦州：图林根州（n=359）；莱茵兰-普法尔茨州（n=121）和黑森州（n=89）。三种线虫的高流行率均被检出，其中犬恶丝虫（69.4%；395/569）、犬新蛔虫（32.3%；184/569）和血管圆线虫（14.1%；80/569）。在血管圆线虫方面，各州之间的流行率差异显著，莱茵兰-普法尔茨州的流行率最高，为 27.3%，其次是黑森州（19.1%）和图林根州（8.4%）。在狐狸种群中，血管圆线虫的存在呈明显的斑块状分布，从东北向西南地区逐渐增加。对犬新蛔虫的分析显示，流行率分别为 35.1%、30.3%和 25.6%（图林根州、黑森州和莱茵兰-普法尔茨州）。最常见的肺线虫是犬恶丝虫，流行率分别为 75.2%、71.9%和 66.9%（莱茵兰-普法尔茨州、黑森州和图林根州），且分布几乎遍及整个地区。在联邦州的地理区域内，单一致虫的流行率存在显著差异，但未估计到年龄或性别与寄生虫发生之间的相关性。血管圆线虫在冬季的季节性较弱，与春季和夏末的相关性较强，而与任何季节均无相关性。与双 PCR 相比，剖检法对犬新蛔虫的检出率明显更高。
在所检查的区域内，三种肺线虫均证实存在森林生境循环。三种肺线虫的流行率均为德国狐狸迄今为止记录到的最高水平之一。这些数据表明，血管圆线虫可能正在从德国西南部向东北部扩散。
