Subcutaneous ticks: a first report in a golden jackal, and their absence in non-canid carnivores

Parasites & Vectors

Dan Traian Ionescu¹  Andrei Daniel Mihalca²  Călin Mircea Gherman²  Georgiana Deak²  Angela Monica Ionică³  Noureddine Mechouk⁴  Gabriel Bogdan Chișamera⁵ 

[1] Department of Game and Wildlife, Faculty of Silviculture and Forestry Engineering, Transilvania University, Şirul Beethoven 1, 500123, Braşov, Romania;Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372, Cluj–Napoca, Romania;Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372, Cluj–Napoca, Romania;Molecular Biology and Veterinary Parasitology Unit (CDS 9), Regele Mihai I al României Life Science Institute, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania;Ecology of Terrestrial and Aquatics Systems Laboratory (EcoSTAq), Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Badji Mokhtar University—Annaba, BP 12, 23200, Annaba, Algeria;Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372, Cluj–Napoca, Romania;Grigore Antipa National Museum of Natural History, Sos. Kiseleff no. 1, 011341, Bucharest 1, Romania;

关键词: Golden jackals;    Subcutaneous;    Ticks;    Romania;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13071-020-04510-7

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundTicks are hematophagous arthropods which normally attach to the surface of the host’s skin. Their aberrant presence in the subcutaneous tissue of a few carnivores, predominantly foxes, has been reported. However, there have been no reports of this phenomenon in other carnivores such as mustelids or golden jackals. Our aim was to investigate the host spectrum for this aberrant localization of ticks.MethodsBetween 2015 and 2020, a total of 198 carcasses of 12 species of carnivore were examined by parasitological necropsy. When a subcutaneous tick was found, the nodule was removed, carefully dissected, and stored in ethanol. The morphological identification of the subcutaneous tick was carried out to species level.ResultsA single subcutaneous tick was found in one carcass, that of a golden jackal (Canis aureus). The tick was identified as a female Ixodes ricinus. All the other carcasses were negative for the presence of subcutaneous ticks.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first report of a subcutaneous tick in a golden jackal. This finding broadens the host spectrum of subcutaneous ticks, and reinforces the idea that, among carnivores, this phenomenon only occurs in canids.

【 授权许可】

CC BY