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Faehndrich M, Woelfing B, Klink JC, Roller M, Baumgärtner W, Wohlsein P, Raue K, Strube C, Ewers C, Prenger-Berninghoff E, Verspohl J, Lavazza A, Capucci L, Tomaso H, Siebert U. Pathomorphological Findings and Infectious Diseases in Selected European Brown Hare ( Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778) Populations from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Pathogens 2023; 12:1317. [PMID: 38003782 PMCID: PMC10675426 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12111317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [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: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
In the northernmost German federal state Schleswig-Holstein, populations of European brown hares (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778) show diverse densities and varying courses over the years. To examine differences in pathomorphological findings and infectious diseases as possible reasons for varying population dynamics, we assessed 155 hunted hares from three locations in Schleswig-Holstein from 2016 to 2020. We investigated the association of location, year, age, and sex of animals to certain pathomorphological findings and infectious diseases. Frequent pathomorphological findings were intestinal parasites (63.9%), hepatitis (55.5%), nephritis (31.0%), steatitis (23.2%), enteritis (13.5%), and pneumonia (5.2%). Body condition differed significantly between locations, and the prevalence of pneumonia was significantly higher in females. Enteritis was not detected in 2019, when much more juveniles were sampled. Hepatitis and nephritis occurred significantly more often in 2016 and among adults. Additionally, more adults showed hepatitis with concurrent serotitre for European brown hare syndrome virus (EBHSV), while intestinal parasitosis as well as high excretion rates of coccidia were more common in juveniles. Sampled animals showed high infection rates with Eimeria spp. (96.1%), Trichostrongylus spp. (52.0%), Graphidium strigosum (41.2%), and a high seroprevalence (90.9%) for EBHSV, without severe symptoms. This study revealed a low prevalence of infectious pathogens, but a high prevalence of chronic inflammations of unknown origin in the tested brown hare populations. Overall, our results indicate a rather minor importance of infectious diseases for observed population dynamics of analysed hare populations in Schleswig-Holstein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Faehndrich
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (M.F.); (J.C.K.); (M.R.)
| | - Benno Woelfing
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (M.F.); (J.C.K.); (M.R.)
| | - Jana C. Klink
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (M.F.); (J.C.K.); (M.R.)
| | - Marco Roller
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (M.F.); (J.C.K.); (M.R.)
| | - Wolfgang Baumgärtner
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (W.B.); (P.W.)
| | - Peter Wohlsein
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (W.B.); (P.W.)
| | - Katharina Raue
- Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany (C.S.)
| | - Christina Strube
- Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany (C.S.)
| | - Christa Ewers
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany; (C.E.); (E.P.-B.)
| | - Ellen Prenger-Berninghoff
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany; (C.E.); (E.P.-B.)
| | - Jutta Verspohl
- Institute for Microbiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany;
| | - Antonio Lavazza
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna, 25124 Brescia, Italy; (A.L.); (L.C.)
| | - Lorenzo Capucci
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna, 25124 Brescia, Italy; (A.L.); (L.C.)
| | - Herbert Tomaso
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut—Federal Research Institute for Animal Health (FLI), Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, 07743 Jena, Germany;
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (M.F.); (J.C.K.); (M.R.)
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Sharifdini M, Hajialilo E, Hosseinnezhad H, Mohammadi MA. Molecular Characterization of Mitochondrial Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 ( Cox1) gene from Trichostrongylus Species (Nematoda: Trichostrongylidae) in Northern Iran. Turkiye Parazitol Derg 2023; 47:28-33. [PMID: 36872482 DOI: 10.4274/tpd.galenos.2022.16878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Objective The objective of the present study was to identify Trichostrongylus species by molecular analysis and also phylogenetic relationships of Trichostrongylus species by mitochondrial Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (Cox1) gene in Guilan province, northern Iran. Methods Abomasum and duodenum contents of 144 livestock were collected from sheep, goats, and cattle in Guilan province. Morphological survey was performed for initial screening. Total DNA was extracted, and the partial region of Cox1 gene was amplified and sequenced. Genetic diversity was calculated and phylogenetic analysis of the data on nucleotide sequence was conducted by MEGA7 software. Results Three species of Trichostrongylus including T. colubriformis, T. vitrinus, and T. axei were identified by morphological characteristics. The genetic divergence within the species in the present study was observed for T. axei (0-2.5%), T. colubriformis (0.77%), and T. vitrinus (0%). The mean inter-species difference between the three species of Trichostrongylus obtained in this study was 14.4-15.4%. Conclusion The Cox1 sequences of the members of Trichostrongylus spp. were highly variable and this could be used as a valuable measure to achieve a proper assessment on biodiversity. Sequence data generation from other species of Trichostrongylus will be needed to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of this genus of nematodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meysam Sharifdini
- Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Rasht, Iran
| | - Elham Hajialilo
- Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Medical Microbiology Research Center, Qazvin, Iran,Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Qazvin, Iran
| | - Hedayat Hosseinnezhad
- Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Rasht, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Mohammadi
- Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Research Center for Hydatid Disease in Iran, Kerman, Iran
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Faehndrich M, Klink JC, Roller M, Wohlsein P, Raue K, Strube C, Prenger-Berninghoff E, Ewers C, Capucci L, Lavazza A, Tomaso H, Schnitzler JG, Siebert U. Status of Infectious Diseases in Free-Ranging European Brown Hares (Lepus europaeus) Found Dead between 2017 and 2020 in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Pathogens 2023; 12. [PMID: 36839511 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12020239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) is a quite adaptable species, but populations have been decreasing for several decades in different countries, including Germany. To investigate infectious diseases as possible influences on observed population decline in the German federal state Schleswig-Holstein, 118 deceased free-ranging European brown hares were collected between 2017 and 2020 and underwent detailed postmortem examination with extended sampling. Infectious diseases were a major cause of death (34.7%). The number of juveniles found exceeded the adult ones. The main pathomorphological findings were hepatitis (32.8%), pneumonia (22.2%), nephritis (19.1%), liver necrosis (12.9%), and enteritis (40.7%). An unusual main finding was steatitis (20.9%) of unknown origin. Animals were mainly emaciated and showed high infection rates with Eimeria spp. (91.3%) and Trichostrongylus spp. (36.2%). European Brown Hare Syndrome Virus reached an epidemic status with few fatal infections (4.2%) and high seroprevalence (64.9%), whereas the prevalence of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 was very low (0.8%) in hares in Schleswig-Holstein. Pathogens such as Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (5.9%), Pasteurella multocida (0.8%), and Staphylococcus aureus (3.4%) only caused sporadic deaths. This study illustrates the wide distribution of various infectious pathogens with high mortality and even zoonotic potential. Infectious diseases need to be considered as an important influence on population dynamics in Schleswig-Holstein.
