Same parasite, diverging fates: distinct responses of tenrecs to Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection.

Tenrecs (Afrosoricida: Tenrecidae) are insectivorous mammals endemic to Madagascar, currently facing population declines due to habitat loss and subsistence hunting. Emerging infectious diseases, including parasitic infections, may pose additional threats. A comparable situation has been observed in Algerian hedgehogs (Atelerix algirus) in Mallorca, where the invasive nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis has been associated with severe neuropathology.

Emergence of Autochthonous Leishmania (Mundinia) martiniquensis Infections in Horses, Czech Republic and Austria, 2019-2023.

We report 4 cases of equine cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania martiniquensis in Czech Republic and Austria, outside the known endemic range of leishmaniases. The parasite should be considered as a potential cause of cutaneous lesions in horses; the risk for zoonotic transmission to immunocompromised humans is anticipated throughout central Europe.

Detection of Rat Lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) in Rats and Gastropods, Italy.

The emerging zoonotic nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis causes severe neural angiostrongyliasis in both humans and animals. The parasite has been reported in Spain. We detected A.

Prevalence of Ixodes ricinus and possible hybrids of I. ricinus and I. inopinatus on the edible dormouse in a Central European woodland.

Ixodes inopinatus Estrada-Peña, Nava et Petney, 2014 was described in 2014 from the Iberian Peninsula and later reported from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Germany, Austria and Romania. However, recent studies raised serious doubts about the presence of I. inopinatus in Central Europe and reported hybridisation between the Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus, 1758) and I.

Diversity of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in ticks removed from dogs and cats: a focus on Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.

Background: Ticks in Europe comprise over 100 species, with Ixodes, Rhipicephalus, Dermacentor, and Haemaphysalis being the most prevalent. Ixodes ricinus is the most widespread, while Dermacentor reticulatus is common in central Europe. Rhipicephalus sanguineus has expanded into temperate regions, affecting tick-host interactions and pathogen transmission.

Hedgehogs and Angiostrongylus cantonensis: Uncovering the Role of Atelerix albiventris in the Parasite Life Cycle.

The ongoing invasion of the zoonotic parasite Angiostrongylus cantonensis threatens humans, other mammals, and birds. In Mallorca, neurological disorders associated with this parasite are increasingly reported in free-living Algerian hedgehogs, Atelerix algirus, raising public health concerns. Experimental infections in the related species Atelerix albiventris were conducted to investigate the role of hedgehogs in the life cycle of the parasite.

Gastroenterology in Rodents.

Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases are frequently diagnosed in rodents. Clinical signs are usually nonspecific and include anorexia, weight loss, chronic wasting, abdominal discomfort, gas accumulation in the intestine and stomach, and diarrhea. Malabsorption associated with GI dysfunction or gastroenteritis quickly leads to negative energy balance and metabolic acidosis.

Shaping the human gut microbiota: The role of canine companionship, lifestyle choices, and sp.

External factors affecting composition of the human gut microbiota have attracted considerable attention in recent years. Among these factors, habitat sharing with other humans and companion animals, especially dogs, is considered crucial together with the presence of intestinal protists. The Czech Republic, known for one of the highest rates of dog ownership in Europe, provides an ideal setting for studying such relationships.

Passage of through the trophic web: an experimental study on reptiles.

The rat lungworm is a zoonotic metastrongyloid nematode, currently considered an emerging pathogen approaching Europe. In tropics and subtropics, it is an important food-borne neurotropic parasite of medical and veterinary importance. Sources of infection for mammals and birds include gastropod intermediate hosts and poikilothermic vertebrates (paratenic hosts).

Lizards as sentinels for the distribution of .

The rat lungworm is a zoonotic metastrongyloid nematode currently considered an emerging pathogen. Originating in Southeast Asia, this nematode has spread to tropical and subtropical parts of the world via its invasive rodent and gastropod hosts.On the island of Tenerife in the Canary archipelago, the invasion was recognized more than a decade ago.

Trichinella spp. in wolves (Canis lupus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) of southern Italy.

Trichinella spp. are cosmopolitan parasites that infect a wide range of hosts, with wildlife being the main reservoir of these zoonotic nematodes, especially red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and wolves (Canis lupus) due to their apex position in the food chain in most European countries. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of Trichinella spp.

Release of Angiostrongylus cantonensis larvae from live intermediate hosts under stress.

The metastrongyloid nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis causes eosinophilic meningitis in a variety of homeothermic hosts including humans. Third-stage infectious larvae develop in gastropods as intermediate hosts. Humans are usually infected by intentional or incidental ingestion of an infected mollusk or paratenic host (poikilothermic vertebrates and invertebrates).

