1
|
Rigal S, Dakos V, Alonso H, Auniņš A, Benkő Z, Brotons L, Chodkiewicz T, Chylarecki P, de Carli E, Del Moral JC, Domşa C, Escandell V, Fontaine B, Foppen R, Gregory R, Harris S, Herrando S, Husby M, Ieronymidou C, Jiguet F, Kennedy J, Klvaňová A, Kmecl P, Kuczyński L, Kurlavičius P, Kålås JA, Lehikoinen A, Lindström Å, Lorrillière R, Moshøj C, Nellis R, Noble D, Eskildsen DP, Paquet JY, Pélissié M, Pladevall C, Portolou D, Reif J, Schmid H, Seaman B, Szabo ZD, Szép T, Florenzano GT, Teufelbauer N, Trautmann S, van Turnhout C, Vermouzek Z, Vikstrøm T, Voříšek P, Weiserbs A, Devictor V. Farmland practices are driving bird population decline across Europe. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2216573120. [PMID: 37186854 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2216573120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Declines in European bird populations are reported for decades but the direct effect of major anthropogenic pressures on such declines remains unquantified. Causal relationships between pressures and bird population responses are difficult to identify as pressures interact at different spatial scales and responses vary among species. Here, we uncover direct relationships between population time-series of 170 common bird species, monitored at more than 20,000 sites in 28 European countries, over 37 y, and four widespread anthropogenic pressures: agricultural intensification, change in forest cover, urbanisation and temperature change over the last decades. We quantify the influence of each pressure on population time-series and its importance relative to other pressures, and we identify traits of most affected species. We find that agricultural intensification, in particular pesticides and fertiliser use, is the main pressure for most bird population declines, especially for invertebrate feeders. Responses to changes in forest cover, urbanisation and temperature are more species-specific. Specifically, forest cover is associated with a positive effect and growing urbanisation with a negative effect on population dynamics, while temperature change has an effect on the dynamics of a large number of bird populations, the magnitude and direction of which depend on species' thermal preferences. Our results not only confirm the pervasive and strong effects of anthropogenic pressures on common breeding birds, but quantify the relative strength of these effects stressing the urgent need for transformative changes in the way of inhabiting the world in European countries, if bird populations shall have a chance of recovering.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stanislas Rigal
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISEM), Univ. de Montpellier, CNRS, Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Montpellier 34095, France
| | - Vasilis Dakos
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISEM), Univ. de Montpellier, CNRS, Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Montpellier 34095, France
| | - Hany Alonso
- Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds Sociedade, Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves (SPEA), Lisbon 700-031, Portugal
| | - Ainārs Auniņš
- Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, Riga LV-1004, Latvia
- Latvian Ornithological Society, Riga LV-1050, Latvia
| | - Zoltán Benkő
- Romanian Ornithological Society/BirdLife Romania, Cluj-Napoca 030231, Romania
| | - Lluís Brotons
- Centre de Ciència i Tecnologia Forestal de Catalunya (CTFC), Solsona 25280, Spain
- Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
- Spanish National Research Council, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
- Catalan Ornithological Institute, Natural History Museum of Barcelona, Barcelona 4-5 08019, Spain
| | - Tomasz Chodkiewicz
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa 00-679, Poland
- Polish Society for the Protection of Birds, Ogólnopolskie Towarzystwo Ochrony Ptaków (OTOP), Marki 05-270, Poland
| | - Przemysław Chylarecki
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warszawa 00-679, Poland
| | | | - Juan Carlos Del Moral
- Spanish Ornithological Society (Sociedad Española de Ornitología/BirdLife), Madrid 28053, Spain
| | - Cristian Domşa
- Romanian Ornithological Society/BirdLife Romania, Cluj-Napoca 030231, Romania
| | - Virginia Escandell
- Spanish Ornithological Society (Sociedad Española de Ornitología/BirdLife), Madrid 28053, Spain
| | - Benoît Fontaine
- Patrinat & UMR7204 Centre d'Écologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), MNHN: Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-CNRS-SU, Paris 75005, France
| | - Ruud Foppen
- Sovon Dutch Center for Field Ornithology, Nijmegen 6525, The Netherlands
- Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525, The Netherlands
| | - Richard Gregory
