The Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is an expanding species in Europe in recent decades due to reintroductions and natural population growth. Beavers expanded rapidly in the second half of the 20th century, and their expansion was particularly rapid in the Danube basin. Nowadays, the majority of the continuous population located in the central and eastern parts of the continent and a large disjunct population in Norway and Sweden. Despite the increasing population size, the role of the beaver as a source of waterborne pathogens is not firmly established or is often inferred from circumstantial data. In order to extend knowledge about the composition of the parasite fauna of beavers occurring in Slovakia, 21 faecal samples taken near their burrows from three sites (located in the Topľa, Poprad and Danube river basin) were examined microscopically and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR-positive specimens were further examined by DNA sequencing. Parasites were detected in 21% of the examined beavers, specifically the protozoa Cryptosporidium spp. (n = 2), Blastocystis sp. (n = 1), and microsporidia Enterocytozoon bieneusi (n = 1) and Encephalitozoon spp. (n = 1). Using the sequence analysis, two variants of Cryptosporidium proliferans, a new subtype of Blastocystis sp., genotype D of E. bieneusi and Encephalitozoon intestinalis were identified. A putatively novel Blastocystis subtype (ST), originated from a site near the Danube river (southwestern Slovakia), was proposed based on high genetic divergence from the closest described subtype ST12 (11.9%) and unique phylogenetic position in a clade composed of ST's 35-38. The increased risk of zoonotic transmission or transmission to other animals was particularly evident in the site near the Topľa river (northeastern Slovakia), where fungal spores of zoonotic genotype D of E. bieneusi and E. intestinalis, together with oocysts of the potentially zoonotic C. proliferans, were found.

• Klíčová slova
• Gastrointestinal parasites, Molecular analysis, Protected animals, Protozoan, Rodents, Zoonoses,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Microsporidia are pathogenic organism related to fungi. They cause infections in a wide variety of mammals as well as in avian, amphibian, and reptilian hosts. Many microsporidia species play an important role in the development of serious diseases that have significant implications in human and veterinary medicine. While microsporidia were originally considered to be opportunistic pathogens in humans, it is now understood that infections also occur in immune competent humans. Encephalitozoon cuniculi, Encephalitozoon intestinalis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are primarily mammalian pathogens. However, many other species of microsporidia that have some other primary host that is not a mammal have been reported to cause sporadic mammalian infections. Experimental models and observations in natural infections have demonstrated that microsporidia can cause a latent infection in mammalian hosts. This chapter reviews the published studies on mammalian microsporidiosis and the data on chronic infections due to these enigmatic pathogens.

• Klíčová slova
• Epidemiology, Infection, Latency, Mammals, Microsporidia, Recurrent infection, Transmission,
• MeSH
• Enterocytozoon * MeSH
• feces mikrobiologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• Microsporidia * genetika   MeSH
• perzistentní infekce MeSH
• savci MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

BACKGROUND: Microsporidia of the genus Encephalitozoon are usually associated with severe infections in immunodeficient hosts while, in immunocompetent ones, microsporidiosis produces minimal clinically apparent disease. Despite their microscopic size, microsporidia are capable of causing systemic infection within a few days. However, the mechanisms by which microsporidia reach target tissues during acute infection remain unclear. Out of four genotypes of Encephalitozoon cuniculi, only three are available for experimental studies, with E. cuniculi genotype II being the best characterized. METHODS: In the present study, we tested the association between inflammation induction in immunocompetent and immunodeficient mice and the presence of spores of E. cuniculi genotypes I and III in selected organs using molecular methods and compared the results with previously published data on E. cuniculi genotype II. RESULTS: We reported the positive connection between inflammation induction and the significant increase of E. cuniculi genotypes I and III occurrence in inflammatory foci in both immunocompetent BALB/c and immunodeficient severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice in the acute phase of infection. The induction of inflammation resulted in increased concentration of E. cuniculi of both genotypes in the site of inflammation, as previously reported for E. cuniculi genotype II. Moreover, our study extended the spectrum of differences among E. cuniculi genotypes by the variations in dispersal rate within host bodies after experimentally induced inflammation. CONCLUSION: The results imply possible involvement of immune cells serving as vehicles transporting E. cuniculi towards inflammation foci. The elucidation of possible connection with pro-inflammatory immune responses represents an important challenge with implications for human health and the development of therapeutic strategies.

