First report of Crenosoma vulpis in Africa and Eucoleus aerophilus in Algeria

First detection of Crenosoma vulpis in Red Foxes Vulpes vulpes in Western Poland

Crenosoma vulpis is a nematode from the superfamily Metastrongylidea, which parasitizes the respiratory tracts of carnivores, primarily red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), and occasionally domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). This study aimed to assess the presence of C. vulpis in red foxes in western Poland, an area where its occurrence had not been previously documented. We examined lung tissue from 47 red foxes obtained during the regular hunting season (2017 - 2018) using the Baermann method to detect the presence of nematode larvae. Larvae, identified based on morphology as C. vulpis, were found in 12.8 % of the foxes (6/47; 95 % CL = 4.8 - 25.7 %). This is the first confirmed report of Crenosoma vulpis in red foxes in Poland, highlighting the potential need for further epidemiological studies on its distribution and impact on both wildlife and domestic animals.

First Molecular Identification and Clinical Presentation of Crenosomosis in a Dog from Slovakia

PURPOSE

Crenosoma vulpis (Dujardin,1845) is a lungworm which has spread worldwide in canines and is associated with upper respiratory infections. In a majority of cases, the infections are accompanied with chronic cough. Diagnosis of lungworms is often underdiagnosed and can be misinterpreted as other respiratory diseases.

METHODS

The Small Animal Clinic of the University Veterinary Hospital admitted an 11-month-old dog presented with persistent cough associated with difficulty in breathing and even asphyxia. Based on clinical symptoms, the patient underwent radiological and bronchoscopic examination. Bronchoscopy revealed the presence of lungworms obturating the branches of the tracheobronchial tree. Larvae were collected by bronchoscopic lavage and subjected to parasitological and molecular examination.

RESULTS

Microscopic detection and morphological identification of the worms removed during the bronchoscopy confirmed the presence of female adult worms. The subsequent molecular characterisation of the mitochondrial (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (cox1) and 12S ribosomal DNA (rDNA)), nuclear (18S rDNA) genes, as well as the analysis of the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) region of the ribosomal DNA, confirmed the Crenosoma vulpis species. Faecal samples were processed using the Baermann method, which confirmed the presence of the larval stage 1 of C. vulpis. The therapy with fenbendazole at a dose of 50 mg/kg of live weight once daily for the period of 7 days was initiated for the patient.

CONCLUSION

This paper presents the first molecularly confirmed clinical case of a Crenosoma vulpis infection in an 11-month-old female dog of the Miniature Schnauzer breed in Slovakia.

Wildlife parasitology: sample collection and processing, diagnostic constraints, and methodological challenges in terrestrial carnivores

Wild terrestrial carnivores play a crucial role as reservoir, maintenance, and spillover hosts for a wide parasite variety. They may harbor, shed, and transmit zoonotic parasites and parasites of veterinary importance for domestic hosts. Although wild carnivores are globally distributed and comprise many different species, some living in close proximity to human settlements, only a few studies have investigated parasites of wild terrestrial carnivores using non-specific techniques. Access to samples of wild carnivores may be challenging as some species are protected, and others are secretive, possibly explaining the data paucity. Considering the importance of wild carnivores' health and ecological role, combined with the lack of specific diagnostic methodologies, this review aims to offer an overview of the diagnostic methods for parasite investigation in wild terrestrial carnivores, providing the precise techniques for collection and analysis of fecal, blood, and tissue samples, the environmental impact on said samples, and the limitations researchers currently face in analyzing samples of wild terrestrial carnivores. In addition, this paper offers some crucial information on how different environmental factors affect parasite detection postmortem and how insects can be used to estimate the time of death with a specific highlight on insect larvae. The paper contains a literature review of available procedures and emphasizes the need for diagnostic method standardization in wild terrestrial carnivores.