Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 May 24:15:195-198.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.05.002. eCollection 2021 Aug.

First report of Trichinella pseudospiralis in a wolf (Canis lupus italicus)

Luciano Ricchiuti  1 , Antonio Petrini  1 , Maria Interisano  2 , Addolorato Ruberto  1 , Stefania Salucci  1 , Lucio Marino  1 , Angela Del Riccio  1 , Antonio Cocco  1 , Pietro Badagliacca  1 , Edoardo Pozio  2
Affiliations

First report of Trichinella pseudospiralis in a wolf (Canis lupus italicus)

Luciano Ricchiuti et al. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl. .

Abstract

Within the genus Trichinella, Trichinella pseudospiralis is the only recognized non-encapsulated species known to infect mammals and birds. In October 2020, larvae recovered from muscle tissues of a wolf (Canis lupus italicus) originating from Molise Region, Central Italy, were molecularly confirmed as those of Trichinella britovi and T. pseudospiralis. This is the first detection of T. pseudospiralis from a wolf. In Italy, this zoonotic nematode was detected in a red fox (Vulpes vulpes), three birds (Strix aluco, Athene noctua, Milvus milvus) and five wild boars (Sus scrofa), and was also identified as the etiological agent of a human outbreak of trichinellosis in 2015. Since T. pseudospiralis is rarely reported from carnivore mammals in comparison to the encapsulated species frequently detected in these hosts, this finding opens the question of the role of carnivores as reservoirs for this parasite.

Keywords: Diagnosis; Epidemiology; Italy; Trichinella britovi; Trichinella pseudospiralis; Wolf.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Map of Italy with Trichinella pseudospiralis records. Black circle, T. pseudospiralis in hunted wild boar; open circle, T. pseudospiralis in farmed wild boar; striped circle, T. pseudospiralis human outbreak caused by wild boar meat; black triangle, T. pseudospiralis in hunted red fox; black square, T. pseudospiralis and Trichinella britovi in a wolf; black star, T. pseudospiralis in night bird of prey; open star, T. pseudospiralis in a red kite. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Airas N., Saari S., Mikkonen T., Virtala A.M., Pellikka J., Oksanen A., Isomursu M., Kilpelä S.S., Lim C.W., Sukura A. Sylvatic Trichinella spp. infection in Finland. J. Parasitol. 2010;96:67–76. - PubMed
    1. Badagliacca P., Di Sabatino D., Salucci S., Romeo G., Cipriani M., Sulli N., Dall'Acqua F., Ruggieri M., Calistri P., Morelli D. The role of the wolf in endemic sylvatic Trichinella britovi infection in the Abruzzi region of Central Italy. Vet. Parasitol. 2016;231:124–127. - PubMed
    1. Beck R., Beck A., Kusak J., Mihaljević Z., Lucinger S., Zivicnjak T., Huber D., Gudan A., Marinculić A. Trichinellosis in wolves from Croatia. Vet. Parasitol. 2009;159:308–311. - PubMed
    1. Bień J., Moskwa B., Goździk K., Cybulska A., Kornacka A., Welc M., Popiołek M., Cabaj W. The occurrence of nematodes of the genus Trichinella in wolves (Canis lupus) from the Bieszczady Mountains and Augustowska Forest in Poland. Vet. Parasitol. 2016;231:115–117. - PubMed
    1. Carbyn L.N., Fritts S.H., Seip D.R. Canadian Circumpolar Institute; Edmonton, Alberta: 1995. Ecology and Conservation of Wolves in a Changing World.

LinkOut - more resources