Baranauskaitė Agnė, Prakas Petras, Petrauskas Modestas, Rubiola Selene, Servienė Elena, Strazdaitė-Žielienė Živilė
State Scientific Research Institute Nature Research Centre, Akademijos st. 2, Vilnius 08412, Lithuania.
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Torino 10095, Italy.
Food Waterborne Parasitol. 2025 May 8;39:e00267. doi: 10.1016/j.fawpar.2025.e00267. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Most studies on apicomplexan spp. in domestic animals have primarily focused on examining animal carcasses using both morphological and molecular methods. However, to accurately assess the risk of infections in livestock and to develop effective prevention strategies, it is essential to investigate the environmental reservoirs of these parasites. The aim of this study was to identify species with domestic animals as intermediate hosts by analysing environmental samples (water, hay, and soil) collected from Lithuanian farms and to compare their occurrence across different sample types. In total, 90 environmental samples were collected over 3 years and analysed for the presence of spp. using nested polymerase chain reactions targeting the gene. The results indicated that livestock are most likely to acquire infections via the ingestion of contaminated water or feed, while soil posed a lower risk of transmission. An assessment of species distribution across sampled farms revealed that the type of livestock raised did not influence the diversity of spp. Notably, at least six of seven target species (, , , , , , ) were detected at least once on eight of 10 farms. Additionally, two zoonotic species, and , were identified in environmental samples. This study emphasises the potential risk of livestock infection through contaminated environmental and feed sources and highlights the critical role of environmental monitoring in preventing the transmission of spp. to farm animals.
大多数关于家畜中顶复门原虫的研究主要集中在使用形态学和分子方法检查动物尸体。然而，为了准确评估家畜感染的风险并制定有效的预防策略，调查这些寄生虫的环境宿主至关重要。本研究的目的是通过分析从立陶宛农场采集的环境样本（水、干草和土壤）来确定以家畜为中间宿主的物种，并比较它们在不同样本类型中的出现情况。在3年时间里共采集了90份环境样本，并使用针对该基因的巢式聚合酶链反应分析是否存在该物种。结果表明，家畜最有可能通过摄入受污染的水或饲料而感染，而土壤传播风险较低。对采样农场中物种分布的评估显示，饲养的家畜类型不会影响该物种的多样性。值得注意的是，在10个农场中的8个农场至少检测到了7种目标物种（、、、、、、）中的至少6种。此外，在环境样本中鉴定出了两种人畜共患的该物种。本研究强调了通过受污染的环境和饲料源感染家畜的潜在风险，并突出了环境监测在预防该物种传播到家畜中的关键作用。
