1. Survey of Baylisascaris spp. in captive striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in some European areas
- Author
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Emilio Noviello, M.P. Maurelli, L. Del Prete, Giuseppe Cringoli, Nikola Pantchev, Laura Rinaldi, Dario d'Ovidio, D'Ovidio, Dario, Pantchev, N, Noviello, Emilio, DEL PRETE, Luisa, Maurelli, MARIA PAOLA, Cringoli, Giuseppe, and Rinaldi, Laura
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Veterinary medicine ,040301 veterinary sciences ,Intestinal parasite ,Baylisascaris columnaris ,FLOTAC ,Baylisascaris ,Columnaris ,0403 veterinary science ,03 medical and health sciences ,Zoonosis ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Ascaridoidea ,medicine ,Animals ,Carnivore ,Phylogeny ,Molecular identification ,Striped skunk ,General Veterinary ,biology ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,General Medicine ,030108 mycology & parasitology ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Ascaridida Infections ,Europe ,Infectious Diseases ,PCR ,Insect Science ,Parasitology ,Baylisascaris columnari ,Mephitidae - Abstract
Skunks are popular carnivore species kept both in zoological institutions and in households where they are hand raised as exotic pets. These small carnivores are considered the main definitive hosts of the roundworm Baylisascaris columnaris. The purpose of this survey was to investigate the occurrence of Baylisascaris spp. in striped skunks kept as pets or in private zoo collections in some European areas. Copromicroscopic data from two laboratories, one in Italy and one in Germany, were used. A total of 60 animals were selected. Samples came from Germany (n = 30), Italy (n = 23), United Kingdom (n = 5), Austria (n = 1), and the Netherlands (n = 1). Twenty-eight animals were certainly kept as pets in private households in Italy and the UK. Fifteen out of 60 animals (25%) were positive for Baylisascaris spp. Molecular identification of adult parasites was performed in ten of those animals, revealing B. columnaris in all cases. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first survey of Baylisascaris spp. in captive skunks in Europe.
- Published
- 2016