Hepatozoon silvestris (Adeleorina: Hepatozoidae) is a recently described agent of feline hepatozoonosis. Although possibly emerging in Europe, this apicomplexan parasite is still largely unknown. ...Here, we provide insight into our current knowledge of the parasite’s distribution, biology, and pathogenesis of the associated disease.
Leishmania infantum causes potentially life-threatening disease in humans. To determine the extent of the animal reservoir for this pathogen in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we tested dogs and cats. We ...found that a large proportion of dogs were exposed to or infected with L. infantum, indicating endemicity in dogs and zoonotic risk for humans.
Over the last 30 years,
Thelazia callipaeda
(Spirurida: Thelaziidae) has increasingly been reported as an agent of ocular infections in animals and humans throughout Europe. Following the cases of ...canine ocular thelaziosis recently recorded in Austria for the first time, in the present paper, we describe the first case of
T. callipaeda
infection in an Austrian cat with no history of traveling abroad. This finding further supports the occurrence of the parasite’s autochthonous transmission cycle in the country. The cat showed serous ocular discharge, conjunctival hyperemia, and mild conjunctival edema in the right eye. Mechanical removal of the parasite from the cat’s eye, in combination with milbemycin oxime/praziquantel oral treatment and topical use of tobramycin/dexamethasone eye drops led to complete resolution of the clinical signs within 2 weeks. Results presented in the current study are of great importance for the local veterinarians who seemed largely unaware of this zoonotic parasite. Therefore, increased awareness of medical and veterinary communities is imperative for preventing further infections in both animals and humans.
Metazoan parasites host a diverse microbial community consisting of vertically and horizontally acquired taxa.The functional role of microbial communities colonizing helminths is poorly known.Certain ...species of helminth parasites contain a ´core´ microbiota, which persists in all developmental stages.Keystone taxa may be an essential component of a stable microbial ecosystem in helminth parasites.Interactions between a vertebrate host and a parasite should be viewed at the multidimensional interface and the parasite-associated microbiome needs to be considered in future studies investigating host–parasite interactions and the pathogenesis of parasitic diseases.
Gastrointestinal helminths have developed multiple mechanisms by which they manipulate the host microbiome to make a favorable environment for their long-term survival. While the impact of helminth infections on vertebrate host immunity and its gut microbiota is relatively well studied, little is known about the structure and functioning of microbial populations supported by metazoan parasites. Here we argue that an integrated understanding of the helminth-associated microbiome and its role in the host disease pathogenesis may facilitate the discovery of specific microbial and/or genetic patterns critical for parasite biology and subsequently pave the way for the development of alternative control strategies against parasites and parasitic disease.
The neozoan species raccoon dog (
Nyctereutes procyonoides
) and raccoon (
Procyon lotor
) are widespread in Europe and potential vectors of many diseases that can threaten human and domestic animal ...health. Facing a further spread of these species, it is important to know about (i) pathogens imported and/or (ii) pathogens acquired in the new habitat. Thus, we investigated the parasite fauna of wild raccoon dogs and raccoons from Austria, at the edge of their new distribution range. The eight examined raccoons were nearly free of pathogens including
Baylisascaris procyonis
, and thus assumed to have a low epidemiological impact, so far. Out of ten raccoon dog specimens, we found one from western Austria to be infected with
Echinococcus multilocularis
and another three from the eastern wetland regions to harbour adults of
Alaria alata
. Furthermore, we detected
Babesia
cf.
microti
in five of eight raccoon dogs all over Austria but none of our samples were tested positive for
Trichinella
spp. Nevertheless, the raccoon dog seems to be a relevant host, at least for the zoonotic pathogens
E. multilocularis
and
A. alata,
and we suggest to further monitor the raccoon dogs parasite fauna.
