1
|
Mohtasebi S, Teimouri A, Abbaszadeh Afshar MJ, Mobedi I, Abbasian H, Totonchian N, Mowlavi G. First report of Spirocerca lupi larva in dung beetles (Scarabaeus armeniacus) in the central region of Iran: A morphological and molecular identification. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2021; 77:101671. [PMID: 34049036 DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2021.101671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Dung beetles as detritivores insects, naturally use feces of vertebrates as foods and reproduction beds. This leads to frequent contacts between dung beetles and parasitic helminths. The current study was carried out to assess infections of dung beetles with larval stages of helminths in rural areas of Taleqan County, Alborz Province, Iran. A total number of 200 dung beetles were collected randomly in June 2017 from the highlands of Taleqan County. Beetles were dissected in normal saline and carefully studied using a stereomicroscope. Morphological characteristics of the recovered larvae were drawn using a camera lucida equipped microscope at 400× magnification. Then, genomic DNAs of the recovered larvae extracted and PCR amplifications of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene were carried out and the amplicons were sequenced. All collected dung beetles identified as Scarabaeus armeniacus from the Scarabaeidae family (55.5 % were male and 44.5 % female). Three females of the beetles have been found to be naturally infected with the third stage larvae of Spirocerca lupi. The average length and width of the larvae were 2.95 (2.81-3.15; CI 95 %) and 0.12 (0.1-0.15; CI 95 %) mm, respectively. The phylogenetic analysis showed that S. lupi belonged to a clade within the Spirocercidae family. In the current study, S. armeniacus introduced as a potential biological vector for transmission of S. lupi to vertebrates in the region. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report on the larval stages of S. lupi in S. armeniacus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sina Mohtasebi
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Aref Teimouri
- Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Javad Abbaszadeh Afshar
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran
| | - Iraj Mobedi
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamed Abbasian
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Gholamreza Mowlavi
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Insights on Spirocerca lupi, the Carcinogenic Dog Nematode. Trends Parasitol 2019; 36:52-63. [PMID: 31734099 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2019.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Spirocerca lupi is a nematode transmitted by dung beetles that infects domestic and wild canids in tropical and subtropical regions and is associated with neoplasia. It produces a distinctive pathology with the formation of esophageal nodules classified as inflammatory, preneoplastic, or neoplastic with metastasis to distant organs. Aberrant central nervous system migration of this nematode is also responsible for severe neurological manifestations. Reports of spirocercosis have increased over the last two decades showing spread of this canine helminth in five continents. S. lupi from different geographical locations is genetically distinct with two genotypes, genotype I from Africa, Asia, and Australia, and genotype II from Europe, and recently separated from Spirocerca vulpis, a new species described in red foxes from Europe.
Collapse
|
3
|
Rojas A, Dvir E, Farkas R, Sarma K, Borthakur S, Jabbar A, Markovics A, Otranto D, Baneth G. Phylogenetic analysis of Spirocerca lupi and Spirocerca vulpis reveal high genetic diversity and intra-individual variation. Parasit Vectors 2018; 11:639. [PMID: 30547850 PMCID: PMC6295112 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-3202-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Spirocerca lupi is a parasitic nematode of canids that can lead to a severe and potentially fatal disease. Recently, a new species, Spirocerca vulpis, was described from red foxes in Europe, suggesting a high genetic diversity of the Spirocerca spp. infecting canids. The genetic variation and phylogenetic relationships of S. lupi collected from naturally-infected domestic dogs from Australia, Hungary, Israel, Italy, India and South Africa, and S. vulpis from red foxes from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy and Spain, was studied using mitochondrial and rDNA markers. Results A high intra-individual variation was found in the first internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) locus in all Spirocerca spp., ranging between 0.37–2.84%, with up to six haplotypes per specimen. In addition, a combination of phylogenetic and haplotype analyses revealed a large variability between S. lupi specimens collected from different geographical locations using the ITS1 (0.37–9.33%) and the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene (1.42–6.74%). This genetic diversity led to the identification of two S. lupi genotypes circulating among dogs (PTP support > 0.829), including genotype 1 found in S. lupi from Australia, India, Israel and South Africa, and genotype 2 represented by specimens from Hungary and Italy. These genotypes presented pairwise nucleotide distances of 0.14%, 8.06% and 6.48 ± 0.28% in the small rDNA subunit (18S), ITS1 and cox1 loci, respectively. Additionally, Nei’s genetic distance in the ITS1 showed a further subdivision of genotype 1 worms into 1A (Israel and South Africa) and 1B (Australia and India). A morphological analysis of the anterior and posterior extremities of genotype 1 and genotype 2 worms using scanning electron microscopy did not show any differences between the specimens, contrary to the morphological differences between S. lupi and S. vulpis. Conclusions These findings demonstrate the high genetic variability among Spirocerca spp. from different geographical locations, thereby expanding our understanding of the epidemiology, evolution and phylogenetic variability within the genus. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-3202-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alicia Rojas
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Eran Dvir
- Department of Animal Sciences, Tel-Hai Academic College, Upper Galilee, Israel
| | - Róbert Farkas
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Kalyan Sarma
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Central Agricultural University, Mizoram, India
| | - Sonjoy Borthakur
- Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Central Agricultural University, Mizoram, India
| | - Abdul Jabbar
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Domenico Otranto
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Italy
| | - Gad Baneth
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Greeff JM, Reid K, Gagjee JR, Clift SJ, de Waal PJ. Population genetic structure of the parasitic nematode Spirocerca lupi in South Africa. Vet Parasitol 2018; 258:64-69. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2018.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Revised: 06/05/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
|
5
|
Morphological and molecular identification of Spirocerca lupi (Nematoda: Spiruridae) found in the Andean fox ( Lycalopex culpaeus). J Parasit Dis 2018; 42:449-454. [PMID: 30166794 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-018-1009-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 10/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Lesions compatible with spirocercosis were found in the esophagus and aorta of an Andean fox from Cuzco, Peru. The esophageal and aortic lesions were 5.5 and 1.5 cm in diameter, respectively. A total of 12 adult nematodes (6 males and 6 females) were collected from the esophageal lesion, and all were identified as Spirocerca lupi by morphological and molecular methods. Molecular characterization was performed by analyzing two sources of the cox1 gene, and the sequences were compared with previous S. lupi sequences from other work deposited in GenBank. Analysis of the partial cox1 gene from S. lupi (n = 3) showed 2 haplotypes and had 95-99% nucleotide similarity to previously described sequences. Also, molecular analysis showed that S. lupi is a very diverse group, due to the genetic variability of the partial sequences of the cox1 gene of Spirocerca. This study is the first to report finding of spirocercosis in the Andean fox.