- The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Centre for Conservation Science, Sandy SG19 2DL, United Kingdom
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Centre for Biodiversity & Environment Research, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Harris
- British Trust for Ornithology, Thetford IP24 2PU, United Kingdom
| | - Sergi Herrando
- Catalan Ornithological Institute, Natural History Museum of Barcelona, Barcelona 4-5 08019, Spain
- European Bird Census Council, Nijmegen 6524, The Netherlands
| | - Magne Husby
- Section of Science, Nord University, Levanger 8049, Norway
- BirdLife Norway, Trondheim 7012, Norway
| | | | - Frédéric Jiguet
- Patrinat & UMR7204 Centre d'Écologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), MNHN: Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-CNRS-SU, Paris 75005, France
| | - John Kennedy
- BirdWatch Ireland on behalf of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Kilcoole A63 RW83, Republic of Ireland
| | - Alena Klvaňová
- European Bird Census Council, Nijmegen 6524, The Netherlands
- Czech Society for Ornithology/BirdLife Czech Republic, Prague 150 00, Czech Republic
| | - Primož Kmecl
- Društvo za opazovanje in proučevanje ptic Slovenije (DOPPS) BirdLife Slovenia, Ljubljana SI-1000, Slovenia
| | | | - Petras Kurlavičius
- Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas 44248, Lithuania
- Lithuanian Ornithological Society (Lietuvos Ornitologų Draugija (LOD)), Vilnius LT-03208, Lithuania
| | - John Atle Kålås
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim 7485, Norway
| | - Aleksi Lehikoinen
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00100, Finland
| | - Åke Lindström
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund 223 62, Sweden
| | - Romain Lorrillière
- Patrinat & UMR7204 Centre d'Écologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), MNHN: Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-CNRS-SU, Paris 75005, France
| | - Charlotte Moshøj
- Danish Ornithological Society (DOF)/BirdLife Denmark, Copenhagen 1620, Denmark
| | - Renno Nellis
- Estonian Ornithological Society/Birdlife Estonia, Tartu 51005, Estonia
| | - David Noble
- British Trust for Ornithology, Thetford IP24 2PU, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Mathieu Pélissié
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISEM), Univ. de Montpellier, CNRS, Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Montpellier 34095, France
| | - Clara Pladevall
- Andorran Research+Innovation, Sant Julià de Lòria AD500, Principality of Andorra
| | | | - Jiří Reif
- Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague 128 00, Czech Republic
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc 779 00, Czech Republic
| | - Hans Schmid
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Sempach CH-6204, Switzerland
| | | | - Zoltán D Szabo
- Romanian Ornithological Society/BirdLife Romania, Cluj-Napoca 030231, Romania
- Milvus Group Bird and Nature Protection Association, Tîrgu Mureş 540445, Romania
| | - Tibor Szép
- University of Nyíregyháza, Nyíregyháza 4400, Hungary
- Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society (Magyar Madártani és Természetvédelmi Egyesület (MME))/BirdLife Hungary, Budapest 1121, Hungary
| | | | | | - Sven Trautmann
- Dachverband Deutscher Avifaunisten, Muenster D-48157, Germany
| | - Chris van Turnhout
- Sovon Dutch Center for Field Ornithology, Nijmegen 6525, The Netherlands
- Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen 6525, The Netherlands
| | - Zdeněk Vermouzek
- Czech Society for Ornithology/BirdLife Czech Republic, Prague 150 00, Czech Republic
| | - Thomas Vikstrøm
- Danish Ornithological Society (DOF)/BirdLife Denmark, Copenhagen 1620, Denmark
| | - Petr Voříšek
- European Bird Census Council, Nijmegen 6524, The Netherlands
- Czech Society for Ornithology/BirdLife Czech Republic, Prague 150 00, Czech Republic
| | | | - Vincent Devictor
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISEM), Univ. de Montpellier, CNRS, Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Montpellier 34095, France
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Sándor AD, Mihalca AD, Domşa C, Péter Á, Hornok S. Argasid Ticks of Palearctic Bats: Distribution, Host Selection, and Zoonotic Importance. