First report of  Echinococcus multilocularis  in cats in Poland: a monitoring study in cats and dogs from a rural area and animal shelter in a highly endemic region

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Abstract

Background

Alveolar echinococcosis is a dangerous zoonotic disease caused by larval forms of Echinococcus multilocularis. In its life-cycle, the principal definitive host is the red fox; however, domesticated carnivorous animals (dogs and cats) can also act as definitive hosts. Until now, there were no data concerning this infection in cats in Poland. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of E. multilocularis in cats and dogs originating from rural areas and animal shelters in a region characterised by a high prevalence of E. multilocularis in red foxes.

Methods

Samples of faeces were collected from 67 cats and 268 dogs from a rural area (villages and animal shelters) of a highly endemic region in southeastern Poland. Samples were examined using nested PCR ( E. multilocularis), multiplex PCR ( E. multilocularis, Taenia spp.) and PCR [ E. granulosus ( s.l.)]. Additionally, faeces were examined microscopically (flotation). Moreover, intestines from 110 red foxes shot in the investigated area were examined (sedimentation and counting technique).

Results

Positive PCR results for E. multilocularis were obtained in 4 cats (6.0%) and 4 dogs (1.5%). There were no significant differences between groups of animals (from a shelter and with an owner) concerning the prevalence of E. multilocularis in both cats and dogs. Taenia spp. were found in 10 cats (14.9%) ( Taenia taeniaeformis and T. hydatigena) and 26 dogs (9.7%) ( T. hydatigena, T. serialis, T. taeniaeformis, T. crassiceps, T. pisiformis and T. ovis) and Mesocestoides litteratus was found in 4 cats (6.0%) and 3 dogs (1.1%). All samples were negative for E. granulosus by PCR. Taking into consideration PCR and flotation results, 29 cats (43.3%) and 73 dogs (27.2%) were infected with helminths (26.9 and 11.9%, respectively, were infected with tapeworms). The highly endemic status of the investigated area was confirmed by examination of red foxes: 48.2% of examined red foxes were infected with E. multilocularis.

Conclusions

To the best of our knowledge, this study reports the presence of E. multilocularis in cats for the first time in Poland and confirms the role of dogs in this infection in highly endemic areas.

Related collections

Most cited references 35

Record: found
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Identification of taeniid eggs in the faeces from carnivores based on multiplex PCR using targets in mitochondrial DNA.

P Deplazes, Robert A. Mathis, D Trachsel (2007)

A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was evaluated for the identification of morphologically indistinguishable eggs of the taeniid tapeworms from carnivores using primers targeting mitochondrial genes. The primers for Echinococcus multilocularis (amplicon size 395 bp) were species-specific as assessed by in silico analysis and in the PCR using well-defined control samples. The design of primers that specifically amplify DNA from E. granulosus or Taenia spp. was not possible. The primers designed for E. granulosus also amplified DNA (117 bp) from E. vogeli, and those designed for Taenia spp. amplified products (267 bp) from species of Mesocestoides, Dipylidium and Diphyllobothrium. Nevertheless, as our diagnostic approach includes the concentration of taeniid eggs by sequential sieving and flotation, followed by their morphological detection, this non-specificity has limited practical importance. Sequence analysis of the corresponding amplicon can identify most of the described E. granulosus genotypes. Taenia spp. can be identified by direct sequencing of the 267 bp amplicon, or, for most species, by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. The multiplex PCR was readily able to detect 1 egg (estimated to contain 7000 targets, as determined by quantitative PCR). Having been validated using a panel of well-defined samples from carnivores with known infection status, this approach proved to be useful for the identification of taeniid eggs from both individual animals and for epidemiological studies.

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High prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in urban red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and voles (Arvicola terrestris) in the city of Zürich, Switzerland.

Robert A. Mathis, P Deplazes, U Müller … (2000)

Over a period of 26 months from January 1996 to February 1998, 388 foxes from the city of Zürich, Switzerland, were examined for intestinal infections with Echinococcus multilocularis and other helminths. The prevalence of E. multilocularis in foxes sampled during winter increased significantly from 47% in the urban to 67% in the adjacent recreational area, whereas prevalence rates of other helminths were similar in both areas. Seasonal differences in the prevalence of E. multilocularis were only found in urban subadult male foxes which were significantly less frequently infected in summer than in winter. The distribution of the Echinococcus biomass, as expressed by worm numbers per fox was overdispersed in 133 infected foxes randomly sampled in winter. Ten of these foxes (8%) were infected with more than 10,000 specimens and carried 72% of the total biomass of E. multilocularis (398,653 worms). Prevalences did not differ significantly in these foxes in regard to age and sex but worm burdens were significantly higher in subadult foxes as compared with adult foxes. In voles (Arvicola terrestris) trapped in a city park of Zürich, E. multilocularis metacestodes were identified by morphological examination and by PCR. The prevalence was 20% among 60 rodents in 1997 and 9% among 75 rodents in 1998. Protoscoleces occurred in 2 of the cases from 1997. The possible risk for human infection is discussed with respect to the established urban E. multilocularis cycle.

