scholarly journals Pathology of Urinary Bladder in Pearsonema spp. Infected Wildlife from Central Italy

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 474
Author(s):  
Claudia Eleni ◽  
Alessia Mariacher ◽  
Goffredo Grifoni ◽  
Elena Cardini ◽  
Sara Tonon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Meles Meles ◽  
Pathological Examination ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Eosinophilic Cystitis ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Domestic Carnivores

The genus Pearsonema, in the nematode family Capillariidae, includes several species that parasitize the urinary bladders of wild and domestic carnivores. The infection has been reported worldwide from several wildlife species, including canids, mustelids, and felids, but the pathological aspects have seldom been investigated. In order to assess the presence and severity of the lesions in Pearsonema-infected wildlife, we performed a parasitological and pathological examination of urinary bladders from 72 animals, belonging to the families Canidae (red fox Vulpes vulpes, n = 28, and wolf Canis lupus, n = 29) and Mustelidae (beech marten Martes foina, n = 3; pine marten Martes martes, n = 2; and European badger Meles meles, n = 10). A greater prevalence of infection for canids (64.91%; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 52.52–77.30%) than for mustelids (13.33%) (p < 0.001) was recorded. The prevalence of infection in red foxes was 75.0% (95% CI, 58.96–91.04%), in accordance with other reports from European countries, supporting the role of this species as a reservoir for infection. Eosinophilic cystitis was observed in 34 out of the 72 examined animals (47.22%). The influence of Pearsonema sp. infection on the occurrence of eosinophilic cystitis was statistically significant in wolves (p < 0.01), which were also affected by more severe histological lesions compared to foxes.

scholarly journals Pearsonema spp. (Family Capillariidae, Order Enoplida) Infection in Domestic Carnivores in Central–Northern Italy and in a Red Fox Population from Central Italy

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1607
Author(s):  
Salvatore Pelligra ◽  
Lisa Guardone ◽  
Francesca Riggio ◽  
Francesca Parisi ◽  
Michela Maestrini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Red Fox ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Positive Recurrent ◽  
Domestic Carnivores ◽  
Privately Owned ◽  
Recurrent Cystitis

Pearsonema spp. nematodes infect the urinary bladder of domestic and wild carnivores. The red fox is considered a reservoir of Pearsonema plica, while the prevalence of Pearsonema spp. in domestic carnivores is still poorly known. This study aimed to assess the occurrence of Pearsonema spp. infection in privately owned cats (26) and dogs (83) from central and northern Italy alongside occurrence in red foxes (42) from central Italy. In positive dogs and cats, associated clinical signs were also evaluated. Urine samples were first examined under a stereomicroscope; then, they were centrifuged and microscopically examined after a flotation test. As for foxes, the urinary bladders were opened and urine was collected and processed as above, while collected nematodes were identified at the species level. Among examined animals, 2/26 cats (7.7%), 1/83 dogs (1.2%), and 38/42 foxes (90.5%) scored positive. Recurrent cystitis, pollakiuria, and hematuria were the main clinical signs in symptomatic dogs and cats. This is the first study on Pearsonema spp. infection in domestic carnivores examining a large number of privately owned pet animals. Obtained results confirm the role of the red fox as a reservoir for P. plica and suggest a possible high occurrence of Pearsonema spp. infection in domestic cats of central Italy.

Investigating the role of wild carnivores in the epidemiology of bovine neosporosis

Parasitology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 140 (3) ◽  
pp. 296-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER STUART ◽  
ANNETTA ZINTL ◽  
THEO DE WAAL ◽  
GRACE MULCAHY ◽  
CONALL HAWKINS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neospora Caninum ◽  
American Mink ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
Meles Meles ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Bovine Neosporosis ◽  
Low Prevalence ◽  
Local Ecology

SUMMARYNeospora caninumis a protozoan parasite, primarily associated with bovine abortion. The only definitive hosts discovered to date are carnivores. This study aimed to identify the role of mammalian carnivores in the epidemiology of bovine neosporosis. A sample bank of serum, fecal and brain samples was established: American mink (Mustela vison), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), pine martens (Martes martes), badgers (Meles meles), stoats (Mustela erminea), otters (Lutra lutra) and feral ferrets (Mustela putorius). Approximately 1% of mink and 1% of fox samples were positive by IFAT. According to PCR analysis of DNA extracted from brain tissue, 3% of the mink, 4% of the otters and 6% of the foxes examined were infected withN. caninum.All fecal samples tested negative forN. caninumDNA (n = 311), suggesting that the species that tested positive were intermediate not definitive hosts. This is the first time that tissues from mustelids have tested positive forN. caninum. The need to test 2 relatively large (∼200 mg) targeted parts of the brain to avoid false negatives was also identified. The relatively low prevalence ofN. caninumin Irish carnivores suggests that the local ecology of a species has an important influence on its epidemiological role.

scholarly journals Rickettsiae in red fox (Vulpes vulpes), marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna) and their ticks in northwestern China