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:684737. [PMID: 34239915 PMCID: PMC8258102 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.684737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The soft ticks (Ixodida: Argasidae) are ectoparasites of terrestrial vertebrates with a wide geographic distribution, occurring on all continents. These ticks are obligate blood-feeders, most of them show high degrees of host-specialization and several species in arid and tropical regions are important parasites of livestock and men. Species commonly occurring on domestic animals and man are generally well-known, with many studies focusing on their ecology, distribution or vectorial role. However, wildlife-specialist soft ticks are less studied. Nearly half of all soft tick species are bat specialists, with five species (Carios vespertilionis, Chiropterargas boueti, Chiropterargas confusus, Reticulinasus salahi, and Secretargas transgariepinus) occurring in the Western Palearctic. There is no comprehensive study on the distribution, hosts or pathogens in these soft ticks, although most species were shown to carry several viral, bacterial, or protozoan pathogens and also to occasionally infest humans. Based on a literature survey and 1,120 distinct georeferenced records, we present here the geographical range, host selection and vectorial potential for bat-specialist soft ticks occurring in the Western Palearctic (chiefly Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East). Carios vespertilionis shows the largest distribution range and was found on most host species, being ubiquitous wherever crevice-roosting bats occur. All the other species were located only in areas with Mediterranean climate, with Ch. boueti, Chiropteraragas confusus, and R. salahi are missing entirely from Europe. These three species have a host spectrum of bats roosting primarily in caves, while S. transgariepinus and Ca. vespertilionis is feeding primarily on crevice-roosting bat species. All but one of these soft tick species are known to feed on humans and may be vectors of important disease agents (Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., Bartonella spp., Ehrlichia spp., Babesia spp., several nairo-, and flaviviruses). As several crevice-roosting bat species show a continuous adaptation to human-altered areas, with certain species becoming common city-dwellers in the Western Palearctic, the study of bat specialist soft ticks is also important from an epidemiologic point of view.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Attila D Sándor
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.,Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Andrei Daniel Mihalca
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Cristian Domşa
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Áron Péter
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Sándor Hornok
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Deak G, Gherman CM, Ionică AM, Daskalaki AA, Matei IA, D'Amico G, Domşa C, Pantchev N, Mihalca AD, Cozma V. Use of a commercial serologic test for Angiostrongylus vasorum for the detection of A. chabaudi in wildcats and A. daskalovi in badgers. Vet Parasitol 2016; 233:107-110. [PMID: 28043379 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2016.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Revised: 12/04/2016] [Accepted: 12/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Three species of the genus Angiostrongylus are known to infect European carnivores: A. vasorum (mainly in canids but also in other carnivores), A. chabaudi (in felids) and A. daskalovi (in mustelids). A. vasorum is responsible for clinically severe disease in domestic dogs, most commonly diagnosed based on fecal examination and serological detection of circulating antigens. Considering the poorly known host range and the challenging larval differentiation in the feces between the three species of Angiostrongylus infecting European carnivores, our aim was to evaluate the cross-reactivity of A. chabaudi and A. daskalovi with A. vasorum using a commercial serologic test developed for domestic dogs. Badgers (Meles meles) (n=10) and wildcats (Felis silvestris) (n=8) were examined between 2015 and 2016 by full parasitological necropsy with subsequent morphological and molecular identification of nematodes and by serology, using IDEXX Angio Detect™ tests. Five out of the ten badgers and two out of the eight wildcats were harboring nematodes in the pulmonary arteries. All nematodes were identified morphologically as A. daskalovi in badgers and A. chabaudi in wildcats, respectively. Serological examination of the plasma samples revealed the positivity of the same animals as found in necropsy. None of the animals negative at necropsy was positive at serology. The 100% correlation between the necropsy results and the serologic positivity to IDEXX Angio Detect™ in badgers infected with A. daskalovi and wildcats infected with A. chabaudi suggest that these rapid tests are able to identify circulating antigens of all species of Angiostrongylus found in European carnivores: A. vasorum, A. daskalovi and A. chabaudi. The possibility for future in-clinic use of this test in domestic cats should be further investigated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Georgiana Deak
- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania
| | - Călin Mircea Gherman
- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania.
