Foodborne parasites from wildlife: how wild are they?

The extent of the illegal trade with terrestrial vertebrates in markets and households in Khammouane Province, Lao PDR

Wildlife is one of the most important food resources in rural areas and popular among all social layers of Lao PDR. Numerous vertebrate species are sold at the local markets, but a comprehensive understanding of people’s involvement and their impact on survival of local populations remains insufficient. This study provides the first interdisciplinary assessment using a questionnaire-based survey approach to investigate both markets and households in Khammouane Province in central Lao PDR. Data were recorded during the dry season (October and November 2017), as well as the rainy season (June and July 2018). We documented 66 traded species, mainly intended for consumption purposes, with more than half of them protected under either national law or international convention/red list. Furthermore, an evaluation of wildlife use from urban to the most accessible rural areas, indicated differences in affordability and trapping behavior. Our results suggest that wildlife availabilities can less and less satisfy the unchanged demands.

Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella infections in wild boars (Sus scrofa) from Northeastern Patagonia, Argentina

Wild boar (Sus scrofa) was introduced in many countries of the world and is recognized as carrier of many infectious diseases. Wild game meat consumption is recognized as a source of transmission of Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of antibodies to T. gondii and Trichinella spp. in free-range wild boars in Northeastern Argentine Patagonia. Between 2014 and 2018, 144 blood samples and 423 muscle samples from 423 carcasses were collected. To detect T. gondii IgG, 144 sera were processed by an immunofluorescent antibody test, and to detect anti-Trichinella IgG, 125 sera and 304 muscle juice samples were processed by ELISA. Detection of first stage larvae in muscle was performed by artificial digestion. A total of 423 wild boars muscle samples were negative to Trichinella spp. by artificial digestion. Antibodies to Trichinella spp. were detected in 2.4% (3/125) of serum samples and in 1.64% (5/304) of meat juice samples. Antibodies to T. gondii infection were detected in 12.5% (18/144) of the serum samples. This is the first study to reveal the presence of antibodies to T. gondii in wild boars from Argentina. The present results suggest that consumption of raw or undercooked wild boar meat could represent a potential source risk for toxoplasmosis in humans and that Trichinella spp. is infrequent and/or that it circulates in low burdens among wild boars in Northeastern Patagonia.

Multilocus genotypes and broad host-range of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in captive wildlife at zoological gardens in China

Background

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a common opportunistic pathogen that is widely detected in humans, domestic animals and wildlife, and poses a challenge to public health. The present study was performed to evaluate the prevalence, genotypic diversity and zoonotic potential of E. bieneusi among wildlife at Chengdu and Bifengxia zoological gardens in Sichuan Province, China.

Results

Of the 272 fresh fecal samples harvested from 70 captive wildlife species at Chengdu Zoo (n = 198) and Bifengxia Zoo (n = 74), 21 (10.6 %) and 22 (29.7 %) tested positive for E. bieneusi by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing analysis, respectively. Specifically, genotypes D, Peru 6, CHB1, BEB6, CHS9, SC02 and SC03, and genotypes D, CHB1, SC01 and SC02 were detected in the Chengdu and Bifengxia Zoo samples, respectively. Five known genotypes (D, Peru 6, BEB6, CHS9 and CHB1) and three novel genotypes (SC01, SC02 and SC03) were clustered into the zoonotic group (group 1) and host-adapted group (group 2). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis targeting three microsatellites (MS1, MS3 and MS7) and one minisatellite (MS4) were successfully sequenced for 37, 33, 35 and 37 specimens, generating 8, 3, 11 and 15 distinct locus types, respectively. Altogether, we identified 27 multilocus genotypes (MLGs) among the E. bieneusi isolates by MLST. These data highlight the high genetic diversity of E. bieneusi among zoo wildlife.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first report on the prevalence and genotypic diversity of E. bieneusi infections among captive wildlife in zoos in southwest China. Notably, we identified three novel E. bieneusi genotypes, as well as six new mammalian hosts (Asian golden cats, Tibetian blue bears, blackbucks, hog deer, Malayan sun bears and brown bears) for this organism. Moreover, the occurrence of zoonotic genotypes suggests that wildlife may act as reservoirs of E. bieneusi that can serve as a source of human microsporidiosis. The findings presented here should contribute to the control of zoonotic disease in China.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-016-1668-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.