The lack of tools for the precise manipulation of the tick microbiome is currently a major limitation to achieve mechanistic insights into the tick microbiome. Anti-tick microbiota vaccines targeting ...keystone bacteria of the tick microbiota alter tick feeding, but their impact on the taxonomic and functional profiles of the tick microbiome has not been tested. In this study, we immunized a vertebrate host model (
) with live bacteria vaccines targeting keystone (i.e.,
) or non-keystone (i.e.,
) taxa of tick microbiota and tested the impact of bacterial-specific antibodies (Abs) on the structure and function of tick microbiota. We also investigated the effect of these anti-microbiota vaccines on mice gut microbiota composition. Our results showed that the tick microbiota of ticks fed on
-immunized mice had reduced
abundance and lower species diversity compared to ticks fed on control mice immunized with a mock vaccine. Immunization against keystone bacteria restructured the hierarchy of nodes in co-occurrence networks and reduced the resistance of the bacterial network to taxa removal. High levels of
-specific IgM and IgG were negatively correlated with the abundance of
in tick microbiota. These effects were not observed when
was targeted with vaccination against
. Prediction of functional pathways in the tick microbiome using PICRUSt2 revealed that
vaccination reduced the abundance of lysine degradation pathway in tick microbiome, a result validated by qPCR. In contrast, the gut microbiome of immunized mice showed no significant alterations in the diversity, composition and abundance of bacterial taxa. Our results demonstrated that anti-tick microbiota vaccines are a safe, specific and an easy-to-use tool for manipulation of vector microbiome. These results guide interventions for the control of tick infestations and pathogen infection/transmission.
Canine pathogens transmitted by blood-sucking arthropods are of significant importance for veterinary and, in some cases, human health. However, they are still underestimated and rarely investigated ...in many parts of the Mediterranean region, mostly due to financial reasons. Therefore, in the present paper, we investigated the occurrence of blood-associated pathogens affecting dogs in Crete, Greece. For this purpose, blood samples from 103 shelter dogs were screened for the pathogens by PCR and serological tests. Overall, samples from 43 dogs scored positive for at least one pathogen (41.8%). In particular, antibodies to
Leishmania infantum
were detected in 26 dogs (25.2%), and 15 and 11 animals were positive for
Hepatozoon canis
(14.6%) and
Mycoplasma haemocanis
(10.7%) by PCR, respectively. Co-infections were recorded in nine animals. Clinical signs indicative of infection (alterations of skin or coat or reduced body condition) were detected in 10 animals, four of which were infected with one pathogen, three with two pathogens. Based on the results obtained, dogs from Crete appear to be frequently exposed to several blood-borne pathogens, including agents of zoonotic concern. Given that some of the pathogens were reported for the first time in this area, results presented in our study should improve the awareness of the local veterinarians and of dog rescue organisations in order to reduce disease burden on stray and owned dogs and to control the spread of canine vector-borne diseases from Greece to non-endemic areas by travelling or exported infected dogs.
BACKGROUND: Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) have recently been recognized as potential reservoirs of several vector-borne pathogens and a source of infection for domestic dogs and humans, mostly due to ...their close vicinity to urban areas and frequent exposure to different arthropod vectors. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and distribution of Babesia spp., Hepatozoon canis, Anaplasma spp., Bartonella spp., ‘Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis’, Ehrlichia canis, Rickettsia spp. and blood filaroid nematodes in free-ranging red foxes from Bosnia and Herzegovina. METHODS: Spleen samples from a total of 119 red foxes, shot during the hunting season between October 2013 and April 2014 throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, were examined for the presence of blood vector-borne pathogens by conventional PCRs and sequencing. RESULTS: In the present study, three species of apicomplexan parasites were molecularly identified in 73 red foxes from the entire sample area, with an overall prevalence of 60.8%. The DNA of B. canis, B. cf. microti and H. canis was found in 1 (0.8%), 38 (31.9%) and 46 (38.6%) spleen samples, respectively. In 11 samples (9.2%) co-infections with B. cf. microti and H. canis were detected and one fox harboured all three parasites (0.8%). There were no statistically significant differences between geographical region, sex or age of the host in the infection prevalence of B. cf. microti, although females (52.9%; 18/34) were significantly more infected with H. canis than males (32.9%; 28/85). The presence of vector-borne bacteria and filaroid nematodes was not detected in our study. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of B. canis, B. cf. microti and H. canis parasites in foxes from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the data presented here provide a first insight into the distribution of these pathogens among the red fox population. Moreover, the relatively high prevalence of B. cf. microti and H. canis reinforces the assumption that this wild canid species might be a possible reservoir and source of infection for domestic dogs.