| | - Angela Monica Ionică
- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania
| | - Aikaterini Alexandra Daskalaki
- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania
| | - Ioana Adriana Matei
- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania
| | - Gianluca D'Amico
- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania
| | - Cristian Domşa
- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania
| | - Nikola Pantchev
- IDEXX Laboratories, Moerikestr. 28/3, D-71636 Ludwigsburg, Germany
| | - Andrei Daniel Mihalca
- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania
| | - Vasile Cozma
- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Paştiu AI, Pap PL, Vágási CI, Niculae M, Páll E, Domşa C, Brudaşcă FG, Spînu M. Wild Birds in Romania Are More Exposed to West Nile Virus Than to Newcastle Disease Virus. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2016; 16:176-80. [PMID: 26824796 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2015.1805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of West Nile virus (WNV) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) in wild and domestic birds from Romania. During 2011-2014, 159 plasma samples from wild birds assigned to 11 orders, 27 families, and 61 species and from 21 domestic birds (Gallus gallus domesticus, Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) were collected. The sera were assayed by two commercial competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) kits for antibodies against WNV and NDV. We found a high prevalence of WNV antibodies in both domestic (19.1%) and wild (32.1%) birds captured after the human epidemic in 2010. Moreover, the presence of anti-NDV antibodies among wild birds from Romania (5.4%) was confirmed serologically for the first time, as far as we are aware. Our findings provide evidence that wild birds, especially resident ones are involved in local West Nile and Newcastle disease enzootic and epizootic cycles. These may allow virus maintenance and spread and also enhance the chance of new outbreaks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anamaria Ioana Paştiu
- 1 Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca , Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Péter László Pap
- 2 Evolutionary Ecology Group, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University , Cluj Napoca, Romania
| | - Csongor István Vágási
- 2 Evolutionary Ecology Group, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeş-Bolyai University , Cluj Napoca, Romania .,3 MTA-DE "Lendület" Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, University of Debrecen , Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Mihaela Niculae
- 1 Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca , Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Emőke Páll
- 1 Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca , Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Cristian Domşa
- 4 Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases Department, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca , Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Florinel Ghe Brudaşcă
- 1 Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca , Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Marina Spînu
- 1 Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca , Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Matei IA, Kalmár Z, Magdaş C, Magdaş V, Toriay H, Dumitrache MO, Ionică AM, D'Amico G, Sándor AD, Mărcuţan DI, Domşa C, Gherman CM, Mihalca AD. Anaplasma phagocytophilum in questing Ixodes ricinus ticks from Romania. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2015; 6:408-13. [PMID: 25838178 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2014] [Revised: 01/21/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Granulocytic anaplasmosis is a common vector-borne disease of humans and animals with natural transmission cycle that involves tick vectors, among which Ixodes ricinus is the most important. The present paper reports the prevalence and geographical distribution of A. phagocytophilum in 10,438 questing Ixodes ricinus ticks collected at 113 locations from 40 counties of Romania. The unfed ticks were examined for the presence of A. phagocytophilum by PCR targeting a portion of ankA gene. The overall prevalence of infection was 3.42%, with local prevalences ranging between 0.29% and 22.45%, with an average prevalence of 5.39% in the infected localities. The infection with A. phagocytophilum was detected in 72 out of 113 localities and in 34 out of 40 counties. The highest prevalence was recorded in females followed by males and nymphs. The results and the distribution model have shown a large distribution of A. phagocytophilum, covering Romania's entire territory. This study is the first large scale survey of the presence of A. phagocytophilum in questing I. ricinus ticks from Romania.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ioana Adriana Matei
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Cluj, Romania.