• Klíčová slova
• Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotype I, Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotype III, inflammation, targeted migration,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Zoonotic pathogen transmission is considered a leading threat to the survival of non-human primates and public health in shared landscapes. Giardia spp., Cryptosporidium spp. and Microsporidia are unicellular parasites spread by the fecal-oral route by environmentally resistant stages and can infect humans, livestock, and wildlife including non-human primates. Using immunoassay diagnostic kits and amplification/sequencing of the region of the triosephosphate isomerase, small ribosomal subunit rRNA and the internal transcribed spacer genes, we investigated Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and microsporidia infections, respectively, among humans, domesticated animals (livestock, poultry, and dogs), and wild nonhuman primates (eastern chimpanzees and black and white colobus monkeys) in Bulindi, Uganda, an area of remarkably high human-animal contact and spatial overlap. We analyzed 137 fecal samples and revealed the presence of G. intestinalis assemblage B in two human isolates, G. intestinalis assemblage E in one cow isolate, and Encephalitozoon cuniculi genotype II in two humans and one goat isolate. None of the chimpanzee and colobus monkey samples were positive for any of the screened parasites. Regular distribution of antiparasitic treatment in both humans and domestic animals in Bulindi could have reduced the occurrence of the screened parasites and decreased potential circulation of these pathogens among host species.

• Klíčová slova
• Cryptosporidium, Giardia, PCR, Uganda, anthropogenic disturbance, coproantigen, domestic animals, humans, microsporidia, non-human primates,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Increasing population density can increase infectious disease risk and thus reduce population growth and size. Host-parasite interactions of threatened animals that remain in small protected forest fragments therefore need to be monitored carefully. Due to extreme conservation efforts, the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) population in the 450-km2 Virunga Massif has more than doubled since 1973, reaching 604 individuals in 2016. To better understand changes in the transmission risks of soil-borne and other enteric pathogens for mountain gorillas, we determined defecation outputs of different age-sex classes and the diurnal variation in feces deposition. We weighed 399 wet fecal samples deposited at nest sites and on trails between nest sites by gorillas of varying age and sex, determined by lobe diameter, from five social groups (n = 58 gorillas) that range in the Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. We found increasing daily average defecation outputs with increasing age-sex class (infants, 435 g; juveniles, 1346 g; medium-sized gorillas, 2446 g; silverbacks, 3609 g). Gorillas deposited two- to threefold the amount of feces at nest sites compared to on trails, suggesting that nest sites may function as hotspots for enteric pathogen infections through direct contact or when gorillas ingest foods contaminated with infectious larvae during site revisits in intervals matching the maturation period of environmentally transmitted gastrointestinal parasites. In combination with ranging and demographic data, these findings will enable the modeling of spatiotemporal variation in soil contamination and infectious disease risk for Virunga gorillas as their population density continues to increase.

• Klíčová slova
• Age-sex class, Defecation rate, Fecal weights, Infectious disease risk, Nest sites, Trails,
• MeSH
• defekace fyziologie   MeSH
• feces * MeSH
• Gorilla gorilla fyziologie   MeSH
• hnízdění MeSH
• věkové faktory MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Rwanda MeSH

