Zoonotic Onchocerca lupi infection in dogs, Greece and Portugal, 2011-2012

Abstract

Onchocerca lupi infection is reported primarily in symptomatic dogs. We aimed to determine the infection in dogs from areas of Greece and Portugal with reported cases. Of 107 dogs, 9 (8%) were skin snip-positive for the parasite. DNA sequences of parasites in specimens from distinct dog populations differed genetically from those in GenBank.

Keywords: Greece; Onchocerca lupi; Portugal; dogs; infection; parasites; zoonoses.

Figure 1

A) Areas (in gray) and localities (black dots) where Onchocerca lupi infections were reported and sampling sites (asterisk) from Greece (site A) and Portugal (site B). Scale bar = 500 km. B) Light microscopy image of microfilariae of O. lupi detected at the skin sediment. Scale bar = 20 µm. Original magnification ×100. Dog positive for O. lupi had conjunctival swelling and a purulent mucus discharge (C), or blindness with severe keratitis and uveitis (D).

Figure 2

Phylogeny of Onchocerca lupi and other filarial nematodes based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene sequences. Thelazia callipaeda was used as outgroup. Bootstrap confidence limits (8,000 replicates). GenBank accession numbers and number of haplotype sequences (in parenthesis) are reported along with their geographic origin. Scale bar indicates genetic differences.