Report of Trichinella spiralis in a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Northern Ireland

No systematic studies of the occurrence of Trichinella in wildlife have been carried out in Northern Ireland (NI) in recent years, and the last reports of trichinellosis in livestock and human outbreaks in NI date back to 1979 and 1945, respectively. In this study, covering the period 2003/2004 and...

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Published inVeterinary parasitology Vol. 159; no. 3-4; pp. 300 - 303
Main Authors Zimmer, I.A., Fee, S.A., Spratt-Davison, S., Hunter, S.J., Boughtflower, V.D., Morgan, C.P., Hunt, K.R., Smith, G.C., Abernethy, D., Howell, M., Taylor, M.A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Netherlands Elsevier B.V 23.02.2009
Amsterdam; New York: Elsevier
Subjects
animal parasitic nematodes
Animals
disease incidence
disease outbreaks
disease surveillance
Foxes
life cycle (organisms)
nematode larvae
Northern Ireland (NI)
Northern Ireland - epidemiology
skeletal muscle
Trichinella
Trichinella spiralis
Trichinella spiralis - isolation & purification
Trichinellosis - epidemiology
Trichinellosis - parasitology
Trichinellosis - veterinary
trichinosis
Vulpes vulpes
wildlife
wildlife diseases
Northern Ireland
Trichinella
Foxes
Northern Ireland (NI)
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Summary:No systematic studies of the occurrence of Trichinella in wildlife have been carried out in Northern Ireland (NI) in recent years, and the last reports of trichinellosis in livestock and human outbreaks in NI date back to 1979 and 1945, respectively. In this study, covering the period 2003/2004 and 2007/2008, a total of 443 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were collected throughout the country and screened for trichinellosis using a modified muscle digest method. One examined animal was found to be infected with larvae from Trichinella spiralis, indicating a national prevalence in NI of Trichinella in foxes of 0.2%. This prevalence compares well to the findings reported from the bordering Republic of Ireland [Rafter, P., Marucci, G., Brangan, P., Pozio, E., 2005. Rediscovery of Trichinella spiralis in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Ireland after 30 years of oblivion. J. Infect. 50, 61–65] and could be a further indication for a sylvatic Trichinella life cycle existing independently from the domestic cycle.
Bibliography:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.10.066
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0304-4017
1873-2550
DOI:10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.10.066