Molecular detection of zoonotic filarioids in Culex spp. from Portugal.

To investigate the role of dipterans in the transmission of Onchocerca lupi and other zoonotic filarioids, samples were collected from different sites in Algarve, southern Portugal, morphologically identified and molecularly tested for filarioids. Culex sp. (72.8%) represented the predominant genus followed by Culicoides sp. (11.8%), Ochlerotatus sp. (9.7%), Culiseta sp. (4.5%), Aedes sp. (0.9%) and Anopheles sp. (0.3%). Nineteen (2.8%) specimens scored positive for filarioids, with Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus (2%) positive for Dirofilaria immitis (1.4%), Dirofilaria repens, Acanthocheilonema reconditum, Onchocerca lupi, unidentified species of Filarioidea (0.2%, each) and Onchocercidae (0.6%). Additionally, Culiseta longiareolata (6.5%), Ochlerotatus caspius (3%) and Culex laticinctus (0.2%) scored positive for unidentified Onchocercidae, A. reconditum and for O. lupi, respectively. This is the first report of the occurrence of DNA of O. lupi, D. repens and A. reconditum in Culex spp. in Portugal. Information regarding the vectors and the pathogens they transmit may help to adopt proper prophylactic and control measures.

Marked host association and molecular evidence of limited transmission of ticks and fleas between sympatric wild foxes and rural dogs.

Wild and domestic carnivores share ectoparasites, although molecular evidence is lacking. The goals of this study were to describe tick and flea infestation in sympatric free-ranging dogs Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758) (Carnivora: Canidae) and Andean foxes Lycalopex culpaeus (Molina, 1782) (Carnivora: Canidae) and to determine whether interspecific transmission occurs. Fleas and ticks retrieved from 79 foxes and 111 dogs in the human-dominated landscapes of central Chile were identified and a subset of specimens characterized by PCR and amplicon sequencing. Each ectoparasite species was clearly associated with a host: abundance and occurrence of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille 1806) (Acari: Ixodidae) and Ctenocephalides spp. (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) were significantly higher in dogs than in foxes, whereas the opposite was true for Amblyomma tigrinum (Koch, 1844) (Acari: Ixodidae) and Pulex irritans (Linnaeus, 1758) (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae). Genetic analyses of a subset of ectoparasites revealed that dogs and foxes shared a limited number of nucleotide sequence types, suggesting that the interspecific transmission of these ectoparasites happens infrequently. Data also indicated that the ecological association and biological cycles of ticks and fleas determine the ectoparasite fauna of sympatric carnivores. In conclusion, our study shows that cross-species transmission should be assessed at a molecular level.

Evidences of increasing risk of dirofilarioses in southern Italy.

Given the spread of Aedes albopictus from northern to southern Italy, and the lack of updated data on Dirofilaria infections, this study was carried out to assess the infection risk for dogs and cats in Apulia region. During a 2-year study, 175 A. albopictus female specimens and samples of blood from 427 dogs (309 privately owned dogs and 118 shelter dogs) and 12 cats were collected. All blood samples were subjected to a modified Knott method, to a test for the detection of circulating Dirofilaria immitis antigen, and to a Dirofilaria species-specific real-time PCR for the simultaneous detection of D. immitis and Dirofilaria repens, targeting on partial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 and internal transcribed spacer-2, respectively. Two abdomen and one thorax pools from A. albopictus were positive for D. immitis, with minimum infection rates of 1.14 and 0.51, respectively, and a probability of a single positive specimen to be infected of P = 0.6 % (95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.12-1.73). Out of 439 examined subjects, 22 (5.0 %) tested positive for Dirofilaria spp. in at least one diagnostic test. A specific D. immitis infestation rate of 3.5 % was found among the privately owned dogs, while shelter dogs tested positive only for D. repens with a prevalence of 3.4 %; one cat tested molecularly positive for D. immitis. There was a significantly higher rate of positivity among guard dogs for D. immitis (odds ratio, 6.24, 95 % CI, 1.26-25.28; P < 0.05). The increasing risk of D. immitis infection in southern Italy is supported by the noteworthy positivity of A. albopictus populations and the cat. Our data highlight the usefulness to include filarioid infestation in routine diagnosis.

Physiological and molecular characterization of atypical lipid-dependent Malassezia yeasts from a dog with skin lesions: adaptation to a new host?

Three lipid-dependent Malassezia isolates (here named 114A, 114B and 114C) recovered from a dog with skin lesions were phenotypically and genotypically characterized. All presented ovoid cells and buds formed on a narrow base. Most of the results from physiological tests were consistent with those of Malassezia furfur. The phylogenetic analysis of ITS-1 and LSU nucleotide sequences was concordant in placing all three clinical Malassezia isolates close to M. furfur. However, the phylogenetic data on the chs-2 sequence revealed that clinical isolate 114A is distinct from M. furfur and was closely affiliated to the sequence of M. pachydermatis with high nodal support. In particular, lipid-dependent isolates 114A displayed chs-2 sequences similar (100%) to that of the non-lipid dependent species Malassezia pachydermatis. The presence of the genetic and physiological polymorphisms detected in these three isolates of M. furfur could have resulted from a process of adaptation of this anthropophilic species to a new host.

Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Ixodida, Ixodidae) as intermediate host of a canine neglected filarial species with dermal microfilariae.

The life cycles of filarioids of dogs presenting dermal microfilariae have been little studied. Following the recent retrieval of dermal microfilariae identified as Cercopithifilaria sp. in a dog from Sicily (Italy), this study was designed to assess the role of the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus as an intermediate host of this filarial species. An experimental tick infestation was performed on an infected dog using 300 nymphs of R. sanguineus. Engorged nymphs were collected and examined by both microscopic dissection and molecular analysis at five time points (i.e., the same day of tick detachment and 10, 20, 30 and 50 days post-detachment) to detect the presence and developmental stage of filariae in the ticks. A total of 270 engorged nymphs were collected from the dog and developing filarioid larvae detected in 10 (5%) out of 200 ticks dissected. Infective third-stage larvae were observed in 4 (2%) of the all dissected ticks, 30 days post-detachment. Twelve (6.6%) out of 181 samples molecularly tested were positive for Cercopithifilaria sp. This study demonstrates that nymphs of R. sanguineus feeding on a dog naturally infected by Cercopithifilaria sp. can ingest microfilariae, which develop up to the third infective stage thus suggesting that this tick species might act as an intermediate host of this little known canine filarioid.