Collapse
|
6
|
Rothmann W, de Waal PJ. Diversity of Spirocerca lupi in domestic dogs and black-backed jackals ( Canis mesomelas ) from South Africa. Vet Parasitol 2017; 244:59-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2017.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Revised: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 07/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
7
|
Bumby MM, Williams MC, Steyl JCA, Harrison-White R, Lutermann H, Fosgate GT, de Waal PJ, Mitha J, Clift SJ. Genotyping and comparative pathology of Spirocerca in black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) in South Africa. BMC Vet Res 2017; 13:245. [PMID: 28814297 PMCID: PMC5559831 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-017-1175-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2016] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The pathology of spirocercosis, a disease caused by the infestation of carnivores with the nematode Spirocerca lupi, has been extensively described in domestic dogs and coyotes. However, it has not been described in wild carnivores in South Africa. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether black-backed jackals are a host for Spirocerca species and to provide a detailed description of the associated pathology. Jackals were also stratified according to age and the Spirocerca species recovered were characterized using molecular techniques. Methods Standard necropsies were performed on routinely culled jackals from three of the nine provinces of South Africa during the period June 2012 to February 2013. Jackals were screened for the presence of pathognomonic Spirocerca-induced lesions and for evidence of aberrant migration. Relevant samples were submitted for histopathology and collected larvae were genotyped at nine microsatellite loci. Results Spirocerca lupi-associated aortic lesions were found in 16 of 93 (17%) black-backed jackals. Of these, four (25%) were associated with S. lupi larvae. Genotyping of the larvae revealed amplification of all nine loci that amplified dog-derived S. lupi, with the same level of polymorphism in the allele size ranges. Only 1 of 93 jackals had an esophageal nodule with concurrent S. lupi-induced aortic aneurysms. The single esophageal nodule found did not contain adult nematodes, nor did it communicate with the esophageal lumen. None of the jackals that were examined had macroscopically evident spondylitis, which is frequently reported in the dog. Histopathology of the S. lupi-induced aortic lesions in the jackal revealed replacement of elastic and smooth muscle fibers by fibrous connective tissue. In cases where inflammation was present, the inflammatory infiltrate consisted predominantly of eosinophils. The single esophageal nodule histologically resembled the early inflammatory nodule described in dogs and consisted of fibrous connective tissue, multifocal accumulation of lymphocytes, plasma cells and rare hemosiderin-laden macrophages. Conclusions These lesions suggest that the life cycle of S. lupi may not or only rarely be completed in jackals. A possible explanation might be that jackals are relatively resistant to developing significant pathology associated with S. lupi-infection. However, before any conclusions can be drawn, many more jackals, including those that die naturally will have to be investigated for evidence of S. lupi infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M M Bumby
- Section Pathology, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private bag X04, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa.
| | - M C Williams
- Section Pathology, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private bag X04, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa
| | - J C A Steyl
- Section Pathology, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private bag X04, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa
| | - R Harrison-White
- Wildlife Damage- Research and Management, North West Parks and Tourism Board, Madikwe and SA Lombard Nature Reserves, North West province, South Africa, P.O. Box 783540, Sandton, Johannesburg, 2146, South Africa
| | - H Lutermann
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - G T Fosgate
- Department of Production Animal Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private bag X04, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa
| | - P J de Waal
- Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - J Mitha
- Department of Genetics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - S J Clift
- Section Pathology, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private bag X04, Onderstepoort, 0110, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Reid K, Mitha JR, Greeff JM, de Waal PJ. Molecular genomics resource for the parasitic nematode Spirocerca lupi: Identification of 149 microsatellite loci using FIASCO and next generation sequencing. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2015; 203:1-4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2015.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2015] [Revised: 09/19/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
9
|
Al-Sabi MNS, Hansen MS, Chriél M, Holm E, Larsen G, Enemark HL. Genetically distinct isolates of Spirocerca sp. from a naturally infected red fox (Vulpes vulpes) from Denmark. Vet Parasitol 2014; 205:389-96. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2014.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2014] [Revised: 06/30/2014] [Accepted: 07/01/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
|