A frequent roundworm Baylisascaris transfuga in overpopulated brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Slovakia: a problem worthy of attention

Abstract The genus Baylisascaris (order Ascaridida) includes numerous relatively host-specific nematodes, which are common in intestines of wild mammals. Some of them may have impact on veterinary and public health, as their larvae have the potential to cause visceral, ocular, and/or neural larva migrans in a wide range of mammals, birds, and humans. Baylisascaris transfuga is a parasite occurring in a range of bear species throughout the world. We present the current data on B. transfuga occurrence in brown bears from a relatively restricted territory of the Poľana Protected Landscape Area in Central Slovakia, obtained by traditional methods (faecal examination, morphology). Species affiliation was confirmed by employing molecular markers generating nuclear 28S and mitochondrial cox1 sequences in adult worms. Based on 17 examined samples (15 excrements and two intestines of young bear females), the occurrence of B. transfuga in the surveyed area was assessed as 52.9%. Both bear females were infected with adult and juvenile worms. Due to the high density of bears in the locality, the high infection rate with ascarids, and the huge number of eggs produced by the parasites, it is apparent that the respective environment, including the inhabited areas, might be markedly contaminated by Baylisascaris eggs. The ability of B. transfuga to serve as a zoonotic agent has not been unambiguously proved; however, this attribute should be considered and subjected to further research.

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A modified method for molecular identification of Baylisascaris transfuga in European brown bears (Ursus arctos)

Parasitology Research ◽

10.1007/s00436-017-5660-2 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 116 (12) ◽

pp. 3447-3452 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jakub Gawor ◽

Jan Gawor ◽

Robert Gromadka ◽

Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica ◽

Filip Zięba

Keyword(s):

Molecular Identification ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Brown Bears ◽

Modified Method ◽

Baylisascaris Transfuga

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Occurrence of Baylisascaris transfuga in wild populations of European brown bears (Ursus arctos) as identified by a new PCR method

Veterinary Parasitology ◽

10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.02.025 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 179 (1-3) ◽

pp. 272-276 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

M. De Ambrogi ◽

M. Aghazadeh ◽

C. Hermosilla ◽

D. Huber ◽

D. Majnaric ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ursus Arctos ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Brown Bears ◽

Pcr Method ◽

Baylisascaris Transfuga

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Baylisascaris transfuga (Ascaridoidea, Nematoda) from European brown bear (Ursus arctos) causing larva migrans in laboratory mice with clinical manifestation

Parasitology Research ◽

10.1007/s00436-021-07417-z ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Jana Juránková ◽

Lada Hofmannová ◽

Lucia Frgelecová ◽

Ondřej Daněk ◽

David Modrý

Keyword(s):

Clinical Manifestation ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Brown Bear ◽

Larva Migrans ◽

Laboratory Mice ◽

Baylisascaris Transfuga

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Parasitofauna of Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) in the Protected Landscape Area CHKO — Poľana

Folia Veterinaria ◽

10.1515/fv-2016-0033 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 60 (4) ◽

pp. 20-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

T. Orosová ◽

M. Goldová ◽

J. Ciberej ◽

G. Štrkolcová

Keyword(s):

Seasonal Dynamics ◽

Dominant Species ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Brown Bear ◽

Young Female ◽

Brown Bears ◽

Baylisascaris Transfuga ◽

Autumn And Winter

Abstract During the years 2015—2016 we obtained 15 samples of faeces of brown bears (Ursus arctos) and 2 samples of gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of young female brown bears for helminthological examinations. The samples of faeces were collected from various sites in the protected landscape area CHKO-Poľana, and the gastrointestinal tracts originated from bears hunted down in the same area within permitted regulation of bear population for 2015. Of the 17 samples collected from the CHKO-Poľana area, 13 were positive for the presence of parasites (76.47 %). Parasitological examinations revealed the presence of 5 species of endoparasites: Eimeria, Cryptosporidium, Sarcocystis, Baylisascaris and Ancylostoma. Roundworms Baylisascaris transfuga (46.15 %) and Ancylostoma spp. (30.77 %) were the dominant species. Observation of the seasonal dynamics showed the highest prevalence of parasites during autumn and winter.

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Stable isotopes reveal variation in consumption of Pacific salmon by brown bears, despite ready access in small streams

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management ◽

10.3996/jfwm-20-034 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

HyeJoo Ro ◽

Jennifer H. Stern ◽

Aaron J. Wirsing ◽

Thomas P. Quinn

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotope ◽

Sockeye Salmon ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Pacific Salmon ◽

Brown Bears ◽

Small Streams ◽

Hair Samples ◽

Wide Range ◽

Stable Isotope Signatures ◽

Ready Access

Brown bears Ursus arctos consume a wide range of organisms, including ungulates and plants, but Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. are especially important to their diet where their ranges overlap. Although some bears minimize antagonistic encounters with other bears or infanticide by avoiding streams where salmon spawn, studies generally assume that bears with ready access to salmon feed heavily on them. To test this assumption, and the hypothesis that male bears would feed more heavily on salmon than females (owing to their sexual size dimorphism), we collected hair samples from brown bears using barbed wire on six small tributaries of Lake Aleknagik, Alaska where adult sockeye salmon O. nerka are readily accessible and frequently consumed by bears. Analysis of DNA distinguished among the different bears leaving the hair samples, some of which were sampled multiple times within and among years. We assessed the contribution of salmon to the diet of individual bears using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures. The 77 samples analyzed, from 31 different bears over four years, showed isotopic ratios consistent with reliance on salmon, but the wide range of isotopic signatures included values suggesting variable, and in one case considerable, use of terrestrial resources. Stable isotope signatures did not differ between male and female bears, nor did they differ between two sides of the lake, despite marked differences in sockeye salmon density. The hair samples were collected when salmon were present, so there was some uncertainty regarding whether they reflected feeding during the current or previous season. Notwithstanding this caveat, the results are consistent with the hypothesis that salmon were sufficiently available to provide food for the bears, and that the considerable isotopic variation among bears with access to salmon reflected their age, status, and behavior.

