The role of wild canids and felids in spreading parasites to dogs and cats in Europe. Part II: Helminths and arthropods

Abstract

Over the last few decades, ecological factors, combined with everchanging landscapes mainly linked to human activities (e.g. encroachment and tourism) have contributed to modifications in the transmission of parasitic diseases from domestic to wildlife carnivores and vice versa. In the first of this two-part review article, we have provided an account of diseases caused by protozoan parasites characterised by a two-way transmission route between domestic and wild carnivore species. In this second and final part, we focus our attention on parasitic diseases caused by helminth and arthropod parasites shared between domestic and wild canids and felids in Europe. While a complete understanding of the biology, ecology and epidemiology of these parasites is particularly challenging to achieve, especially given the complexity of the environments in which these diseases perpetuate, advancements in current knowledge of transmission routes is crucial to provide policy-makers with clear indications on strategies to reduce the impact of these diseases on changing ecosystems.

Keywords: Aelurostrongylus abstrusus; Angiostrongylus vasorum; Arthropods; Dirofilaria; Echinococcus multilocularis; Europe; Helminths; Onchocerca lupi; Thelazia callipaeda; Toxocara canis; Troglostrongylus brevior; Wild canids; Wild felids; Wildlife; Zoonoses.