European Hares, <i>Lepus europaeus</i>, Represent a Reservoir Host for <i>Thelazia callipaeda</i> in Romania
Vlad-Dan Cotuțiu,
Andrei Daniel Mihalca,
Katarzyna Anna Hołówka,
Angela Monica Ionică,
Cristina Daniela Cazan,
Călin Mircea Gherman
Affiliations
Vlad-Dan Cotuțiu
Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Andrei Daniel Mihalca
Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Katarzyna Anna Hołówka
Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Angela Monica Ionică
Molecular Biology and Veterinary Parasitology Unit (CDS-9), University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Cristina Daniela Cazan
Molecular Biology and Veterinary Parasitology Unit (CDS-9), University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Călin Mircea Gherman
Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Thelaziosis caused by Thelazia callipaeda is an emerging disease in Europe. Only two reports of naturally infected lagomorphs have been published so far. The aim of this study was to evaluate the status of the Romanian populations of European brown hares, Lepus europaeus as reservoir hosts for T. callipaeda. Between November 2019 and November 2021, the eyes of 326 L. europaeus carcasses were examined for the presence of ocular parasites. Nematodes were stored in plastic vials with physiological saline, followed by morphological and molecular identification. QGis 3.20 and EpiInfoTM 7 were used for mapping and statistical analysis. Four (1.23%) hares harbored T. callipaeda infection, with a total of 84 nematodes collected (mean intensity 21 nematodes/host), with 45 males, 39 females (two sexually immature, seven with only eggs, and 30 with eggs and larvae). One specimen from each host was successfully sequenced resulting in a 100% similarity with several other sequences of T. callipaeda haplotype 1. Statistical analysis revealed no significant results. The current study represents a first report of T. callipaeda in the European brown hare in Romania, and the second in Europe, also reiterating the role of lagomorphs as reservoir hosts for this zoonotic ocular nematode.
