Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Thelazia callipaeda as a potential new threat to european wildcats: insights from an eco-epidemiological study.
- Journal:
- Veterinary research communications
- Year:
- 2023
- Authors:
- Bertos, Elena et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Zoology · Spain
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Researchers have found a new potential threat to European wildcats, which are already at risk of disappearing. A parasite called Thelazia callipaeda, which can cause eye problems like infections and ulcers, is spreading in Europe and was first detected in wildcats in Spain in 2021. In a study, they found this parasite in 3 out of 17 wildcats and 1 out of 23 domestic cats in southeastern Spain. The study also showed that wildcats and domestic cats don’t share the same living areas much, which might help prevent the spread of this parasite between them. Overall, this finding suggests that Thelazia callipaeda could pose a new danger to wildcats, and more monitoring and control of domestic cats will be important as climate change continues to affect wildlife.
Abstract
Global warming and displacement of vectors and wild and domestic hosts by humans greatly change host-parasite interactions and parasite transmission rates. Thelazia callipaeda Railliet and Henry, 1910 (Spirurida: Thelaziidae) is a zoonotic parasite rapidly colonizing Europe from its Asian native range. This nematode is vectored by Phortica flies and may cause ocular disorders, such as keratitis and corneal ulcers, in wild mammals, dogs, cats and humans. With the aim of detecting possible threats for the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) in one of its last Mediterranean strongholds, we initiated in 2017 a long-term monitoring program in Sierra Arana (southeastern Spain), which includes exploring its epidemiological and spatial relationships with domestic cats (Felis catus). During routine medical check-ups, we detected ocular nematodes in 3 of 17 (17.6%) wildcats and 1 of 23 (4.3%) domestic cats tested, confirmed to be T. callipaeda by microscopic and molecular analyses. This nematode species was first detected in the study area in 2021. To our knowledge, this is the first case of infection in wildcats in Spain. Through telemetry, we detected little spatial overlap between the home ranges of wildcats and domestic cats, which seems to be sufficient to facilitate the inter-specific transmission of T. callipaeda. Our findings suggest that this pathogen could be a new threat to the wildcat, a locally endangered wild felid. Further eco-epidemiological monitoring and sanitary control of domestic cats will be strongly needed, especially given the ongoing global warming scenario.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36648738/