| | - Zsuzsa Kalmár
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Cristian Magdaş
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Virginia Magdaş
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Hortenzia Toriay
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Mirabela Oana Dumitrache
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Angela Monica Ionică
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Gianluca D'Amico
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Attila D Sándor
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Daniel Ioan Mărcuţan
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Cristian Domşa
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Călin Mircea Gherman
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Andrei Daniel Mihalca
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Cluj Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Paştiu AI, Ajzenberg D, Györke A, Şuteu O, Balea A, Rosenthal BM, Kalmár Z, Domşa C, Cozma V. Traditional goat husbandry may substantially contribute to human toxoplasmosis exposure. J Parasitol 2014; 101:45-9. [PMID: 25003793 DOI: 10.1645/13-483.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Raising goats in settings that are highly contaminated with oocysts of Toxoplasma gondii may contribute significantly to human exposure to this zoonotic parasite. Increasing consumption of young goats in countries where goats are frequently reared in backyards that are also homes to cats (the definitive host of this parasite) elevates such concern. To date, there has been little attention to either the prevalence or genotypic characteristics of T. gondii isolates in young ruminant food animals in Europe. Here, we estimated the prevalence of T. gondii goat-kids raised in backyards and slaughtered for human consumption during Easter. We collected 181 paired samples of serum and diaphragm. Serum samples were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for antibodies against T. gondii , and muscle tissues were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction to detect T. gondii DNA. Thirty-two diaphragm samples were also bioassayed in mice, and the isolates were genotyped using microsatellite markers. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in goat-kids was 33.1% (60/181; 95% confidence interval [CI] 26.3-40.5%), and T. gondii DNA was found in 6.1% (11/181; 95% CI 3.1-10.6) of the diaphragm samples. We isolated the parasite from 2 of 32 goat-kids, and the T. gondii strains belonged to genotype II. The results showed that 1/3 of 3-mo-old goats may be infected with T. gondii, and their consumption during Easter (as barbecue) may seriously compromise food safety as a result.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anamaria I Paştiu
- University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases Department, 3-5 Mănăştur Street, cod 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Kalmár Z, Mihalca AD, Dumitrache MO, Gherman CM, Magdaş C, Mircean V, Oltean M, Domşa C, Matei IA, Mărcuţan DI, Sándor AD, D'Amico G, Paştiu A, Györke A, Gavrea R, Marosi B, Ionică A, Burkhardt E, Toriay H, Cozma V. Geographical distribution and prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi genospecies in questing Ixodes ricinus from Romania: a countrywide study. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2013; 4:403-8. [PMID: 23890805 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2013.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2013] [Revised: 04/17/2013] [Accepted: 04/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The paper reports the prevalence and geographical distribution of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) and its genospecies in 12,221 questing Ixodes ricinus ticks collected at 183 locations from all the 41 counties of Romania. The unfed ticks were examined for the presence of B. burgdorferi s.l. by PCR targeting the intergenic spacer 5S-23S. Reverse line blot hybridization (RLB) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis were performed for identification of B. burgdorferi genospecies. The overall prevalence of infection was 1.4%, with an average local prevalence between 0.75% and 18.8%. B. burgdorferi s.l. was found in ticks of 55 of the 183 localities. The overall prevalence B. burgdorferi s.l. in ticks in the infected localities was 3.8%. The total infection prevalence was higher in female ticks than in other developmental stages. Three Borrelia genospecies were detected. The most widely distributed genospecies was B. afzelii, followed by B. garinii and B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.). The study is the first countrywide study and the first report of B. burgdorferi s.s. in Romania. The distribution maps show that higher prevalences were recorded in hilly areas, but Lyme borreliosis spirochetes were also present in forested lowlands, albeit with a lower prevalence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zsuzsa Kalmár