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Liu ◽  
Shanshan Zhao ◽  
Wenbo Tan ◽  
Sándor Hornok ◽  
Wumei Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Northwestern China ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Melophagus Ovinus ◽  
Rickettsia Sibirica ◽  
First Time ◽  
Lung And Kidney

Abstract Background Previously, twelve Rickettsia species were identified in ticks, fleas, sheep keds (Melophagus ovinus), bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) and a tick-bitten patient in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwestern China. Here we aimed to molecularly detect rickettsial agents in red fox (Vulpes vulpes), marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna) and their ticks. Methods During 2018–2019, 12 red foxes, one marbled polecat and their ticks were sampled in two counties and a city of the XUAR. The heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney of these 13 carnivores were dissected, followed by DNA extraction. Hard ticks were identified both morphologically and molecularly. All samples were examined for the presence of rickettsiae by amplifying four genetic markers (17-kDa, gltA, ompA, sca1). Results A total of 26 adult ticks and 28 nymphs (38 Ixodes canisuga, nine Ixodes kaiseri, six Haemaphysalis erinacei and one Dermacentor marginatus) were collected from red foxes, and four Ha. erinacei ticks were removed from the marbled polecat. Analysis of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences indicated that 2–32 nucleotides differed between I. canisuga, I. kaiseri and Ha. erinacei from northwestern China and Europe. Rickettsia raoultii was detected in three red foxes, Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae in a red fox, Rickettsia sibirica in a red fox and a marbled polecat, and R. raoultii in two tick species (I. canisuga and D. marginatus). Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, I. canisuga and I. kaiseri have not been previously reported from red foxes in China. The DNA of R. sibirica and R. raoultii was detected for the first time in the organs of red foxes, and R. sibirica in the organs of a marbled polecat. This is also the first molecular evidence for the presence of R. raoultii in I. canisuga. Our findings expand the range of tick-borne pathogens in wildlife species and associated ticks in China.

scholarly journals Estimation of the Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance in Badgers (Meles meles) and Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Northern Ireland

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria J. H. O’Hagan ◽  
Ana V. Pascual-Linaza ◽  
Catherine Couzens ◽  
Clare Holmes ◽  
Colin Bell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Meles Meles ◽  
Multi Drug Resistance ◽  
Base Line ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
The Impact

Antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria can be shared between humans and animals, through food, water, and the environment. Wild animals are not only potential reservoirs of AMR, but are also sentinels mirroring the presence of AMR zoonotic bacteria in the environment. In Northern Ireland, little is known about levels of AMR in bacteria in wildlife, thus the current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of AMR bacteria in wildlife using wildlife species from two ongoing surveys as a proxy. Nasopharyngeal swabs and faecal samples from European badgers (Meles meles) (146 faecal samples; 118 nasal samples) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) (321 faecal samples; 279 nasal samples) were collected throughout Northern Ireland and were used to survey for the presence of extended spectrum beta lactamase resistant and AmpC-type beta lactamases Escherichia coli (ESBL/AmpC), Salmonella spp. (only in badgers) and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). ESBLs were detected in 13 out of 146 badger faecal samples (8.90%) and 37 out of 321 of fox faecal samples (11.53%), all of them presenting multi-drug resistance (MDR). Fourteen out of 146 (9.59%) badger faecal samples carried Salmonella spp. [S. Agama (n = 9), S. Newport (n = 4) and S. enterica subsp. arizonae (n = 1)]. Overall, AMR was found only in the S. enterica subsp. arizonae isolate (1/14, 7.14%). No MRSA were detected in nasopharyngeal swabs from badgers (n = 118) and foxes (n = 279). This is the first attempt to explore the prevalence of AMR in the two common wildlife species in Northern Ireland. These findings are important as they can be used as a base line for further research exploring the origin of the found resistance. These results should encourage similar surveys where environmental samples are included to bring better understanding of AMR dynamics, and the impact on wildlife, domestic livestock and humans.

Functional Changes to the Slate Islands Provincial Park Ecosystem with Successive Arrival of Wolves, Canis lupus, from the Lake Superior Coast

2021 ◽  
Vol 134 (4) ◽  
pp. 342-352
Author(s):  
Arthur T. Bergerud ◽  
Brian E. McLaren ◽  
William Dalton ◽  
Lo Camps ◽  
Heather Butler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Castor Canadensis ◽  
Direct And Indirect Effects ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Snowshoe Hares ◽  
Provincial Park

Observations from 1974-2016 of Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) on the archipelago that comprises Slate Islands Provincial Park allowed us to infer direct and indirect effects of the arrival of Wolf (Canis lupus) pairs in winters of 1993-94 and 2003-04. Wolves created conditions that led to the near demise of Caribou from the islands, including some, but not all, behavioural changes in Caribou consistent with avoiding predators. Caribou on SIPP did not appear to return to calving locations near shoreline areas, nor use them to escape from Wolves by entering water. Shorelines and locations of Patterson Island near a Wolf-occupied Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) den were the most common Caribou kill locations. Wolves also functionally shifted the ecosystem in Slate Islands Provincial Park via direct and indirect effects on North American Beavers (Castor canadensis), Red Foxes and Snowshoe Hares (Lepus americanus).

