European Hares, <i>Lepus europaeus</i>, Represent a Reservoir Host for <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> in Romania
Thelaziosis caused by <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> is an emerging disease in Europe. Only two reports of naturally infected lagomorphs have been published so far. The aim of this study was to evaluate the status of the Romanian populations of European brown hares, <i>Lepus europaeus&...
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Pathogens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/11/1225 |
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| author | Vlad-Dan Cotuțiu Andrei Daniel Mihalca Katarzyna Anna Hołówka Angela Monica Ionică Cristina Daniela Cazan Călin Mircea Gherman |
| author_facet | Vlad-Dan Cotuțiu Andrei Daniel Mihalca Katarzyna Anna Hołówka Angela Monica Ionică Cristina Daniela Cazan Călin Mircea Gherman |
| author_sort | Vlad-Dan Cotuțiu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Thelaziosis caused by <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> is an emerging disease in Europe. Only two reports of naturally infected lagomorphs have been published so far. The aim of this study was to evaluate the status of the Romanian populations of European brown hares, <i>Lepus europaeus</i> as reservoir hosts for <i>T. callipaeda</i>. Between November 2019 and November 2021, the eyes of 326 <i>L. europaeus</i> carcasses were examined for the presence of ocular parasites. Nematodes were stored in plastic vials with physiological saline, followed by morphological and molecular identification. QGis 3.20 and EpiInfo<sup>TM</sup> 7 were used for mapping and statistical analysis. Four (1.23%) hares harbored <i>T. callipaeda</i> infection, with a total of 84 nematodes collected (mean intensity 21 nematodes/host), with 45 males, 39 females (two sexually immature, seven with only eggs, and 30 with eggs and larvae). One specimen from each host was successfully sequenced resulting in a 100% similarity with several other sequences of <i>T. callipaeda</i> haplotype 1. Statistical analysis revealed no significant results. The current study represents a first report of <i>T. callipaeda</i> in the European brown hare in Romania, and the second in Europe, also reiterating the role of lagomorphs as reservoir hosts for this zoonotic ocular nematode. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:45:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1c63b659dcf34d58b6e8724430fc19e2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:45:46Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj.art-1c63b659dcf34d58b6e8724430fc19e22023-11-24T06:16:05ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172022-10-011111122510.3390/pathogens11111225European Hares, <i>Lepus europaeus</i>, Represent a Reservoir Host for <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> in RomaniaVlad-Dan Cotuțiu0Andrei Daniel Mihalca1Katarzyna Anna Hołówka2Angela Monica Ionică3Cristina Daniela Cazan4Călin Mircea Gherman5Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaMolecular Biology and Veterinary Parasitology Unit (CDS-9), University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaMolecular Biology and Veterinary Parasitology Unit (CDS-9), University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaThelaziosis caused by <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> is an emerging disease in Europe. Only two reports of naturally infected lagomorphs have been published so far. The aim of this study was to evaluate the status of the Romanian populations of European brown hares, <i>Lepus europaeus</i> as reservoir hosts for <i>T. callipaeda</i>. Between November 2019 and November 2021, the eyes of 326 <i>L. europaeus</i> carcasses were examined for the presence of ocular parasites. Nematodes were stored in plastic vials with physiological saline, followed by morphological and molecular identification. QGis 3.20 and EpiInfo<sup>TM</sup> 7 were used for mapping and statistical analysis. Four (1.23%) hares harbored <i>T. callipaeda</i> infection, with a total of 84 nematodes collected (mean intensity 21 nematodes/host), with 45 males, 39 females (two sexually immature, seven with only eggs, and 30 with eggs and larvae). One specimen from each host was successfully sequenced resulting in a 100% similarity with several other sequences of <i>T. callipaeda</i> haplotype 1. Statistical analysis revealed no significant results. The current study represents a first report of <i>T. callipaeda</i> in the European brown hare in Romania, and the second in Europe, also reiterating the role of lagomorphs as reservoir hosts for this zoonotic ocular nematode.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/11/1225<i>Thelazia callipaeda</i><i>Lepus europaeus</i>reservoir hostThelaziosis |
| spellingShingle | Vlad-Dan Cotuțiu Andrei Daniel Mihalca Katarzyna Anna Hołówka Angela Monica Ionică Cristina Daniela Cazan Călin Mircea Gherman European Hares, <i>Lepus europaeus</i>, Represent a Reservoir Host for <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> in Romania Pathogens <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> <i>Lepus europaeus</i> reservoir host Thelaziosis |
| title | European Hares, <i>Lepus europaeus</i>, Represent a Reservoir Host for <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> in Romania |
| title_full | European Hares, <i>Lepus europaeus</i>, Represent a Reservoir Host for <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> in Romania |
| title_fullStr | European Hares, <i>Lepus europaeus</i>, Represent a Reservoir Host for <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> in Romania |
| title_full_unstemmed | European Hares, <i>Lepus europaeus</i>, Represent a Reservoir Host for <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> in Romania |
| title_short | European Hares, <i>Lepus europaeus</i>, Represent a Reservoir Host for <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> in Romania |
| title_sort | european hares i lepus europaeus i represent a reservoir host for i thelazia callipaeda i in romania |
| topic | <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> <i>Lepus europaeus</i> reservoir host Thelaziosis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/11/1225 |
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