Echinococcus multilocularis

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Short Communications

Short Communications Echinococcus multilocularis in the European beaver (Castor fibre L.) from Serbia: first report D. Círovic´, I. Pavlovic´, Z. Kulišic´, V. Ivetic´, A. Penezic´, N. Cósic´ Echinococcus multilocularis is a tapeworm of canid carnivores. It is widely present in the Northern Hemisphere with endemic regions in central Europe, northern and central Eurasia, and in parts of North America. The main definitive host in Europe is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), with a prevalence of more than 50 per cent in some studies (Losson and others 1997, Roming and others 1999, Hofer and others 2000, Tackmann and others 2001, Casulli and others 2005, Vervaeke and others 2006). At the beginning of the 1990s, this parasite started to spread from the endemic areas in central Europe (Roming 2002, Vervaeke and others 2006). It is suggested that one of the main causes of its spread is the increased number of foxes in European countries, which occurred after the decrease of the incidence of rabies as a result of successful peroral vaccination (Chautan and others 2000). E. multilocularis is a pathogenic zoonosis. Rodents are the usual intermediate host, but humans can be an accidental intermediate host. Humans are infected by ingesting eggs from a contaminated environment. Oncospheres are released in the digestive tract and further spread through the entire body through hepatopulmonary ways (Kulisˇic´ and others 1999). They are usually found in the liver causing alveolar echinococcosis, which is lethal if left untreated (Craig and others 1996, WHO/OIE 2001). Beavers disappeared from Serbia in the second half of the 19th century. Almost a century later (in 1999), one killed beaver was found in northern Serbia (Vojvodina). It was an individual that had emigrated from neighbouring Hungary. It was one of the beavers reintroduced from Bavaria (C´ irovic´ 2010). This finding instigated the national programme for reintroduction of the beaver in Serbia. During 2004–2005, 75 beavers originating from Bavaria were settled in the Special Nature Reserves of Obedska Bara and Zasavica. Each

Veterinary Record (2012) D. Círovic´, PhD, A. Penezic´ Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 16, Belgrade 11000 Serbia I. Pavlovic´, PhD V. Ivetic´, PhD Scientific Veterinary Institute of Serbia, Vojvode Toze 14, Belgrade 11000, Serbia Z. Kulišic´, PhD Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade,

individual was marked with a subcutaneous implanted microchip for the purpose of future monitoring. Population monitoring and parasitological research started along with the increase in the population size, and the spreading of this semiaquatic species in Serbia (Círovic´ and others 2009, Círovic´ 2010). A dead adult female European beaver (hit by a car) was found on March 14, 2008 in the suburban area of the town of Bogatic´ (central Serbia, N 44.47775°, E 19.81823°). It was in good bodily condition and weighed 16 kg. During the necropsy, a cyst sized 10.5 × 7.7 cm (Fig 1) was found in the liver. Parasitic fibrous capsules were seen in a transverse cut (Fig 2), and microscopic examination of the brood capsules and protoscolices revealed the species to be E. multilocularis, using the keys by Thompson (1995). The entire hepatic tissue was full of parasitic cysts. Apart from the changes in the liver, the necropsy revealed no other parasites, and no other visible pathological changes were detected, except for the trauma from the road accident. By decoding the subcutaneous implanted microchip it was determined that the beaver was from the area of Reichertshausen (Bavaria). In March 2005, the animal had been settled in Obedska Bara with 19 other individuals, and almost three years later (14th March), it was killed in a road accident. Considering the elapsed time and the amount of detected changes in the hepatic tissue, it was concluded that the beaver was infected in Bavaria, and not in Serbia.

FIG 1: Extensive multiple cysts found in the liver of the beaver

doi: 10.1136/vr.100879 Bulevar Oslobod-enja 18, Belgrade 11000, Serbia N. Cósic´ Institute for Biological Research ‘Siniša Stankovic´’, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, Belgrade 11060, Serbia E-mail for correspondence: [email protected] Provenance: not commissioned; externally peer reviewed Accepted May 25, 2012

FIG 2: CAT section of the liver showing multifocal coalescing parasitic cysts

July 28, 2012 | Veterinary Record


Short Communications After the detection of this parasite in one adult beaver in Switzerland (Janovsky and others 2002), this represents the fourth finding in this species of rodent. In Great Britain, an identical case was recorded in one dead beaver that was also imported from Bavaria, with multiple liver cysts (Barlow and others 2011). Apart from these records, this parasite was found in Austria as well (Cronstedt-Fell and others 2010). Although this tapeworm was recorded in European beaver in four countries, it has not yet been found in the Canadian beaver (Castor canadensis) in Europe (Addison and others 1987, Janovsky and others 2002). This record is also the first report of the larval form of E. multilocularis in any species of wild mammal in Serbia. Although the red fox is considered as its main reservoir (Losson and others 1997, Hofer and others 2000, Tackmann and others 2001, Casulli and others 2005, Vervaeke and others 2006), according to the literature, E. multilocularis has not been recorded even in the red fox in Serbia (Pavlovic´ 1994). This is supported by recent studies of more than 1000 red foxes (authors’ unpublished data). E. multilocularis has not been recorded so far to a greater extent in wild animals in the neighbouring countries of Serbia as well. Of all surrounding countries, it was detected only in Hungary (Sréter and others 2003). In the region of the former Yugoslavia, of which Serbia was one of the federal units, only recently was this species of cestode detected in the red fox in Slovenia (Rataj and others 2010). Except for this record, one case of infection of an intermediate host, a yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) was also detected in Slovenia (Brglez and Krysˇtufek 1984). E. multilocularis has not been found so far in other countries of the western Balkans. The finding of the larval form of E. multilocularis in European beaver, although the only one found so far in Serbia, contributes to the better knowledge of a recent spread of this cestode in southeastern Europe. It is these new records in Europe (Sréter and others 2003, Saeed and others 2006, Miterpáková and others 2009) that indicate that the parasite is far wider spread than was previously known. However, the finding of a larval form of E. multilocularis in one beaver in a population of only 150 estimated animals (Círovic´ 2010) opens a question of the presence of this parasite in Serbia. Thus, systematic monitoring for the presence of this tapeworm should be carried out, especially with the existing national project of peroral vaccination of wild animals against rabies that might lead to an increased red fox population.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their gratitude to all persons involved in the collection of information about beavers: Slobodan Simic´, Slad¯an Papic´ and Mihajlo Stankovic´ (Special Nature Reserve Zasavica). The authors are also grateful to an anonymous reviewer for valuable comments. This study was supported by the Ministry of Education and Scienc of the Republic of Serbia (Contract TR 31009).

References

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Veterinary Record | July 28, 2012

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Echinococcus multilocularis in the European beaver ( Castor fibre L.) from Serbia: first report D. Cirovic, I. Pavlovic, Z. Kulisic, et al. Veterinary Record 2012 171: 100 originally published online July 11, 2012

doi: 10.1136/vr.100879

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