Journal
VETERINARY RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
Volume -, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s11259-023-10071-8
Keywords
Felis catus; Felis silvestris; Mediterranean; Nematode; Non-native parasite spread
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Global warming and human activities have led to changes in parasite transmission and host-parasite interactions. This study found that a zoonotic parasite from Asia has rapidly spread to Europe and infected wild mammals, dogs, cats and humans. The European wildcat is considered a potential victim, and monitoring has revealed infection cases. The findings suggest that this pathogen may pose a new threat to the locally endangered wildcat, and highlight the need for further eco-epidemiological monitoring and sanitary control of domestic cats.
Global warming and displacement of vectors and wild and domestic hosts by humans greatly change host-parasite interactions and parasite transmission rates. Thelazia callipaeda Railliet and Henry, 1910 (Spirurida: Thelaziidae) is a zoonotic parasite rapidly colonizing Europe from its Asian native range. This nematode is vectored by Phortica flies and may cause ocular disorders, such as keratitis and corneal ulcers, in wild mammals, dogs, cats and humans. With the aim of detecting possible threats for the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) in one of its last Mediterranean strongholds, we initiated in 2017 a long-term monitoring program in Sierra Arana (southeastern Spain), which includes exploring its epidemiological and spatial relationships with domestic cats (Felis catus). During routine medical check-ups, we detected ocular nematodes in 3 of 17 (17.6%) wildcats and 1 of 23 (4.3%) domestic cats tested, confirmed to be T. callipaeda by microscopic and molecular analyses. This nematode species was first detected in the study area in 2021. To our knowledge, this is the first case of infection in wildcats in Spain. Through telemetry, we detected little spatial overlap between the home ranges of wildcats and domestic cats, which seems to be sufficient to facilitate the inter-specific transmission of T. callipaeda. Our findings suggest that this pathogen could be a new threat to the wildcat, a locally endangered wild felid. Further eco-epidemiological monitoring and sanitary control of domestic cats will be strongly needed, especially given the ongoing global warming scenario.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available