An alien parasite in a changing world – Ashworthius sidemi has lost its traditional seasonal dynamics
A non-native nematode Ashworthius sidemi has emerged in captive fallow deer in Central and Eastern Europe over the last decade. Although this parasite has been spreading in the wild outside it’s native distributional range and colonising local European host species since the middle of the last centu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1279073/full |
| _version_ | 1797643264062390272 |
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| author | Jan Magdálek Lucie Škorpíková Christopher McFarland Jaroslav Vadlejch |
| author_facet | Jan Magdálek Lucie Škorpíková Christopher McFarland Jaroslav Vadlejch |
| author_sort | Jan Magdálek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A non-native nematode Ashworthius sidemi has emerged in captive fallow deer in Central and Eastern Europe over the last decade. Although this parasite has been spreading in the wild outside it’s native distributional range and colonising local European host species since the middle of the last century, limited information has been published on the seasonality of A. sidemi and its susceptibility to anthelmintics. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a study to investigate seasonal dynamics of the non-native parasite in the current Central European climate conditions. We collected freshly voided faecal pellets at four-week intervals from February 2018 to February 2020 at a fallow deer reserve with a known history of A. sidemi presence. The faecal pellets obtained were pooled after each site visit (n = 25) and coprocultured to obtain the third stage larvae of trichostrongylid nematodes at monthly intervals. Total genomic DNA was extracted from the recovered larvae. Using real-time multiplex PCR, A. sidemi DNA was detected in 17 out of 25 larval samples (68% prevalence). During the monitoring period, the annual administration of ivermectin based premix (Cermix) took place in January 2018, 2019, and 2020, and additionally a mixture of rafoxanide and mebendazole (Rafendazol) was administered once in spring 2019. The probability of parasite presence was significantly influenced by the time since the drug administration (p = 0.048) and the mean temperature at the location (p = 0.013). Larval samples negative for A. sidemi were always identified shortly after the drug administration. However, rapid pasture contamination by the parasite eggs from two to three months after Cermix administration and within one month after Rafendazol administration suggest only a short-lived efficacy of both administered drugs. The abundance of A. sidemi DNA was positively affected by mean temperature (p = 0.044) and remained relatively stable throughout the monitoring period, with the highest peak in August 2018 and 2019. Pasture contamination with A. sidemi eggs occurred almost all year round, with the exception of the beginning of 2018, 2019, and 2020. These findings indicate adaptation of a non-native parasite to the current climatic conditions of the Czech Republic resulted in negligible seasonal patterns of parasite egg shedding. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T14:12:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6afa3582e7064229b67c1a0b235067e3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-1769 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T14:12:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
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| series | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-6afa3582e7064229b67c1a0b235067e32023-11-01T17:32:58ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692023-11-011010.3389/fvets.2023.12790731279073An alien parasite in a changing world – Ashworthius sidemi has lost its traditional seasonal dynamicsJan Magdálek0Lucie Škorpíková1Christopher McFarland2Jaroslav Vadlejch3Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, CzechiaDepartment of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, CzechiaSchool of Biological Sciences, Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United KingdomDepartment of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, CzechiaA non-native nematode Ashworthius sidemi has emerged in captive fallow deer in Central and Eastern Europe over the last decade. Although this parasite has been spreading in the wild outside it’s native distributional range and colonising local European host species since the middle of the last century, limited information has been published on the seasonality of A. sidemi and its susceptibility to anthelmintics. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a study to investigate seasonal dynamics of the non-native parasite in the current Central European climate conditions. We collected freshly voided faecal pellets at four-week intervals from February 2018 to February 2020 at a fallow deer reserve with a known history of A. sidemi presence. The faecal pellets obtained were pooled after each site visit (n = 25) and coprocultured to obtain the third stage larvae of trichostrongylid nematodes at monthly intervals. Total genomic DNA was extracted from the recovered larvae. Using real-time multiplex PCR, A. sidemi DNA was detected in 17 out of 25 larval samples (68% prevalence). During the monitoring period, the annual administration of ivermectin based premix (Cermix) took place in January 2018, 2019, and 2020, and additionally a mixture of rafoxanide and mebendazole (Rafendazol) was administered once in spring 2019. The probability of parasite presence was significantly influenced by the time since the drug administration (p = 0.048) and the mean temperature at the location (p = 0.013). Larval samples negative for A. sidemi were always identified shortly after the drug administration. However, rapid pasture contamination by the parasite eggs from two to three months after Cermix administration and within one month after Rafendazol administration suggest only a short-lived efficacy of both administered drugs. The abundance of A. sidemi DNA was positively affected by mean temperature (p = 0.044) and remained relatively stable throughout the monitoring period, with the highest peak in August 2018 and 2019. Pasture contamination with A. sidemi eggs occurred almost all year round, with the exception of the beginning of 2018, 2019, and 2020. These findings indicate adaptation of a non-native parasite to the current climatic conditions of the Czech Republic resulted in negligible seasonal patterns of parasite egg shedding.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1279073/fullinvasive nematodefallow deerepidemiologyanthelmintic drugtemperature |
| spellingShingle | Jan Magdálek Lucie Škorpíková Christopher McFarland Jaroslav Vadlejch An alien parasite in a changing world – Ashworthius sidemi has lost its traditional seasonal dynamics Frontiers in Veterinary Science invasive nematode fallow deer epidemiology anthelmintic drug temperature |
| title | An alien parasite in a changing world – Ashworthius sidemi has lost its traditional seasonal dynamics |
| title_full | An alien parasite in a changing world – Ashworthius sidemi has lost its traditional seasonal dynamics |
| title_fullStr | An alien parasite in a changing world – Ashworthius sidemi has lost its traditional seasonal dynamics |
| title_full_unstemmed | An alien parasite in a changing world – Ashworthius sidemi has lost its traditional seasonal dynamics |
| title_short | An alien parasite in a changing world – Ashworthius sidemi has lost its traditional seasonal dynamics |
| title_sort | alien parasite in a changing world ashworthius sidemi has lost its traditional seasonal dynamics |
| topic | invasive nematode fallow deer epidemiology anthelmintic drug temperature |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1279073/full |
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