The main importance of ticks resides in their ability to harbor pathogens that can be transmitted to terrestrial vertebrates including humans. Recently, studies have focused on the taxonomic and ...functional composition of the tick microbiome, its microbial diversity and variation under different factors including tick species, sex, and environment among others. Of special interest are the interactions between the tick, the microbiome and pathogens since tick microbiome can influence pathogen colonization within the tick vector, and potentially, transmission to the vertebrate host. In this review, we tackled a synthesis on the growing field of tick microbiomes. We focus on the current state of tick microbiome research, addressing controversial and hotly debated topics and advances in the precise manipulation of tick microbiome. Furthermore, we discuss the innovative anti-tick microbiota vaccines as a possible tool for microbiome modulation and thus, control of tick-borne diseases. Deciphering tick-microbiome pathogen interactions can spur new strategies to control tick-borne diseases via modulation of tick microbiome.
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•Whether the diversity observed in tick microbiomes concerns the biology or the methodology remains an open question.•Tick immunity must play a major role in selecting ‘who stays and who leaves’ the microbiome.•Anti-tick microbiota vaccines can target specific bacteria and subsequently modulate tick microbiome.
Hepatozoon spp. are tick-borne parasites causing subclinical to clinical disease in wild and domestic animals. Aim of this study was to determine Hepatozoon prevalence and species distribution among ...wild mammals and ticks in Europe.
Samples of wild mammals and ticks, originating from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Belgium and the Netherlands, were tested with PCR to amplify a ~ 670-bp fragment of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene.
Of the 2801 mammal samples that were used for this study, 370 (13.2%) tested positive. Hepatozoon canis was detected in samples of 178 animals (3 Artiodactyla, 173 Carnivora, 1 Eulipotyphia, 1 Lagomorpha), H. martis in 125 (3 Artiodactyla, 122 Carnivora), H. sciuri in 13 (all Rodentia), Hepatozoon sp. in 47 (among which Hepatozoon sp. Vole isolate, all Rodentia) and H. ayorgbor in 4 (all Rodentia). Regarding origin, 2.9% (6/208) tested positive from Austria, 2.8% (1/36) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, 14.6% (173/1186) from Croatia and 13.9% (190/1371) from Belgium/the Netherlands. Of the 754 ticks collected, 0.0% (0/35) Hyalomma sp., 16.0% (4/25) Dermacentor spp., 0.0% (0/23) Haemaphysalis spp., 5.3% (24/50) Ixodes and 1.4% (3/221) Rhipicephalus spp. tested positive for Hepatozoon (4.2%; 32/754), most often H. canis (n = 22).
Hepatozoon canis is most present in mammals (especially in Carnivora such as gray wolves and golden jackals) and ticks, followed by H. martis, which was found merely in stone martens and pine martens. None of the rodent-associated Hepatozoon spp. were detected in the ticks, suggesting the possible implication of other arthropod species or non-vectorial routes in the transmission cycle of the hemoprotozoans in rodents. Our findings of H. canis in ticks other than R. sanguineus add to the observation that other ticks are also involved in the life cycle of Hepatozoon. Now that presence of Hepatozoon has been demonstrated in red foxes, gray wolves, mustelids and rodents from the Netherlands and/or Belgium, veterinary clinicians should be aware of the possibility of spill-over to domestic animals, such as dogs.
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