Italian peninsula as a hybridization zone of Ixodes inopinatus and I. ricinus and the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in I. inopinatus, I. ricinus, and their hybrids.

Background: Ixodes inopinatus was described from Spain on the basis of morphology and partial sequencing of 16S ribosomal DNA. However, several studies suggested that morphological differences between I. inopinatus and Ixodes ricinus are minimal and that 16S rDNA lacks the power to distinguish the two species.

Rhipicephalus sanguineus from Hungarian dogs: Tick identification and detection of tick-borne pathogens.

The brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus is a complex of tick species with an unsettled species concept. In Europe, R. sanguineus is considered mainly a Mediterranean tick with sporadic findings in central and northern Europe.

First insight into strongylid nematode diversity and anthelmintic treatment effectiveness in beef cattle in the Czech Republic explored by HTS metagenomics.

Parasitic diseases and mitigation of their effects play an important role in the health management of grazing livestock worldwide, with gastrointestinal strongylid nematodes being of prominent importance. These helminths typically occur in complex communities, often composed of species from numerous strongylid genera. Detecting the full diversity of strongylid species in non-invasively collected faecal samples is nearly impossible using conventional methods.

Two novel (sub)species isolated from edible dormice (): hints of cultivation stress-induced genomic changes.

Bartonelloses are neglected emerging infectious diseases caused by facultatively intracellular bacteria transmitted between vertebrate hosts by various arthropod vectors. The highest diversity of species has been identified in rodents. Within this study we focused on the edible dormouse (), a rodent with unique life-history traits that often enters households and whose possible role in the epidemiology of infections had been previously unknown.

Anoplocephalid tapeworms in mountain gorillas () inhabiting the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.

Cestodes of the family Anoplocephalidae parasitize a wide range of usually herbivorous hosts including e.g. rodents, ungulates, primates, elephants and hyraxes.

in non-human primates: significance for public health control.

Primates are an important source of infectious disease in humans. Strongyloidiasis affects an estimated 600 million people worldwide, with a global distribution and hotspots of infection in tropical and subtropical regions. Recently added to the list of neglected tropical diseases, global attention has been demanded in the drive for its control.

Circulation of Anaplasma phagocytophilum among invasive and native carnivore species living in sympatry in Poland.

Background: Anaplasma phagocytophilum is characterized by a worldwide distribution and distinguished from other Anaplasmataceae by the broadest range of mammalian hosts and high genetic diversity. The role carnivores play in the life cycle of A. phagocytophilum in Europe is uncertain.

Genetic analysis challenges the presence of Ixodes inopinatus in Central Europe: development of a multiplex PCR to distinguish I. inopinatus from I. ricinus.

Background: Ixodes ricinus is an important vector of several pathogens, primarily in Europe. Recently, Ixodes inopinatus was described from Spain, Portugal, and North Africa and then reported from several European countries. In this study, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was developed to distinguish I.

High diversity and sharing of strongylid nematodes in humans and great apes co-habiting an unprotected area in Cameroon.

Rapid increases in human populations and environmental changes of past decades have led to changes in rates of contact and spatial overlap with wildlife. Together with other historical, social and environmental processes, this has significantly contributed to pathogen transmission in both directions, especially between humans and non-human primates, whose close phylogenetic relationship facilitates cross-infections. Using high-throughput amplicon sequencing, we studied strongylid communities in sympatric western lowland gorillas, central chimpanzees and humans co-occurring in an unprotected area in the northern periphery of the Dja Faunal Reserve, Cameroon.

Rat lungworm survives winter: experimental overwintering of larvae in European slugs.

The rat lungworm is a metastrongyloid nematode that causes neurological disorders in its accidental hosts, including humans. This invasive pathogen is native to Southeast Asia and adjacent regions and is gradually expanding its distribution to tropical and subtropical areas with new foci discovered near temperate regions. The parasite has a complex life cycle with a range of gastropods serving as intermediate hosts.

Question of agent of camel balantidiosis solved: Molecular identity, taxonomic solution and epidemiological considerations.

Domestic camels (Camelus bactrianus, the Bactrian camel; and Camelus dromedarius, the dromedary) are pseudo-ruminant herbivores kept as livestock in rural, inhospitable regions (cold deserts and dry steppes of Asia, arid to semi-arid regions of Africa, western and central Asia). Their close contact with humans makes them a potential reservoir for zoonotic parasite infections, as has been suggested for human balantidiasis. However, there is confusion about the ciliate species that infects camels: Infundibulorium cameli was originally described in dromedaries, but this name has almost never been used and most authors identified their findings as Balantioides coli and, to a lesser extent, Buxtonella sulcata, a cattle ciliate.