Molecular Survey of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy
Systematic wildlife surveillance is important to aid the prevention of zoonotic infections that jeopardize human health and undermine biodiversity. <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> is an opportunistic zoonotic protozoan that can infect all endothermic vertebrates, causing severe disease in immun...
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Pathogens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/12/3/471 |
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| author | Hiba Dakroub Giovanni Sgroi Nicola D’Alessio Danilo Russo Francesco Serra Vincenzo Veneziano Simona Rea Alessia Pucciarelli Maria Gabriella Lucibelli Esterina De Carlo Giovanna Fusco Maria Grazia Amoroso |
| author_facet | Hiba Dakroub Giovanni Sgroi Nicola D’Alessio Danilo Russo Francesco Serra Vincenzo Veneziano Simona Rea Alessia Pucciarelli Maria Gabriella Lucibelli Esterina De Carlo Giovanna Fusco Maria Grazia Amoroso |
| author_sort | Hiba Dakroub |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Systematic wildlife surveillance is important to aid the prevention of zoonotic infections that jeopardize human health and undermine biodiversity. <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> is an opportunistic zoonotic protozoan that can infect all endothermic vertebrates, causing severe disease in immunocompromised humans and cases of congenital transmission. Humans can be infected by ingestion of raw meat containing bradyzoites or water contaminated by oocysts. In our study, we assessed the potential circulation of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in wild mammals by performing surveillance in the Campania region (southern Italy) and surveyed its presence from 2020 to 2022 within the framework of the Regional Plans for Wildlife Surveillance. In detail, 211 individuals belonging to five wild mammals (wolf, fox, wild boar, badger, and roe deer) underwent necropsy and the organs were analyzed by real-time PCR for the detection of the parasite. <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> was found in 21.8% (46/211) of the subjects examined. No statistically significant differences were noticed between the prevalence and the host’s trophic level or age, rejecting the hypotheses that <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> will have a higher prevalence in top predators and adult individuals, respectively. Our work emphasized the high circulation of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in wildlife and remarked on the critical role of anthropized areas where domestic cats and wildlife may come into contact, urging a systematic surveillance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:03:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-48d56d0db8d0449cb7944db58f4e550b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:03:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj.art-48d56d0db8d0449cb7944db58f4e550b2023-11-17T13:10:25ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172023-03-0112347110.3390/pathogens12030471Molecular Survey of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in Wild Mammals of Southern ItalyHiba Dakroub0Giovanni Sgroi1Nicola D’Alessio2Danilo Russo3Francesco Serra4Vincenzo Veneziano5Simona Rea6Alessia Pucciarelli7Maria Gabriella Lucibelli8Esterina De Carlo9Giovanna Fusco10Maria Grazia Amoroso11Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation (AnEcoEvo), Department of Agriculture, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, ItalyDepartment of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, ItalyDepartment of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, ItalyLaboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation (AnEcoEvo), Department of Agriculture, University of Naples Federico II, 80055 Portici, ItalyDepartment of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, ItalyOsservatorio Faunistico Venatorio of Campania Region, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, ItalyDepartment of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, ItalyDepartment of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, ItalyDepartment of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, ItalyDepartment of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, ItalyDepartment of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, ItalyDepartment of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, ItalySystematic wildlife surveillance is important to aid the prevention of zoonotic infections that jeopardize human health and undermine biodiversity. <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> is an opportunistic zoonotic protozoan that can infect all endothermic vertebrates, causing severe disease in immunocompromised humans and cases of congenital transmission. Humans can be infected by ingestion of raw meat containing bradyzoites or water contaminated by oocysts. In our study, we assessed the potential circulation of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in wild mammals by performing surveillance in the Campania region (southern Italy) and surveyed its presence from 2020 to 2022 within the framework of the Regional Plans for Wildlife Surveillance. In detail, 211 individuals belonging to five wild mammals (wolf, fox, wild boar, badger, and roe deer) underwent necropsy and the organs were analyzed by real-time PCR for the detection of the parasite. <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> was found in 21.8% (46/211) of the subjects examined. No statistically significant differences were noticed between the prevalence and the host’s trophic level or age, rejecting the hypotheses that <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> will have a higher prevalence in top predators and adult individuals, respectively. Our work emphasized the high circulation of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in wildlife and remarked on the critical role of anthropized areas where domestic cats and wildlife may come into contact, urging a systematic surveillance.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/12/3/471parasiteprevalenceapicomplexan<i>Canis lupus</i><i>Meles meles</i><i>Capreolus capreolus</i> |
| spellingShingle | Hiba Dakroub Giovanni Sgroi Nicola D’Alessio Danilo Russo Francesco Serra Vincenzo Veneziano Simona Rea Alessia Pucciarelli Maria Gabriella Lucibelli Esterina De Carlo Giovanna Fusco Maria Grazia Amoroso Molecular Survey of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy Pathogens parasite prevalence apicomplexan <i>Canis lupus</i> <i>Meles meles</i> <i>Capreolus capreolus</i> |
| title | Molecular Survey of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy |
| title_full | Molecular Survey of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy |
| title_fullStr | Molecular Survey of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Molecular Survey of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy |
| title_short | Molecular Survey of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy |
| title_sort | molecular survey of i toxoplasma gondii i in wild mammals of southern italy |
| topic | parasite prevalence apicomplexan <i>Canis lupus</i> <i>Meles meles</i> <i>Capreolus capreolus</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/12/3/471 |
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