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Mickiewicz M, Czopowicz M, Moroz A, Szaluś-Jordanow O, Górski P, Várady M, Königová A, Spinu M, Lefkaditis M, Kaba J. Development of resistance to eprinomectin in gastrointestinal nematodes in a goat herd with pre-existing resistance to benzimidazoles. Pol J Vet Sci 2020; 22:753-760. [PMID: 31867918 DOI: 10.24425/pjvs.2019.131404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
We described a first case of resistance to eprinomectin in goat herd in Poland in which resistance to benzimidazoles had been previously reported. The herd was established in 2011 by purchasing several goats from a single herd in south-eastern Poland. Resistance to benzimidazoles in the herd was first reported in 2017. Shortly after the owner started to signal low effectiveness of the treatment with eprinomectin. In June 2018 the larval development test from pooled faecal sample was performed and the results indicated the presence of resistance to macrocyclic lactones and levamisole. In July 2018 a faecal egg count (FEC) reduction test was performed in 39 animals with levamisole, eprinomectin and one untreated control group. Drugs were used in doses recommended for goats. Three methods of calculation of FEC reduction were compared. After eprinomectin treatment, FEC reduction ranged from 0 to 20%, depending on the method of calculation. FEC reduction following levamisole treatment was 100%. Main species present in the faecal samples after treatment and in larvicidal concentrations in larval development test was Haemonchus contortus. This is the first report of anthelminthic resistance to macrocylic lactones (eprinomectin) in goats in Poland.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Mickiewicz
- Laboratory of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
| | - M Czopowicz
- Laboratory of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
| | - A Moroz
- Laboratory of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
| | - O Szaluś-Jordanow
- Division of Small Animal Infectious Diseases, Department of Small Animal Diseases with Clinic, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
| | - P Górski
- Division of Parasitology and Invasiology, Department of Preclinical Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Ciszewskiego 8, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
| | - M Várady
- Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 04001 Košice, Slovakia
| | - A Königová
- Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 04001 Košice, Slovakia
| | - M Spinu
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Preventive Medicine, Law and Ethics, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, Cluj-Napoca 400372, Romania
| | - M Lefkaditis
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Trikalon 224, 43100 Karditsa, Greece
| | - J Kaba
- Laboratory of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159c, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
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Arbabi M, Hooshyar H, Lotfinia M, Bakhshi MA. Molecular detection of Trichostrongylus species through PCR followed by high resolution melt analysis of ITS-2 rDNA sequences. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2020; 236:111260. [PMID: 31958470 DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2020.111260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Polymerase chain reaction followed by high resolution melting (PCR-HRM) analysis is a simple, rapid and accurate method for molecular detection of various nematode species. The objective of the present study was, for the first time, to develop a PCR-HRM assay for the detection of various animal Trichostrongylus spp. A pair of primers targeting the ITS-2 rDNA region of the Trichostrongylus spp. was designed for the development of the HRM assay. DNA samples were extracted from 30 adult worms of Trichostrongylus spp., the ITS-2-rDNA region was amplified using PCR, and the resultant products were sequenced and characterized. Afterwards, the PCR-HRM analysis was conducted to detect and discriminate Trichostrongylus spp. Molecular sequence analysis revealed that 24, 4, and 1 of the samples were T. colubriformis, T. vitrinus and T. capricola, respectively. Results from PCR-HRM indicated that complete agreement was relatively found between speciation by HRM analysis and DNA sequencing for the detection of Trichostrongylus species. The PCR-HRM analysis method developed in the present study is fast and low-cost; the method can be comparable with other molecular detection techniques, representing a reliable tool for the identification of various species within the Trichostrongylus genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Arbabi
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran; Core Research Lab, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
| | - Hossein Hooshyar
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Majid Lotfinia
- Physiology Research Center, Basic Sciences Research Institute, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran; Core Research Lab, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Mohamad Ali Bakhshi
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
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