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Reproductive potential of Echinococcus multilocularis in experimentally infected foxes, dogs, raccoon dogs and cats.

C Kapel, P R Torgerson, R Thompson … (2006)

A total of 15 red foxes, 15 raccoon dogs, 15 domestic dogs and 15 domestic cats were each infected with 20,000 protoscolices of Echinococcus multilocularis. At 35, 63, and 90 days post inoculation (dpi), five animals from each group were necropsied and the worm burdens determined. The highest worm burdens in foxes (mean of 16,792) and raccoon dogs (mean of 7930) were found at 35 dpi. These declined to a mean of just 331 worms in foxes and 3213 worms in raccoon dogs by day 63 with a further decline to 134 worms in foxes and 67 worms in raccoon dogs by day 90. In dogs, there was no significant difference between worm burdens recovered at days 35 (mean of 2466) and day 90 (mean of 1563), although reduced numbers were recovered on day 63 (mean of 899). In cats, worms were found in four animals 35 dpi (mean of 642), in three at 63 dpi (mean of 28) and in two at 90 dpi (mean of 57). Faecal egg counts were determined at 3 day intervals from 25 dpi. A mathematical model of egg excretion dynamics suggested that the mean biotic potential per infected animal was high in foxes (346,473 eggs); raccoon dogs (335,361 eggs) and dogs (279,910 eggs) but very low for cats (573 eggs). It also indicated that approximately 114, 42 and 27 eggs per worm were excreted in the faeces of dogs, raccoon dogs and foxes, respectively. The fecundity of worms in cats was low with an average of less than one egg per worm. The peak levels of coproantigen were detected earlier in foxes and raccoon dogs than in dogs. Eggs recovered from foxes, raccoon dogs and dogs resulted in massive infections in experimental mice. However, metacestodes did not develop from eggs originating from infected cats. It is concluded that foxes, raccoon dogs and dogs are good hosts of E. multilocularis. In contrast, the low worm establishment, the very few excreted eggs and the lack of infectivity of eggs strongly indicate that cats play an insignificant role in parasite transmission.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Jacek Karamon:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5830-167X

j.karamon@piwet.pulawy.pl

Jacek Sroka: jacek.sroka@piwet.pulawy.pl

Joanna Dąbrowska: joanna.dabrowska@piwet.pulawy.pl

Ewa Bilska-Zając: ewa.bilska@piwet.pulawy.pl

Jolanta Zdybel: j.zdybel@piwet.pulawy.pl

Maciej Kochanowski: maciej.kochanowski@piwet.pulawy.pl

Mirosław Różycki: mrozycki@piwet.pulawy.pl

Tomasz Cencek: tcencek@piwet.pulawy.pl

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Parasit Vectors

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Parasit Vectors

Title: Parasites & Vectors

Publisher: BioMed Central (London )

ISSN (Electronic): 1756-3305

Publication date (Electronic): 24 June 2019

Publication date PMC-release: 24 June 2019

Publication date Collection: 2019

Volume: 12

Electronic Location Identifier: 313

Affiliations

GRID grid.419811.4, National Veterinary Research Institute, ; al. Partyzantów 57, 24-100 Pulawy, Poland

Author information

Jacek Karamon http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5830-167X

Article

Publisher ID: 3573

DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3573-x

PMC ID: 6591820

PubMed ID: 31234884

SO-VID: 475f6250-10b2-4bc3-88e3-01e34de3731a

License:

Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

History

Date received : 11 May 2019

Date accepted : 19 June 2019

Funding

Funded by: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Developement

Award ID: “Protection of animal

Award ID: public health”

Award Recipient : Jacek Karamon

Funded by: Ministry of Science and Higher Education

Award ID: 05-1/KNOW2/2015

Award Recipient : Jacek Karamon

Custom metadata

ScienceOpen disciplines: Parasitology

Keywords: cat,dog,echinococcus multilocularis,helminths,hookworms,mesocestoides,taenia,toxocara,poland

Data availability:

ScienceOpen disciplines: Parasitology

Keywords: cat, dog, echinococcus multilocularis, helminths, hookworms, mesocestoides, taenia, toxocara, poland

First report of Echinococcus multilocularis in cats in Poland: a monitoring study in cats and dogs from a rural area and animal shelter in a highly endemic region

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Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Related collections

Parasite

Most cited references 35

Identification of taeniid eggs in the faeces from carnivores based on multiplex PCR using targets in mitochondrial DNA.

High prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in urban red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and voles (Arvicola terrestris) in the city of Zürich, Switzerland.

Reproductive potential of Echinococcus multilocularis in experimentally infected foxes, dogs, raccoon dogs and cats.

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