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Bezerra-Santos MA, Dantas-Torres F, Ramos RAN, Brianti E, Otranto D. Cercopithifilaria spp. of dogs: little known but prevalent filarioids beneath the skin. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:386. [PMID: 37880799 PMCID: PMC10601261 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-06007-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Filarioids of the genus Cercopithifilaria are little studied, yet widespread parasites, that are relatively unique in being one of the very few nematodes transmitted by hard ticks. These filarioids live in the subcutis while microfilariae are found in the dermis. Definitive hosts include domestic dogs as well as a wide range of vertebrates, such as ruminants, non-human primates, murids, marsupials, porcupines, viverrids, bears and lagomorphs. The genus Cercopithifilaria contains three taxa (i.e. C. bainae, C. grassii and a yet undescribed species, namely Cercopithifilaria sp. II) that are known to infect dogs worldwide, with their occurrence overlapping the distribution of the main tick vector, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato. In recent decades, more attention has focused on these filarioids since they have been associated with clinical signs of infection, such as dermatitis, chronic polyarthritis and cutaneous cysts, and possibly with facilitating infections caused by other tick-borne pathogens. Nevertheless, these parasites remain largely underdiagnosed in clinical practice due to the lack of awareness of veterinary practitioners and to major obstacles to their diagnosis. In this review, we have assessed currently available data on Cercopithifilaria spp. infecting dogs worldwide and discussed the biological, clinical and epidemiological aspects of these filarioids, with the overall aim to gain a better understanding of their potential role in skin diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Emanuele Brianti
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Domenico Otranto
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran.
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Lefoulon E, Kuzmin Y, Plantard O, Mutafchiev Y, Otranto D, Martin C, Bain O. Redescription of Cercopithifilaria rugosicauda (Böhm & Supperer, 1953) (Spirurida: Onchocercidae) of roe deer, with an emended diagnosis of the genus Cercopithifilaria and a genetic characterisation. Parasitol Int 2014; 63:808-16. [PMID: 25108130 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2014.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2013] [Revised: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 07/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Newly collected material of Cercopithifilaria rugosicauda from roe deer Capreolus capreolus was analysed and compared to descriptions of C. rugosicauda from Austria and Hungary. The present specimens were assigned to the genus Cercopithifilaria using both morphological and molecular analyses. Complementary morphological data on the males and microfilariae of C. rugosicauda were described. The main morphological characters of different species of Cercopithifilaria were outlined and an emended generic diagnosis proposed. A genetic characterisation based on the analyses of cox1 and 12S rDNA sequences was reported supporting that C. rugosicauda was included in the clade of the genus Cercopithifilaria distinctly from other congeneric species available. However, these molecular analyses did not solve the relationships between the species of Cercopithifilaria. These could be approached using morphological characters that might be representative of their evolutionary history. In addition, Wolbachia was not seen in C. rugosicauda, either by immunohistological or by molecular approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Lefoulon
- UMR 7245 MCAM MNHN CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 61 rue Buffon, CP52, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
| | - Yuri Kuzmin
- Institute of Zoology, Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Kiev, Ukraine
| | - Olivier Plantard
- UMR 1300 Biology, Epidemiology and Risk Analysis in Animal Health (BioEpAR), INRA, Nantes, France; LUNAM Université, Oniris, Nantes, France
| | - Yasen Mutafchiev
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Domenico Otranto
- Department of Veterinary Public Health, Università degli Studi di Bari, Valenzano, Italy
| | - Coralie Martin
- UMR 7245 MCAM MNHN CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 61 rue Buffon, CP52, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
| | - Odile Bain
- UMR 7245 MCAM MNHN CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 61 rue Buffon, CP52, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
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Tick vectors of Cercopithifilaria bainae in dogs: Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato versus Ixodes ricinus. Parasitol Res 2013; 112:3013-7. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-013-3474-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2013] [Accepted: 05/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Otranto D, Varcasia A, Solinas C, Scala A, Brianti E, Dantas-Torres F, Annoscia G, Martin C, Mutafchiev Y, Bain O. Redescription of Cercopithifilaria bainae Almeida & Vicente, 1984 (Spirurida, Onchocercidae) from a dog in Sardinia, Italy. Parasit Vectors 2013; 6:132. [PMID: 23642161 PMCID: PMC3655055 DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-6-132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2013] [Accepted: 04/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Three species of the genus Cercopithifilaria have been morphologically and molecularly characterized in dog populations in southern Europe: Cercopithifilaria grassii (Noè, 1907), Cercopithifilaria sp. sensu Otranto et al., 2011 (reported as Cercopithifilaria sp. I), and Cercopithifilaria sp. II sensu Otranto et al., 2012. The adults of Cercopithifilaria sp. I have remained unknown until the present study. Methods The material originated from a dog from Sardinia (Italy) diagnosed with dermal microfilariae of Cercopithifilaria sp. I. The holotype and three paratypes of Cercopithifilaria bainae Almeida & Vicente, 1984, described from dogs in Brazil, were studied as comparative material. A cox1 (~689 bp) and 12S (~330 bp) gene fragments were amplified and phylogenetic analysis carried out. Results The highest numbers of adult nematodes (82%) were collected in the sediment of the subcutaneous tissues of the trunk (n = 37) and forelimbs (n = 36). The morphology of the adult nematodes and microfilariae collected from the dog in Sardinia corresponded to those of C. bainae. All cox1 and 12S gene sequences showed a high homology (99-100%) with sequences from microfilariae of Cercopithifilaria sp. I. Conclusions The morphological and molecular identity of the microfilariae of C. bainae overlap those described previously as Cercopithifilaria sp. sensu Otranto et al., 2011 (=Cercopithifilaria sp. I). Therefore, the present study reports the occurrence of C. bainae in Europe, for the first time after its description and the single record in Brazil. C. bainae appears to be highly diffused in dog populations in southern Europe. The phylogenetic analyses based on cox1 and 12S do not reveal the three species of Cercopithifilaria parasitizing dogs as a monophyletic group, which suggests that they have derived independently by host switching.
