Gürler Ali Tümay, Demirtaş Sadık, Bölükbaş Cenk Soner, Gençay Elif Burcu, Barılı Öykü, Karaca Efe, Akçay Aytaç, Açıcı Mustafa, Umur Şinasi, Deplazes Peter
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey.
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey.
Zoonoses Public Health. 2023 Jun;70(4):352-360. doi: 10.1111/zph.13035. Epub 2023 Mar 1.
Alveolar echinococcosis (AE), caused by Echinococcus multilocularis, is one of the most important zoonotic diseases. The parasite has a heterogeneous life cycle; more than 40 small mammal species have been determined to be potential intermediate hosts worldwide. Turkey is one of the highest endemic countries for AE, but only limited information is available concerning the transmission biology of E. multilocularis. The study aimed to provide data on potential intermediate host species (focus on genus Microtus) across Turkey involved in E. multilocularis transmission to foxes, which is a risk for public health. Trapping sites have been specially selected considering field voles' habitats and ecological requirements. In total, 843 rodents were collected from 141 locations. The metacestodes and lesions of AE were identified as macroscopy and microscopy and confirmed by PCR and DNA sequencing. Seventeen (2.0%) small mammals from 13 (9.2%) locations were found infected with E. multilocularis. Infected individuals were identified as Microtus irani, Microtus mystacinus, Microtus hartingi, Microtus guentheri, Cricetulus migratorius and Mus macedonicus. M. hartingi and M. macedonicus are documented for the first time as intermediate hosts of E. multilocularis. In conclusion, 15 of 17 infected small mammals were found in the Microtus genus. Therefore, the genus Microtus, which inhabits fields near villages and is potential prey for foxes, could be considered an important intermediate host for E. multilocularis across Turkey.
泡型包虫病（AE）由多房棘球绦虫引起，是最重要的人畜共患病之一。该寄生虫具有异质的生命周期；全球已确定40多种小型哺乳动物为潜在的中间宿主。土耳其是AE流行率最高的国家之一，但关于多房棘球绦虫传播生物学的信息有限。该研究旨在提供土耳其境内参与多房棘球绦虫向狐狸传播的潜在中间宿主物种（重点是田鼠属）的数据，这对公共卫生构成风险。考虑到田鼠的栖息地和生态需求，专门选择了诱捕地点。总共从141个地点收集了843只啮齿动物。通过宏观和微观检查鉴定AE的原头蚴和病变，并通过PCR和DNA测序进行确认。在13个（9.2%）地点的17只（2.0%）小型哺乳动物中发现感染了多房棘球绦虫。感染个体被鉴定为伊朗田鼠、隐田鼠、哈氏田鼠、冈氏田鼠、迁徒仓鼠和马其顿小鼠。哈氏田鼠和马其顿小鼠首次被记录为多房棘球绦虫的中间宿主。总之，17只感染的小型哺乳动物中有15只属于田鼠属。因此，栖息在村庄附近田野且是狐狸潜在猎物的田鼠属，可被视为土耳其境内多房棘球绦虫的重要中间宿主。