BACKGROUND: Avian cryptosporidiosis is a common parasitic disease that is caused by five species, which are well characterised at the molecular and biological level, and more than 18 genotypes for which we have limited information. In this study, we determined the occurrence and molecular characteristics of Cryptosporidium spp. in farmed ostriches in the Czech Republic. METHODS: The occurrence and genetic identity of Cryptosporidium spp. were analysed by microscopy and PCR/sequencing of the small subunit rRNA, actin, HSP70 and gp60 genes. Cryptosporidium avian genotype II was examined from naturally and experimentally infected hosts and measured using differential interference contrast. The localisation of the life-cycle stages was studied by electron microscopy and histologically. Infectivity of Cryptosporidium avian genotype II for cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus (Kerr)), chickens (Gallus gallus f. domestica (L.)), geese (Anser anser f. domestica (L.)), SCID and BALB/c mice (Mus musculus L.) was verified. RESULTS: A total of 204 individual faecal samples were examined for Cryptosporidium spp. using differential staining and PCR/sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis of small subunit rRNA, actin, HSP70 and gp60 gene sequences showed the presence of Cryptosporidium avian genotype II (n = 7) and C. ubiquitum Fayer, Santín & Macarisin, 2010 IXa (n = 5). Only ostriches infected with Cryptosporidium avian genotype II shed oocysts that were detectable by microscopy. Oocysts were purified from a pooled sample of four birds, characterised morphometrically and used in experimental infections to determine biological characteristics. Oocysts of Cryptosporidium avian genotype II measure on average 6.13 × 5.15 μm, and are indistinguishable by size from C. baileyi Current, Upton & Haynes, 1986 and C. avium Holubová, Sak, Horčičková, Hlásková, Květoňová, Menchaca, McEvoy & Kváč, 2016. Cryptosporidium avian genotype II was experimentally infectious for geese, chickens and cockatiels, with a prepatent period of four, seven and eight days post-infection, respectively. The infection intensity ranged from 1000 to 16,000 oocysts per gram. None of the naturally or experimentally infected birds developed clinical signs in the present study. CONCLUSIONS: The molecular and biological characteristics of Cryptosporidium avian genotype II, described here, support the establishment of a new species, Cryptosporidium ornithophilus n. sp.

• Klíčová slova
• C. ubiquitum, Cryptosporidium avian genotype II, Cryptosporidium ornithophilus n. sp., Experimental infections, Occurrence, Oocyst size, PCR,
• MeSH
• Cryptosporidium klasifikace   genetika   ultrastruktura   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• hospodářská zvířata parazitologie   MeSH
• hostitelská specificita MeSH
• klasifikace MeSH
• kryptosporidióza parazitologie   MeSH
• nemoci ptáků parazitologie   MeSH
• protozoální geny genetika   MeSH
• ptáci parazitologie   MeSH
• stadia vývoje MeSH
• Struthioniformes parazitologie   MeSH
• taxonomické DNA čárové kódování veterinární   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

We investigated intestinal trichomonads in western lowland gorillas, central chimpanzees and humans cohabiting the forest ecosystem of Dzanga-Sangha Protected Area in Central African Republic, using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and SSU rRNA gene sequences. Trichomonads belonging to the genus Tetratrichomonas were detected in 23% of the faecal samples and in all host species. Different hosts were infected with different genotypes of Tetratrichomonas. In chimpanzees, we detected tetratrichomonads from 'novel lineage 2', which was previously reported mostly in captive and wild chimpanzees. In gorillas, we found two different genotypes of Tetratrichomonas. The ITS region sequences of the more frequent genotype were identical to the sequence found in a faecal sample of a wild western lowland gorilla from Cameroon. Sequences of the second genotype from gorillas were almost identical to sequences previously obtained from an anorexic French woman. We provide the first report of the presence of intestinal tetratrichomonads in asymptomatic, apparently healthy humans. Human tetratrichomonads belonged to the lineage 7, which was previously reported in domestic and wild pigs and a domestic horse. Our findings suggest that the ecology and spatial overlap among hominids in the tropical forest ecosystem has not resulted in exchange of intestinal trichomonads among these hosts.

• Klíčová slova
• Chimpanzee, Parabasalia, Tetratrichomonas, gorilla, human, transmission, trichomonads,
• MeSH
• feces parazitologie   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• Gorilla gorilla parazitologie   MeSH
• hostitelská specificita MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• nemoci lidoopů epidemiologie   parazitologie   MeSH
• Pan troglodytes parazitologie   MeSH
• protozoální infekce zvířat epidemiologie   parazitologie   MeSH
• protozoální infekce epidemiologie   parazitologie   MeSH
• Trichomonadida klasifikace   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Středoafrická republika epidemiologie   MeSH