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Uni S, Bain O, Fujita H, Matsubayashi M, Fukuda M, Takaoka H. Infective larvae of Cercopithifilaria spp. (Nematoda: Onchocercidae) from hard ticks (Ixodidae) recovered from the Japanese serow (Bovidae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 20:1. [PMID: 23340227 PMCID: PMC3718534 DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2012001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2012] [Accepted: 11/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Hard ticks taken from the Japanese serow, Capricornis crispus, in Yamagata Prefecture, Honshu, harboured infective larvae of onchocercid filariae after incubation from the 22nd to the 158th day. Haemaphysalis flava and H. japonica contained one to eight filarial larvae; females, males and a nymph of the ticks were infected. The 44 infective larvae recovered were 612-1,370 μm long, and 11 of them, 930-1,340 μm long, were studied in detail. The larvae possessed the morphologic characteristics of the larvae of the genus Cercopithifilaria, namely an oesophagus with a posterior glandular part, no buccal capsule and a long tail with three terminal lappets. Five types (A to E) of infective larvae were identified based on the morphologic characteristics. While to date five species of Cercopithifilaria have been described from the Japanese serow, a specific identification of the larvae found in this study was generally not possible. Only type E larvae could be tentatively assigned to Cercopithifilaria tumidicervicata, as they had a cervical swelling similar to that of the adults of this species. A key for the identification of the five larval types is presented. The study presents circumstantial evidences indicating that H. flava and H. japonica may transmit Cercopithifilaria spp. to Japanese serows. It also suggests the possibility that such filarial larvae will be found in hard ticks anywhere, because Cercopithifilaria is distributed worldwide, though this genus generally goes unnoticed, as its microfilariae occur in the skin, not in the blood, of host animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigehiko Uni
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Department of Parasitology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University, Osaka 545-8585, Japan
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Species diversity of dermal microfilariae of the genus Cercopithifilaria infesting dogs in the Mediterranean region. Parasitology 2012; 140:99-108. [PMID: 22914299 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182012001357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Following the recent description of microfilariae of a Cercopithifilaria sp. in a dog from Sicily, Italy, (herein after referred to as Cercopithifilaria sp. I), numerous skin samples were collected from dogs in the Mediterranean region. In addition to Cercopithifilaria sp. I (185·7 ± 7·2 μm long), microfilariae of 2 other species were identified, namely Cercopithifilaria grassii (651·7 ± 23·6 μm long) and a yet undescribed microfilaria, Cercopithifilaria sp. II (264·4 ± 20·2 μm long, with evident lateral alae). The morphological differentiation among the 3 species of dermal microfilariae was confirmed by differences in cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and ribosomal 12S sequences examined (mean level of interspecific pairwise distance of 11·4%, and 17·7%, respectively). Phylogenetic analyses were concordant in clustering these with other sequences of Cercopithifilaria spp. to the exclusion of Dirofilaria spp., Onchocerca spp. and Acanthocheilonema spp. Dermal microfilariae collected (n = 132) were morphologically identified as Cercopithifilaria sp. I (n = 108, 81·8%), Cercopithifilaria sp. II (n = 17, 12·9%), whereas only 7 (5·3%) were identified as C. grassii. Mixed infestations were detected in all sites examined. The great diversity of these neglected filarioids in dogs is of biological interest, considering the complex interactions occurring among hosts, ticks and Cercopithifilaria spp. in different environments.