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Space Use by Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) in the Sikhote-Alin

Journal of Siberian Federal University Biology ◽

10.17516/1997-1389-0308 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 366-384

Author(s):

Ivan V. Seryodkin ◽

Yuriy K. Kostyria ◽

John M. Goodrich ◽

Yuriy K. Petrunenko

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Brown Bear ◽

Space Use ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Sikhote Alin ◽

Brown Bears ◽

Wide Range

Proper management of brown bear populations (Ursus arctos) requires knowledge of their ecology, including space use. Brown bear spatial patterns are particularly poorly understood in the Russian Far East, due to lack of telemetry studies. The aim of this work was to study space use by brown bears in the Sikhote-Alin region. From 1993 to 2002, we used VHF radiocollars to collect spatial data from nine males (eight adults and one juvenile) and six females (five adults and one juvenile) in the Middle Sikhote-Alin. Fixed Kernel home range size estimates were larger for males (891.34 ± 346.99 km2) than for females (349.94 ± 543.06 km2). The juvenile home range sizes were 237.24 and 333.64 km2 for the male and female, respectively. The maximum home range size was for the two-year area of one male (9217.36 km2). The core area sizes varied over a wide range (6.12–358.45 km2). The structure and location of home ranges and their core areas depended upon the seasonal habitat selection of bears, as well as the distribution, abundance, and accessibility of foraging resources. Bears’ home ranges overlapped between males and females, as well as between same sex individuals. The results of this work are important for the management of the brown bear population in the Sikhote-Alin

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Trichinella spp. in Wild Boars (Sus scrofa), Brown Bears (Ursus arctos), Eurasian Lynxes (Lynx lynx) and Badgers (Meles meles) in Estonia, 2007–2014

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11010183 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 183

Author(s):

Age Kärssin ◽

Liidia Häkkinen ◽

Annika Vilem ◽

Pikka Jokelainen ◽

Brian Lassen

Keyword(s):

Sus Scrofa ◽

Ursus Arctos ◽

Brown Bear ◽

Meles Meles ◽

Lynx Lynx ◽

Brown Bears ◽

Wild Boars ◽

Infection Pressure ◽

High Infection ◽

Free Ranging

In this study, we summarize Trichinella findings from four wild, free-ranging host species from Estonia during 2007–2014. Trichinella spp. larvae were detected in 281 (0.9%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.8–1.0) of 30,566 wild boars (Sus scrofa), 63 (14.7%, 95% CI 11.6–18.3) of 429 brown bears (Ursus arctos), 59 (65.56%, 95% CI 55.3–74.8) of 90 Eurasian lynxes (Lynx lynx), and three (60.0%, 95% CI 18.2–92.7) of five badgers (Meles meles). All four European Trichinella species were detected: T. britovi in 0.7% of the wild boars, 7.2% of the brown bears, 45.6% of the lynxes, and 40.0% of the badgers; T. nativa in 0.1% of the wild boars, 5.8% of the brown bears, and 20.0% of the lynxes; T. pseudospiralis in 0.02% the wild boars; and T. spiralis in 0.03% of the wild boars and 4.4% of the lynxes. The results include the first description from Estonia of T. britovi in brown bear and badgers, T. pseudospiralis in wild boars, and T. spiralis in wild boars and lynxes. The results indicate high infection pressure in the sylvatic cycles across the years—illustrating continuous risk of spillover to domestic cycles and of transmission to humans.

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Nanoparticles Functionalized with Venom-Derived Peptides and Toxins for Pharmaceutical Applications

Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology ◽

10.2174/1389201020666190621104624 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 97-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ana P. dos Santos ◽

Tamara G. de Araújo ◽

Gandhi Rádis-Baptista

Keyword(s):

Oral Absorption ◽

Current Data ◽

Pharmacological Activities ◽

Venom Peptides ◽

Essential Components ◽

Wide Range ◽

Different Types ◽

Direct Use ◽

Animal Venoms ◽

Pharmaceutical Biotechnology

Venom-derived peptides display diverse biological and pharmacological activities, making them useful in drug discovery platforms and for a wide range of applications in medicine and pharmaceutical biotechnology. Due to their target specificities, venom peptides have the potential to be developed into biopharmaceuticals to treat various health conditions such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and chronic pain. Despite the high potential for drug development, several limitations preclude the direct use of peptides as therapeutics and hamper the process of converting venom peptides into pharmaceuticals. These limitations include, for instance, chemical instability, poor oral absorption, short halflife, and off-target cytotoxicity. One strategy to overcome these disadvantages relies on the formulation of bioactive peptides with nanocarriers. A range of biocompatible materials are now available that can serve as nanocarriers and can improve the bioavailability of therapeutic and venom-derived peptides for clinical and diagnostic application. Examples of isolated venom peptides and crude animal venoms that have been encapsulated and formulated with different types of nanomaterials with promising results are increasingly reported. Based on the current data, a wealth of information can be collected regarding the utilization of nanocarriers to encapsulate venom peptides and render them bioavailable for pharmaceutical use. Overall, nanomaterials arise as essential components in the preparation of biopharmaceuticals that are based on biological and pharmacological active venom-derived peptides.

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