Relationships between gastrointestinal parasites (GIPs) and the gastrointestinal microbiome (GIM) are widely discussed topics across mammalian species due to their possible impact on the host's health. GIPs may change the environment determining alterations in GIM composition. We evaluated the associations between GIP infections and fecal microbiome composition in two habituated and two unhabituated groups of wild western lowland gorillas (Gorilla g. gorilla) from Dzanga Sangha Protected Areas, Central African Republic. We examined 43 fecal samples for GIPs and quantified strongylid nematodes. We characterized fecal microbiome composition through 454 pyrosequencing of the V1-V3 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Entamoeba spp. infections were associated with significant differences in abundances of bacterial taxa that likely play important roles in nutrition and metabolism for the host, besides being characteristic members of the gorilla gut microbiome. We did not observe any relationships between relative abundances of several bacterial taxa and strongylid egg counts. Based on our findings, we suggest that there is a significant relationship between fecal microbiome and Entamoeba infection in wild gorillas. This study contributes to the overall knowledge about factors involved in modulating GIM communities in great apes.

• Klíčová slova
• Entamoeba, bacteria, fecal microbiome, lowland gorilla, parasite infection, strongylid nematodes,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Strongylid nematodes in large terrestrial herbivores such as great apes, equids, elephants, and humans tend to occur in complex communities. However, identification of all species within strongylid communities using traditional methods based on coproscopy or single nematode amplification and sequencing is virtually impossible. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies provide opportunities to generate large amounts of sequence data and enable analyses of samples containing a mixture of DNA from multiple species/genotypes. We designed and tested an HTS approach for strain-level identification of gastrointestinal strongylids using ITS-2 metabarcoding at the MiSeq Illumina platform in samples from two free-ranging non-human primate species inhabiting the same environment, but differing significantly in their host traits and ecology. Although we observed overlapping of particular haplotypes, overall the studied primate species differed in their strongylid nematode community composition. Using HTS, we revealed hidden diversity in the strongylid nematode communities in non-human primates, more than one haplotype was found in more than 90% of samples and coinfections of more than one putative species occurred in 80% of samples. In conclusion, the HTS approach on strongylid nematodes, preferably using fecal samples, represents a time and cost-efficient way of studying strongylid communities and provides a resolution superior to traditional approaches.

• MeSH
• feces parazitologie   MeSH
• genetická variace MeSH
• infekce hlísticemi řádu Strongylida genetika   parazitologie   MeSH
• koně genetika   parazitologie   MeSH
• nemoci koní genetika   parazitologie   MeSH
• rozptýlené repetitivní sekvence genetika   MeSH
• Strongylida klasifikace   genetika   MeSH
• sympatrie MeSH
• taxonomické DNA čárové kódování * MeSH
• vysoce účinné nukleotidové sekvenování MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Increased anthropogenic activity can result in parasite exchanges and/or general changes in parasite communities, imposing a health risk to great apes. We studied protist and helminth parasites of wild western lowland gorilla groups in different levels of habituation, alongside humans inhabiting Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas in the Central African Republic. Faeces were collected yearly during November and December from 2007 to 2010 and monthly from November 2010 to October 2011. Protist and helminth infections were compared among gorilla groups habituated, under habituation and unhabituated, and the effect of host traits and seasonality was evaluated. Zoonotic potential of parasites found in humans was assessed. No significant differences in clinically important parasites among the groups in different stages of habituation were found, except for Entamoeba spp. However, humans were infected with four taxa which may overlap with taxa found in gorillas. Females were less infected with spirurids, and adults had higher intensities of infection of Mammomonogamus sp. We found seasonal differences in the prevalence of several parasite taxa, but most importantly, the intensity of infection of unidentified strongylids was higher in the dry season. This study highlights that habituation may not necessarily pose a greater risk of protist and helminth infections in gorilla groups.

• Klíčová slova
• Habituation, Human impact, Parasite, Western lowland gorilla,
• MeSH
• Entamoeba izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• feces parazitologie   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• Gorilla gorilla parazitologie   MeSH
• helmintózy zvířat parazitologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• nemoci lidoopů parazitologie   MeSH
• roční období MeSH
• Strongyloidea klasifikace   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Středoafrická republika MeSH