Parasitology and Mediterranean Ecoepidemiology Research Group, University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma, Spain.
Consorci per a la Recuperació de la Fauna de les Illes Balears (COFIB), 07002 Santa Eugènia, Spain.
Parasite. 2024;31:69. doi: 10.1051/parasite/2024069. Epub 2024 Nov 6.
Sentinel surveillance plays a critical role in monitoring pathogen circulation, assessing potential threats for species conservation, and evaluating the risk of spillover to human populations. This study provides a comprehensive exploration of helminth parasites in the Mediterranean-distributed hedgehog species Atelerix algirus in Mallorca, Balearic Islands. Using an integrated approach that combines necropsies and morphological and molecular identifications using the COI gene, we identified 11 helminth taxa in 135 hedgehogs, representing half of those that died at the local wildlife hospital in Mallorca between 2019 and 2022. We report an overall A. cantonensis prevalence of 11.5% and confirm the first case of a subclinical neuroangiostrongyliasis infection in a wildlife host. Infection prevalences over the year revealed that only two species, the nematode A. cantonensis and the cestode Mathevotaenia sp., had a seasonal pattern, with most A. cantonensis cases occurring in autumn and, to a lesser extent, Mathevotaenia sp. cases in winter. This pattern is probably due to the higher abundance and greater activity of snails and slugs (intermediate hosts) during these seasons, with important implications for public health and strategies for prevention of neuroangiostrongyliasis. Other key findings include a high prevalence (88.1%) of the lungworm Crenosoma striatum and detection of the acanthocephalan Moniliformis saudi for the first time in A. algirus. We anticipate that our study will facilitate surveillance efforts and clarify species identities in future studies. Given the lethal effects of A. cantonensis infection in hedgehogs, further studies are needed to evaluate the threat this parasite represents to European wildlife.
监测哨点在监测病原体传播、评估物种保护的潜在威胁以及评估向人类溢出的风险方面发挥着关键作用。本研究全面探讨了马略卡岛巴利阿里群岛分布的刺猬物种 Atelerix algirus 中的寄生虫。我们采用结合剖检和形态学及分子鉴定（使用 COI 基因）的综合方法，在 2019 年至 2022 年期间死于马略卡当地野生动物医院的 135 只刺猬中鉴定出 11 种寄生虫，占死亡刺猬的一半。我们报告了总体上 A. cantonensis 的流行率为 11.5%，并确认了首例野生动物宿主亚临床神经血管圆线虫感染病例。全年的感染流行率表明，只有两种寄生虫，线虫 A. cantonensis 和绦虫 Mathevotaenia sp. 具有季节性模式，大多数 A. cantonensis 病例发生在秋季，而 Mathevotaenia sp. 病例则较少发生在冬季。这种模式可能是由于这些季节中蜗牛和鼻涕虫（中间宿主）的丰度和活性更高所致，这对公共卫生和神经血管圆线虫病预防策略具有重要意义。其他重要发现包括肺蠕虫 Crenosoma striatum 的高流行率（88.1%）和首次在 A. algirus 中检测到棘头虫 Moniliformis saudi。我们预计本研究将促进监测工作，并在未来的研究中阐明物种身份。鉴于 A. cantonensis 感染对刺猬的致命影响，需要进一步研究来评估这种寄生虫对欧洲野生动物的威胁。
