School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Greece, Thessaloniki, Greece.
ARCTUROS, Civil Society for the Protection and Management of Wildlife and the Natural Environment, Florina, Greece.
Transbound Emerg Dis. 2022 Mar;69(2):235-239. doi: 10.1111/tbed.14414. Epub 2021 Dec 22.
Thelazia callipaeda (Spirurida, Thelaziidae) eyeworm, a zoonotic parasite transmitted by lachryphagus drosophilids, causes subclinical to clinical ocular disease in a wide range of vertebrates, including humans. In the past 20 years, the infection spread primarily in areas where the vector thrives, and now is endemic in many European countries. Recently, this nematode has been reported also in the United States. Here, we describe the first record of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) as a host of T. callipaeda. Eight (26.7%) out of 30 bears were found to be infected with T. callipaeda adult worms. In addition, the parasite was detected in 13 wolves (Canis lupus) sharing the same environment with the brown bears. At the molecular characterization, all nematodes belonged to the haplotype 1, which is the only one recorded in Europe, as yet. This finding demonstrates that brown bears may act as hosts for this parasite, suggesting its potential role in the maintenance of the cycle not only in the wild but also in captivity. Under the above circumstances, the brown bear may represent a potential zoonotic risk for humans, both in rural and urban areas where other reservoirs may be infected.
Thelazia callipaeda（旋尾目，Thelaziidae）眼虫，一种由腐生性果蝇传播的人畜共患寄生虫，可引起包括人类在内的广泛脊椎动物的亚临床至临床眼部疾病。在过去的 20 年中，这种寄生虫的感染主要在其传播媒介繁盛的地区传播，现在在许多欧洲国家都流行。最近，这种线虫也在美国被报道。在这里，我们描述了棕熊（Ursus arctos）作为 T. callipaeda 宿主的第一个记录。在 30 只熊中，有 8 只（26.7%）被发现感染了 T. callipaeda 成虫。此外，在与棕熊共享同一环境的 13 只狼（Canis lupus）中也检测到了寄生虫。在分子特征描述方面，所有线虫都属于欧洲迄今仅记录的单倍型 1。这一发现表明，棕熊可能是这种寄生虫的宿主，表明其在维持野生和圈养环境中的寄生虫循环中可能发挥作用。在上述情况下，棕熊可能对农村和城市地区的人类构成潜在的人畜共患病风险，因为这些地区可能存在其他感染的宿主。
