Wild boar (Sus scrofa) – reservoir host of Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Slovakia

Katarína Reiterová; Silvia Špilovská; Lucia Blaňarová; Markéta Derdáková; Andrea Čobádiová; Vladimír Hisira

doi:10.1515/ap-2016-0035

Article

Wild boar (Sus scrofa) – reservoir host of Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Slovakia

Katarína Reiterová , Silvia Špilovská , Lucia Blaňarová , Markéta Derdáková , Andrea Čobádiová and Vladimír Hisira

Published/Copyright: March 30, 2016

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From the journal Acta Parasitologica Volume 61 Issue 2

Abstract

In Central Europe the wild boar population is permanently growing and consequently Cf foodborne infections. In this study serological and molecular detection of Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum in wild boars was evaluated. Moreover, same samples were screened for the presence and genetic variability of tick-borne bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Blood samples collected from 113 wild boars from Southern Slovakia were examined for antibodies to T. gondii by indirect and to N. caninum by competitive ELISA. The presence of parasitic DNA in blood samples was determined by standard or real time PCR techniques. Antibodies against T. gondii and N. caninum were detected in 45 (39.8%) and 38 (33.6%) animals, respectively. Females were more frequently infected for both pathogens than males. The high seropositivity against both coccidia indicates a permanent occurrence of these pathogens in the studied locality. T. gondii DNA was confirmed in five seropositive boars (4.4%) and N. caninum in 23 blood samples (20.4%). Three out of 23 N. caninum PCR positive animals did not show seropositivity. Three out of 113 blood samples of wild boars were positive for A. phagocytophilum (2.7%). The obtained A. phagocytophilum sequences were 100% identical with GenBank^TM isolates from Slovak dog (KC985242); German horse (JF893938) or wild boar (EF143810) and red deer (EF143808) from Poland. Coinfections of T. gondii with N. caninum and N. caninum with A. phagocytophilum were detected in single cases. Results suggest a potential zoonotic risk of toxoplasmosis transmission to humans and the spread of neosporosis to farm animals.

Key words: Toxoplasmosis; neosporosis; anaplasmosis; Sus scrofa; serological survey; PCR

Acknowledgements

The study was supported by the Slovak Scientific Grant Agency VEGA 2/0068/15 and partially by the project: Development of the diagnostic methods for the detection of tick-borne pathogens and the techniques for the preparation of the vaccine development (code ITMS: 26240220044), supported by the Research & Development Operational Programme funded by the ERDF (0.1).

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Received: 2015-10-16

Revised: 2015-11-27

Accepted: 2015-12-1

Published Online: 2016-3-30

Published in Print: 2016-6-1

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https://doi.org/10.1515/ap-2016-0035

Keywords for this article

Toxoplasmosis; neosporosis; anaplasmosis; Sus scrofa; serological survey; PCR