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
D'Amico G, Mihalca AD, Domşa C, Albrechtová K, Sándor AD, Modrý D. Taming the beast: rabies control in the cradle of mankind. Geospat Health 2013; 7:409-411. [PMID: 23733302 DOI: 10.4081/gh.2013.98] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Between 2006 and 2012, a rabies control programme has been conducted in the area of Lake Turkana in northern Kenya. Spatial data obtained for this project were analysed with the aim of assessing the importance of dog home ranges with the view of possible overlapping between dog populations from adjacent localities. In contrast to our expectation of the maximum home ranges of dogs in the harsh semi-desert environment, the results provided by geographical information system (GIS) analysis showed that in 14 out of 16 localities considered for the study, the dog populations were fully isolated from each other. The data obtained should be helpful for designing rabies control strategies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca D'Amico
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mǎnǎştur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Mihalca AD, Gherman CM, Magdaş C, Dumitrache MO, Györke A, Sándor AD, Domşa C, Oltean M, Mircean V, Mărcuţan DI, D'Amico G, Păduraru AO, Cozma V. Ixodes ricinus is the dominant questing tick in forest habitats in Romania: the results from a countrywide dragging campaign. Exp Appl Acarol 2012; 58:175-182. [PMID: 22547023 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-012-9568-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2011] [Accepted: 04/17/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
In 2010 and 2011, questing ticks were collected from 188 forested locations in all the 41 counties of Romania using the dragging method. The total of 13,771 ticks collected belonged to eleven species: Ixodes ricinus (86.9 %), Dermacentor marginatus (9.5 %), Haemaphysalis punctata (2.6 %), H. concinna (0.6 %), H. sulcata (0.3 %), H. parva (0.1 %), Hyalomma marginatum (0.02 %), D. reticulatus (0.02 %), I. crenulatus (0.007 %), I. hexagonus (0.007 %) and I. laguri (0.007 %). Ixodes ricinus was present in 97.7 % (n = 180) of locations, occurring exclusively in 41.7 % of the locations, whereas it was the dominant species in 38.8 % of the other locations, accounting for over 70 % of the total tick community. The following most common questing ticks were D. marginatus, H. punctata and H. concinna. Ixodes ricinus co-occurred with one, two or three sympatric species. The occurrence of D. reticulatus in forested habitats from Romania was found to be accidental.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A D Mihalca
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Mihalca AD, Dumitrache MO, Magdaş C, Gherman CM, Domşa C, Mircean V, Ghira IV, Pocora V, Ionescu DT, Sikó Barabási S, Cozma V, Sándor AD. Synopsis of the hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of Romania with update on host associations and geographical distribution. Exp Appl Acarol 2012; 58:183-206. [PMID: 22544174 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-012-9566-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2011] [Accepted: 04/12/2012] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The current paper is a synoptic review of the distribution and host associations of the 25 species of hard tick fauna (family Ixodidae) in Romania. In addition to a full literature survey, original data is presented, based on eight years of occasional or targeted sample collection. The literature data on geographical distribution was transposed digitally to the decimal degree coordinate system. For each species, an updated distribution map is given together with all historical data and new host associations. Overall, our paper records 58 new tick-host associations for Romania: 20 for Ixodes ricinus, 1 for I. apronophorus, 6 for I. arboricola, 2 for I. hexagonus, 9 for I. redikorzevi, 1 for I. trianguliceps, 2 for I. vespertilionis, 2 for Haemaphysalis punctata, 1 for H. sulcata, 2 for H. concinna, 1 for D. marginatus, 4 for Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato, 1 for R. bursa and 6 for Hyalomma marginatum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A D Mihalca
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăştur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|