Skip to main content
Log in

First report of Cercopithifilaria spp. in dogs from Eastern Europe with an overview of their geographic distribution in Europe

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Parasitology Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Dogs in Europe may be parasitized by a variety of species of filarioids. While some species have been studied for decades, others have been only recently reported, and their range of distribution is still unknown. The present study was aimed to investigate the occurrence of Cercopithifilaria spp., whose microfilariae reside in the dermis and are transmitted by Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. ticks, in a dog population from Romania and to present the current knowledge of their distribution in Europe. Sampling was performed in a rural locality from Danube Delta region of Romania, location chosen due to the presence of the only known vector for these species. Skin samples were collected from 39 dogs. The samples were tested for the presence of Cercopithifilaria spp. by PCR methods. One animal (2.56 %) was positive, and the amplified sequence showed a 100 % similarity to Cercopithifilaria bainae. This study reports C. bainae for the first time in Eastern Europe, extending the known range of the genus in Europe.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

References

  • Almeida GLG, Vicente JJ (1984) Cercopithifilaria bainae sp. n. parasita de Canis familiaris (L.) (Nematoda, Filarioidea). Atas da Sociedade de Biologia do Rio de Janeiro 24:18

    Google Scholar 

  • Bain O, Aeschlimann A, Chatelanat P (1982) Présence, chez des tiques de la région de Genève, de larves infestantes qui pourraient se rapporter à la filaire de chien Dipetalonema grassii. Ann Parasitol Hum Comp 57:643–646

  • Bain O, Casiraghi M, Martin C, Uni S (2008) The nematoda Filarioidea: critical analysis linking molecular and traditional approaches. Parasite 15:342–348

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brianti E, Otranto D, Dantas-Torres F, Weigl S, Latrofa MS, Gaglio G, Napoli E, Brucato G, Cauquil L, Giannetto S, Bain O (2012) Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Ixodida, Ixodidae) as intermediate host of a canine neglected filarial species with dermal microfilariae. Vet Parasitol 10:330–337

  • Di Cesare A, Otranto D, Di Giulio E, Simonato G, Latrofa MS, La Torre F, Coccia G, Traversa D (2013) Microfilarial periodicity of Dirofilaria repens in naturally infested dogs. Parasitol Res 112:4273–4279. doi:10.1007/s00436-013-3619-5

  • Genchi C, Rinaldi L, Mortarino M, Genchi M, Cringoli G (2009) Climate and Dirofilaria infection in Europe. Vet Parasitol 163:286–292

  • Hamel D, Silaghi C, Lescai D, Pfister K (2012) Epidemiological aspects on vector-borne infections in stray and pet dogs from Romania and Hungary with focus on Babesia spp. Parasitol Res 110:1537–1545. doi:10.1007/s00436-011-2659-y

  • Huynh T, Thean J, Maini R (2001) Dipetalonema reconditum in the human eye. Br J Ophthalmol 85:1391–1392

  • Mihalca AD, Dumitrache MO, Magdaş C, Gherman CM, Domşa C, Mircean V, Ghira IV, Pocora V, Ionescu DT, Sikó Barabási S, Cozma V, Sándor AD (2012) Synopsis of the hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of Romania with update on host associations and geographical distribution. Exp Appl Acarol 58:183–206

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Montoya-Alonso JA, Mellado I, Carretón E, Cabrera-Pedrero ED, Morchón R, Simón F (2010) Canine dirofilariosis caused by Dirofilaria immitis is a risk factor for the human population on the island of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain. Parasitol Res 107:1265–1269. doi:10.1007/s00436-010-1987-7

  • Noè G (1907) Contribuzioni alla Sistematica e alla Anatomia del Genere Filaria. La Filaria grassii. Istituto di Anatomia Comparata della Regia Università di Roma, Rome, pp 236–252

  • Noè G (1908) Il ciclo evolutivo della Filaria grassii, mihi, 1907. Atti della Reale Accademia Lincei, Roma 17:282–293

  • Noè G (1911) La Filaria grassii (Noè, 1907). Ricerche Laboratorio di Anatomia Normale Regia Università di Roma 15:235-252

