Polotzek Martin, van der Neut Floris, Keiser Perrine, Lindhorst Zoë Tess Lara, Kühling Ann-Kathrin, Hering-Hagenbeck Stephan, Fuehrer Hans-Peter, Ebmer David
Tiergarten Kleve (Zoo Cleves), Tiergartenstr. 74, 47533, Cleves, Germany.
Vienna Zoo, Maxingstr. 13b, 1130, Vienna, Austria.
Acta Parasitol. 2025 Mar 10;70(2):69. doi: 10.1007/s11686-025-01003-4.
Eucoleus aerophilus (syn. Capillaria aerophila) (Nematoda: Capillariidae) is a common endoparasite of free-ranging canids. In zoological gardens, reports on E. aerophilus-infections are scarce. We here present a case series of E. aerophilus infections in zoo-held arctic foxes with the aim to provide assistance for zoo veterinarians for future cases.
A total of five zoo-born and -housed arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) were presented with coughing periods and strong phlegm, four of them showing rapid deteriorations at different time points including dyspnoea leading to death. Coproscopical analysis of pooled and individual faecal samples and necropsies were performed.
Faecal analysis showed shedding of typical capillariid eggs, which corroborated the suspicion of respiratory capillariosis. Multiple attempts of deworming using different anthelmintic treatment protocols (fenbendazole; milbemycinoxime and praziquantel; ivermectin; levamisole; selamectin; moxidectin and imidacloprid) did neither result in negative egg shedding periods nor in improvement of clinical symptoms. A regime performed with fenbendazole (100 mg/kg bodyweight per os over 14 days) resulted in cessation of egg shedding. At necropsy of four animals, multifocal chronical granulomatous pneumonia was diagnosed, associated with a massive infection with adult nematodes detected in trachea, bronchi and bronchioles and bacterial infections. Morphological analysis of extracted nematodes identified E. aerophilus, which was confirmed by molecular analysis based on the 18S rRNA gene.
We here show clinical and necropsy data and morphological and molecular worm identifications and call for further parasitological research in ex situ populations of arctic foxes to assess the impact of parasites on this species.
嗜气欧氏线虫（同义词：嗜气毛细线虫）（线虫纲：毛细科）是自由放养犬科动物常见的体内寄生虫。在动物园中，关于嗜气欧氏线虫感染的报道较少。我们在此呈现一组圈养北极狐感染嗜气欧氏线虫的病例系列，旨在为动物园兽医处理未来病例提供帮助。
共有五只圈养出生的北极狐（赤狐）出现咳嗽和大量痰液，其中四只在不同时间点病情迅速恶化，包括呼吸困难直至死亡。对混合及个体粪便样本进行粪便检查分析并进行尸检。
粪便分析显示排出典型的毛细科虫卵，证实了呼吸道毛细线虫病的怀疑。使用不同驱虫治疗方案（芬苯达唑；米尔贝肟和吡喹酮；伊维菌素；左旋咪唑；塞拉菌素；莫西菌素和吡虫啉）多次驱虫，既未使虫卵排出期转阴，也未改善临床症状。采用芬苯达唑（每千克体重口服100毫克，持续14天）的方案使虫卵停止排出。对四只动物进行尸检时，诊断出多灶性慢性肉芽肿性肺炎，伴有在气管、支气管和细支气管中检测到大量成年线虫感染及细菌感染。对提取的线虫进行形态学分析鉴定为嗜气欧氏线虫，并通过基于18S rRNA基因的分子分析得以证实。
我们在此展示了临床和尸检数据以及形态学和分子线虫鉴定结果，并呼吁对北极狐圈养种群开展进一步的寄生虫学研究，以评估寄生虫对该物种的影响。
