Trichinella nematodų molekulinė identifikacija laukinių plėšrūnų mėginiuose /

• Main Author: Maziliauskaitė, Evelina
• Format: Bachelor Thesis
• Language: Lithuanian; English
• Published: Institutional Repository of Vilnius University 2022
• Subjects: Canis lupus; Nematode worms
• Online Access: https://repository.vu.lt/VU:ELABAETD192980004&prefLang=en_US

Nematode worms of the genus Trichinella are zoonotic, cosmopolitan pathogens that can be transmitted by consumption of undercooked or raw meat of infected animals. Trichinella spp. has peculiar life cycle which, unlike that of other nematodes, is completed within the body of single host. Due to Trichinella circulation between different host species, the sylvatic and domestic cycles are distinguished from one other. The aim of this study was to identify the Trichinella species and their prevalence in the samples of wild predator animals. The active method of artificial digestion and the compressorium microscopy technique has been used to study the prevalence and intensity of Trichinella infection in tested samples. Molecular identification of species has been performed using multiple individual Trichinella larvae specimens from each host. Trichinella larvae were identified using multiplex PCR as described by Pozio, La Rosa, 2003. The analysis of the present study was carried out in 2020–2022 at the Laboratory of Molecular Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania. Fifty-eight predatory mammals were collected from different locations in Lithuania, and 28.30 % (15/53) prevalence of Trichinella spp. infections was detected in mammals by the active method of artificial digestion. Whereas 60.00 % (3/5) prevalence of Trichinella spp. infections was determined in animals by the compressorium technique. The infection prevalence was 2.72 times higher in canids than in mustelids. Trichinella larvae were isolated from 18 animals. The larval burden appeared 8.12 times higher in grey wolves (Canis lupus) than in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Based on PCR targeting ES5 and ITS1 regions, T. britovi and T. nativa were identified. To sum up, T. britovi was the most common species (98.69 %) in wild predator samples, while only two larvae were identified as T. nativa (1.31 %).