  • Orihel T, Eberhard ML (1998) Zoonotic filariasis. Clin Microbiol Rev 11:366–381

    CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Otranto D, Sakru N, Testini G, Gürlü VP, Yakar K, Lia RP, Dantas-Torres F, Bain O (2011a) Case report: first evidence of human zoonotic infection by Onchocerca lupi (Spirurida, Onchocercidae). Am J Trop Med Hyg 84:55–58

  • Otranto D, Brianti E, Dantas-Torres F, Weigl S, Latrofa MS, Gaglio G, Cauquil L, Giannetto S, Bain O (2011b) Morphological and molecular data on the dermal microfilariae of a species of Cercopithifilaria from a dog in Sicily. Vet Parasitol 182:221–229

  • Otranto D, Dantas-Torres F, Cebeci Z, Yeniad B, Buyukbabani N, Boral OB, Gustinelli A, Mounir T, Mutafchiev Y, Bain O (2012a) Human ocular filariasis: further evidence on the zoonotic role of Onchocerca lupi. Parasit Vectors 5:84

  • Otranto D, Brianti E, Dantas-Torres F, Miró G, Latrofa MS, Mutafchiev Y, Bain O (2012b) Species diversity of dermal microfilariae of the genus Cercopithifilaria infesting dogs in the Mediterranean region. Parasitology 140:99–108. doi:10.1017/S0031182012001357

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Otranto D, Brianti E, Latrofa MS, Annoscia G, Weigl S, Lia RP, Gaglio G, Napoli E, Giannetto S, Papadopoulos E, Mirò G, Dantas-Torres F, Bain O (2012c) On a Cercopithifilaria sp. transmitted by Rhipicephalus sanguineus: a neglected, but widespread filarioid of dogs. Parasit Vectors 5:1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Otranto D, Brianti E, Abramo F, Gaglio G, Napoli E, Latrofa MS, Ramos RA, Dantas-Torres F, Bain O (2012d) Cutaneous distribution and localization of Cercopithifilaria sp. microfilariae in dogs. Vet Parasitol 190:143–150

  • Otranto D, Varcasia A, Solinas C, Scala A, Brianti E, Dantas-Torres F, Annoscia G, Martin C, Mutafchiev Y Bain O (2013) Redescription of Cercopithifilaria bainae Almeida & Vicente, 1984 (Spirurida, Onchocercidae) from a dog in Sardinia, Italy. Parasit Vectors 6:132

  • Pampiglione S, Canestri Trotti G, Marchetti S (1983) Ritrovamento di Dipetalonema grassii (Noè, 1907) in Rhipicephalus sanguineus su cane in Italia e descrizione di alcuni suoi stadi larvali. Parassitologia 25:316

  • Ramos RA, Gianelli A, Brianti E, Annoscia G, Cantacessi C, Dantas-Torres F, Otranto D (2013) Tick vectors of Cercopithifilaria bainae in dogs: Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato versus Ixodes ricinus. Parasitol Res 112:3013–3017. doi:10.1007/s00436-013-3474-4

  • Solinas C, Varcasia A, Brianti E, Giannetto S, Pipia AP, Columbano N, Tosciri G, Dantas-Torres F, Garippa G, Otranto D, Scala A (2013) Cercopithifilaria spp. in dogs in Sardinia Island (Italy). Parasitol Res 113:675–679. doi:10.1007/s00436-013-3695-6

Download references

Acknowledgments

We are indebted to Petrică Zabara and the villagers from Chilia Veche for their help during the field work. We also wish to express our gratitude to Ioan Șufană and the mayor of Chilia Veche, Georgeta Ciupitu. Special thanks to Helena, Jana, Martina, Dragoș, Katka, and Stefania. The research was supported by grant IDEI PCE 236/2011; the work of DO, DM, and ADM was done under the frame of EurNegVec COST Action TD1303.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Angela Monica Ionică.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ionică, A.M., D’Amico, G., Mitková, B. et al. First report of Cercopithifilaria spp. in dogs from Eastern Europe with an overview of their geographic distribution in Europe. Parasitol Res 113, 2761–2764 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-3931-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-014-3931-8

Keywords

Navigation