Survey of Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp. in hedgehogs living in proximity to urban areas in the Czech Republic
Language English Country Germany Media print-electronic
Document type Journal Article
PubMed
30627808
DOI
10.1007/s00436-018-06203-8
PII: 10.1007/s00436-018-06203-8
Knihovny.cz E-resources
- Keywords
- Erinaceus europaeus, Erinaceus roumanicus, Sentinel animal, Wild mammals, Zoonosis,
- MeSH
- Animals, Wild parasitology MeSH
- Hedgehogs parasitology MeSH
- Larva genetics MeSH
- Polymerase Chain Reaction MeSH
- DNA, Protozoan genetics MeSH
- Toxoplasma genetics isolation & purification MeSH
- Toxoplasmosis, Animal epidemiology parasitology MeSH
- Trichinella classification genetics isolation & purification MeSH
- Trichinellosis epidemiology parasitology veterinary MeSH
- Zoonoses MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Czech Republic MeSH
- Europe epidemiology MeSH
- Names of Substances
- DNA, Protozoan MeSH
Hedgehogs (Mammalia: Erinaceidae) are omnivorous nocturnal animals typically living in anthropogenic areas. They may be suitable as sentinels for a wide range of zoonotic infections. Only a few studies have investigated hedgehogs (and then as representative wildlife species) to establish their role in the life cycle of such tissue parasites with zoonotic potential as Toxoplasma gondii or Trichinella spp. Working with frozen hedgehog cadavers, we tested for these parasites using T. gondii DNA-specific magnetic capture isolation plus polymerase chain reaction and Trichinella spp. digestion assay. All of 50 examined hedgehogs were negative for Trichinella spp. larvae in their muscles, but brain tissue from 5 out of 26 Erinaceus europaeus (19.2%) and 4 out of 24 E. roumanicus (16.6%) tested positive for T. gondii DNA. Frequency of T. gondii for both hedgehog species was equal, as was distribution between males and females and across age categories. Although a few studies have suggested the possibility of Trichinella spp. infection in hedgehogs, the zero prevalence in the tested hedgehogs is not surprising in view of the generally low prevalence of Trichinella spp. in Central Europe. Our results show that hedgehogs are susceptible to infection by T. gondii and can be used as indicator wildlife animal species in anthropogenic ecosystems.
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