Molecular Survey of Toxoplasma gondii in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy
Systematic wildlife surveillance is important to aid the prevention of zoonotic infections that jeopardize human health and undermine biodiversity. Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic zoonotic protozoan that can infect all endothermic vertebrates, causing severe disease in immunocompromised humans...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2076-0817/12/3/471/ 2023-08-20T04:05:48+02:00 Molecular Survey of Toxoplasma gondii in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy Hiba Dakroub Giovanni Sgroi Nicola D’Alessio Danilo Russo Francesco Serra Vincenzo Veneziano Simona Rea Alessia Pucciarelli Maria Gabriella Lucibelli Esterina De Carlo Giovanna Fusco Maria Grazia Amoroso agris 2023-03-16 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12030471 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Parasitic Pathogens https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12030471 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Pathogens; Volume 12; Issue 3; Pages: 471 parasite prevalence apicomplexan Canis lupus Meles meles Capreolus capreolus Sus scrofa Vulpes vulpes zoonosis Text 2023 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12030471 2023-08-01T09:18:37Z Systematic wildlife surveillance is important to aid the prevention of zoonotic infections that jeopardize human health and undermine biodiversity. Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic zoonotic protozoan that can infect all endothermic vertebrates, causing severe disease in immunocompromised humans and cases of congenital transmission. Humans can be infected by ingestion of raw meat containing bradyzoites or water contaminated by oocysts. In our study, we assessed the potential circulation of Toxoplasma gondii in wild mammals by performing surveillance in the Campania region (southern Italy) and surveyed its presence from 2020 to 2022 within the framework of the Regional Plans for Wildlife Surveillance. In detail, 211 individuals belonging to five wild mammals (wolf, fox, wild boar, badger, and roe deer) underwent necropsy and the organs were analyzed by real-time PCR for the detection of the parasite. Toxoplasma gondii was found in 21.8% (46/211) of the subjects examined. No statistically significant differences were noticed between the prevalence and the host’s trophic level or age, rejecting the hypotheses that Toxoplasma gondii will have a higher prevalence in top predators and adult individuals, respectively. Our work emphasized the high circulation of Toxoplasma gondii in wildlife and remarked on the critical role of anthropized areas where domestic cats and wildlife may come into contact, urging a systematic surveillance. Text Canis lupus MDPI Open Access Publishing Pathogens 12 3 471 |
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MDPI Open Access Publishing |
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ftmdpi |
language |
English |
topic |
parasite prevalence apicomplexan Canis lupus Meles meles Capreolus capreolus Sus scrofa Vulpes vulpes zoonosis |
spellingShingle |
parasite prevalence apicomplexan Canis lupus Meles meles Capreolus capreolus Sus scrofa Vulpes vulpes zoonosis Hiba Dakroub Giovanni Sgroi Nicola D’Alessio Danilo Russo Francesco Serra Vincenzo Veneziano Simona Rea Alessia Pucciarelli Maria Gabriella Lucibelli Esterina De Carlo Giovanna Fusco Maria Grazia Amoroso Molecular Survey of Toxoplasma gondii in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy |
topic_facet |
parasite prevalence apicomplexan Canis lupus Meles meles Capreolus capreolus Sus scrofa Vulpes vulpes zoonosis |
description |
Systematic wildlife surveillance is important to aid the prevention of zoonotic infections that jeopardize human health and undermine biodiversity. Toxoplasma gondii is an opportunistic zoonotic protozoan that can infect all endothermic vertebrates, causing severe disease in immunocompromised humans and cases of congenital transmission. Humans can be infected by ingestion of raw meat containing bradyzoites or water contaminated by oocysts. In our study, we assessed the potential circulation of Toxoplasma gondii in wild mammals by performing surveillance in the Campania region (southern Italy) and surveyed its presence from 2020 to 2022 within the framework of the Regional Plans for Wildlife Surveillance. In detail, 211 individuals belonging to five wild mammals (wolf, fox, wild boar, badger, and roe deer) underwent necropsy and the organs were analyzed by real-time PCR for the detection of the parasite. Toxoplasma gondii was found in 21.8% (46/211) of the subjects examined. No statistically significant differences were noticed between the prevalence and the host’s trophic level or age, rejecting the hypotheses that Toxoplasma gondii will have a higher prevalence in top predators and adult individuals, respectively. Our work emphasized the high circulation of Toxoplasma gondii in wildlife and remarked on the critical role of anthropized areas where domestic cats and wildlife may come into contact, urging a systematic surveillance. |
format |
Text |
author |
Hiba Dakroub Giovanni Sgroi Nicola D’Alessio Danilo Russo Francesco Serra Vincenzo Veneziano Simona Rea Alessia Pucciarelli Maria Gabriella Lucibelli Esterina De Carlo Giovanna Fusco Maria Grazia Amoroso |
author_facet |
Hiba Dakroub Giovanni Sgroi Nicola D’Alessio Danilo Russo Francesco Serra Vincenzo Veneziano Simona Rea Alessia Pucciarelli Maria Gabriella Lucibelli Esterina De Carlo Giovanna Fusco Maria Grazia Amoroso |
author_sort |
Hiba Dakroub |
title |
Molecular Survey of Toxoplasma gondii in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy |
title_short |
Molecular Survey of Toxoplasma gondii in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy |
title_full |
Molecular Survey of Toxoplasma gondii in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy |
title_fullStr |
Molecular Survey of Toxoplasma gondii in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy |
title_full_unstemmed |
Molecular Survey of Toxoplasma gondii in Wild Mammals of Southern Italy |
title_sort |
molecular survey of toxoplasma gondii in wild mammals of southern italy |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12030471 |
op_coverage |
agris |
genre |
Canis lupus |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus |
op_source |
Pathogens; Volume 12; Issue 3; Pages: 471 |
op_relation |
Parasitic Pathogens https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12030471 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12030471 |
container_title |
Pathogens |
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12 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
471 |
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1774716536875909120 |