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Brianti E, Otranto D, Dantas-Torres F, Weigl S, Latrofa M, Gaglio G, Napoli E, Brucato G, Cauquil L, Giannetto S, Bain O. Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Ixodida, Ixodidae) as intermediate host of a canine neglected filarial species with dermal microfilariae. Vet Parasitol 2012; 183:330-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.07.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2011] [Revised: 07/09/2011] [Accepted: 07/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Otranto D, Latrofa MS, Brianti E, Annoscia G, Parisi A, Dantas-Torres F, Bain O, Gasser RB. An assessment of genetic variability in the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene of Cercopithifilaria sp. (Spirurida, Onchocercidae) from dog and Rhipicephalus sanguineus populations. Mol Cell Probes 2011; 26:81-9. [PMID: 22227114 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcp.2011.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2011] [Revised: 12/17/2011] [Accepted: 12/18/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
This study investigates sequence variation in mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene within Cercopithifilaria sp. recorded recently in Italy. Fourteen sequence types (haplotypes) were characterized for 163 (7.7%) amplicons from 2111 Genomic DNA samples prepared from skin samples from dogs and from Rhipicephalus sanguineus (ticks) from different geographical areas of the Mediterranean basin (i.e., Italy, Spain and Greece). The most prevalent sequence types represented haplotypes I (70.5%) and X (16.0%), followed by haplotype VIII (4.9%) and other 11 haplotypes (8.6%). Three haplotypes (II, V and VI) were found exclusively in ticks. The overall intraspecific nucleotide variation among pcox1 haplotypes ranged from 0.4 to 3.5% (mean = 1.6%), whereas a mean interspecific difference of 9.5% was detected as compared with other onchocercids. Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequence data showed a clustering of Cercopithifilaria sp. with the other Cercopithifilaria species (with strong statistical support) to the exclusion of other onchocercids. The number of haplotypes identified here might be explained by complex ecology and transmission patterns as well as the high mutation rate of mitochondrial DNA and/or inbreeding associated with hosts and their vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenico Otranto
- Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Zootecnia, Università degli Studi di Bari, Valenzano, Italy.
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Otranto D, Brianti E, Dantas-Torres F, Weigl S, Latrofa MS, Gaglio G, Cauquil L, Giannetto S, Bain O. Morphological and molecular data on the dermal microfilariae of a species of Cercopithifilaria from a dog in Sicily. Vet Parasitol 2011; 182:221-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2011] [Revised: 05/16/2011] [Accepted: 05/20/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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New insights into the evolution of Wolbachia infections in filarial nematodes inferred from a large range of screened species. PLoS One 2011; 6:e20843. [PMID: 21731626 PMCID: PMC3120775 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2011] [Accepted: 05/10/2011] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Wolbachia are intriguing symbiotic endobacteria with a peculiar host range that includes arthropods and a single nematode family, the Onchocercidae encompassing agents of filariases. This raises the question of the origin of infection in filariae. Wolbachia infect the female germline and the hypodermis. Some evidences lead to the theory that Wolbachia act as mutualist and coevolved with filariae from one infection event: their removal sterilizes female filariae; all the specimens of a positive species are infected; Wolbachia are vertically inherited; a few species lost the symbiont. However, most data on Wolbachia and filaria relationships derive from studies on few species of Onchocercinae and Dirofilariinae, from mammals. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We investigated the Wolbachia distribution testing 35 filarial species, including 28 species and 7 genera and/or subgenera newly screened, using PCR, immunohistochemical staining, whole mount fluorescent analysis, and cocladogenesis analysis. (i) Among the newly screened Onchocercinae from mammals eight species harbour Wolbachia but for some of them, bacteria are absent in the hypodermis, or in variable density. (ii) Wolbachia are not detected in the pathological model Monanema martini and in 8, upon 9, species of Cercopithifilaria. (iii) Supergroup F Wolbachia is identified in two newly screened Mansonella species and in Cercopithifilaria japonica. (iv) Type F Wolbachia infect the intestinal cells and somatic female genital tract. (v) Among Oswaldofilariinae, Waltonellinae and Splendidofilariinae, from saurian, anuran and bird respectively, Wolbachia are not detected. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The absence of Wolbachia in 63% of onchocercids, notably in the ancestral Oswaldofilariinae estimated 140 mya old, the diverse tissues or specimens distribution, and a recent lateral transfer in supergroup F Wolbachia, modify the current view on the role and evolution of the endosymbiont and their hosts. Further genomic analyses on some of the newly sampled species are welcomed to decipher the open questions.
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Olmeda-García AS, Rodríguez-Rodríguez JA. Stage-specific development of a filarial nematode (Dipetalonema dracunculoides) in vector ticks. J Helminthol 1994; 68:231-5. [PMID: 7829843 DOI: 10.1017/s0022149x00014395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
This paper reports the development of the canid filarial worm, Dipetalonema dracunculoides, in the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus by determining whether development is similar within larval, nymphal and adult stages of infected ticks. This study demonstrates that only infected nymphal ticks can support the complete development of the filarial worm. Infected larval ticks are not suitable intermediate hosts, nor are infected adults. Development depends on some stage-specific property of the vector, and the maturation to the infective stage is stimulated during the course of the nymphal-adult moult.
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Affiliation(s)
- A S Olmeda-García
- Departamento Patología Animal I (Sanidad Animal), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
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