Prevalence of Trichinella spp. Infection in Large Wild Carnivores Species from Romania between Jan 2014 and July 2015

Abstract

Trichinella spp. is a widely distributed nematode species affecting a large variety of hosts. Two major foci are identified in the natural cycle of the parasite: synanthropic and sylvatic. The sylvatic cycle includes two groups of animals: carnivores and omnivores. The carnivorous cycle of Trichinella involves large and small species as the bear, wolf, golden jackal, wildcat, lynx and mustelids, many of them common in Romania. The present study aimed to update the data on the prevalence of Trichinella spp. infection in large carnivores from Romania between 2014 and 2015 using the artificial digestion method. Out of 67 examined cadavers, 54 were golden jackals, 5 wolves, 5 wildcats and 3 Eurasian lynxes. All species were infected with Trichinella spp. and the prevalence was 40.0% in wolf, 33.3% in the wildcat, 53.7% in golden jackal and 66.6% in Eurasian lynx. These data demonstrate that wild carnivores remain important reservoirs for Trichinella in nature in Romania.