scholarly journals Spatial segregation between Iberian lynx and other carnivores

2019 ◽  
pp. 347-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Garrote ◽  
R. Pérez de Ayala
Keyword(s):  
Red Fox ◽  
Meles Meles ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Camera Trapping ◽  
Apex Predators ◽  
Iberian Lynx ◽  
Martes Foina ◽  
Egyptian Mongoose ◽  
Herpestes Ichneumon

Rabbits represent the bulk of its diet as for many other Iberian predators. This study addresses how the presence of the Iberian lynx affects the spatial distribution of the mesocarnivore community at landscape scale in the Sierra de Andújar. We studied mesocarnivore presence by sampling at 230 camera trapping stations, located in areas with and without lynx. We used a x2–test to compare the proportion of stations in which each species of carnivore were recorded in the zones with and without lynx. The proportion of camera trapping stations in which red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), beech marten (Martes foina), wildcat (Felis sylvestris) and common genet (Genetta genetta) were detected was significantly lower in the area where lynx were present than in the area where it was absent. No significant differences between the two types of areas were found for badgers (Meles meles). Our results highlight the role of the lynx as apex predators and the benefits that the recovery of Iberian lynx populations would entail in terms of trophic interactions and restored disrupted ecosystems processes.Key words: Intraguild competition, Carnivores, Phototrapping, Apex preda

Distinguishing characteristics of the hairs of wild and domestic canids from Alberta

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 536-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan. J. Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Cross Section ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Canis Familiaris ◽  
Domestic Dog ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Distinguishing Features ◽  
Region Size ◽  
Band Number

Dorsal, ventral, and lateral guard hairs were examined from 12 wolves (Canis lupus), 14 coyotes (Canis latrans), six domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), and six red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) to determine distinguishing features. Wolf and coyote hairs are not separable using present techniques. However, wolf–coyote hair can be identified by its total length, band number and size, and distinctive basal cuticle scale pattern. Red fox hair is characteristic in its length, color, tip region size, basal cuticle scale pattern, and medulla cross section. Domestic dog hair is identified by its length and basal cuticle scale pattern. Several macroscopic and microscopic hair characteristics of Alberta canids are different from those of eastern canids.

scholarly journals Presence of Bartonella Species in Wild Carnivores of Northern Spain

2011 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 885-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xeider Gerrikagoitia ◽  
Horacio Gil ◽  
Coral García-Esteban ◽  
Pedro Anda ◽  
R. A. Juste ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Bartonella Henselae ◽  
Meles Meles ◽  
Felis Silvestris ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Bartonella Species ◽  
Sequence Analyses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wild Carnivores

ABSTRACTThe genusBartonellawas detected by PCR in 5.7% (12/212) of wild carnivores from Northern Spain. Based on hybridization and sequence analyses,Bartonella henselaewas identified in a wildcat (Felis silvestris),Bartonella rochalimaein a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and in a wolf (Canis lupus), andBartonellasp. in badgers (Meles meles).

scholarly journals Late Pleistocene skeleton of Canis lupus l., 1758 from Grotta Mora Cavorso (Jenne, Latium, central Italy)

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 941-949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Gatta ◽  
Mario F. Rolfo ◽  
Carmelo Petronio ◽  
Leonardo Salari ◽  
Letizia Silvestri
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Central Italy

scholarly journals The Role of Faults in Groundwater Circulation before and after Seismic Events: Insights from Tracers, Water Isotopes and Geochemistry

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1499
Author(s):  
Davide Fronzi ◽  
Francesco Mirabella ◽  
Carlo Cardellini ◽  
Stefano Caliro ◽  
Stefano Palpacelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Preferential Flow ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Tracer Tests ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Fault System ◽  
Tectonic Structures ◽  
Fault Systems ◽  
Isotopic Analyses ◽  
Before And After

The interaction between fluids and tectonic structures such as fault systems is a much-discussed issue. Many scientific works are aimed at understanding what the role of fault systems in the displacement of deep fluids is, by investigating the interaction between the upper mantle, the lower crustal portion and the upraising of gasses carried by liquids. Many other scientific works try to explore the interaction between the recharge processes, i.e., precipitation, and the fault zones, aiming to recognize the function of the abovementioned structures and their capability to direct groundwater flow towards preferential drainage areas. Understanding the role of faults in the recharge processes of punctual and linear springs, meant as gaining streams, is a key point in hydrogeology, as it is known that faults can act either as flow barriers or as preferential flow paths. In this work an investigation of a fault system located in the Nera River catchment (Italy), based on geo-structural investigations, tracer tests, geochemical and isotopic recharge modelling, allows to identify the role of the normal fault system before and after the 2016–2017 central Italy seismic sequence (Mmax = 6.5). The outcome was achieved by an integrated approach consisting of a structural geology field work, combined with GIS-based analysis, and of a hydrogeological investigation based on artificial tracer tests and geochemical and isotopic analyses.

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