TY - JOUR
T1 - Long‐term occurrence of Fasciola hepatica in an alpine ecosystem, Pyrenees, Northeastern Spain
AU - Roldán, Claudia
AU - Begovoeva, Mattia
AU - López-Olvera, Jorge Ramón
AU - Velarde, Roser
AU - Cabezón, Óscar
AU - Molinar Min, Anna Rita
AU - Pizzato, Federica
AU - Pasquetti, Mario
AU - Fernández Aguilar, Xavier
AU - Mentaberre, Gregorio
AU - Serrano, Emmanuel
AU - Puig Ribas, Maria
AU - Espunyes, Johan
AU - Castillo-Contreras, Raquel
AU - Estruch, Josep
AU - Rossi, Luca
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors are grateful to Andreu Colom‐Cadena, Laura Fernández‐Sirera, Diana Gassó, Bruna Gonzalez and Eugenia Maritano, who collaborated in the fieldwork, and David Ferrer for support in laboratory analyses. The help of rangers, volunteers and farmers for wildlife and livestock sampling was essential, as well as the permission and support by the director of the National Game Reserve of Freser‐Setcases, Jordi Xifra. Genís Peña helped in the elaboration of the figures. The study was partially funded by the research project CGL2009‐11631 from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. Xavier Fernández‐Aguilar and Raquel Castillo‐Contreras were supported by a grant by Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (Generalitat de Catalunya) and the European Social Fund, and Emmanuel Serrano by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia Innovación y Universidades (MICINN) through a Ramon y Cajal agreement (RYC‐2016‐21120).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/10/14
Y1 - 2020/10/14
N2 - Fasciola hepatica is a liver parasite of ruminants whose distribution is determined by its intermediate host, the freshwater snail Galba truncatula. In Europe, F. hepatica is mostly associated with lowlands. Infection from sympatric domestic reservoirs is rarely reported in wild mountain ungulates. This study explores F. hepatica in a multi-host system in a European alpine area. Serum samples (n = 1,209) from Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra p. pyrenaica), European mouflon (Ovis aries musimon), domestic sheep (Ovis aries) and domestic cattle (Bos taurus) were collected in the National Game Reserve of Freser-Setcases (NGRFS) in Catalonia, Northeastern Spain, from 2008 to 2019, and tested for antibodies against F. hepatica. During the same period, the livers of 214 chamois hunted in the NGRFS were inspected for F. hepatica and associated pathological changes. Finally, 907 freshwater snails were collected in summer 2016 between 1559 and 2,224 metres above sea level (asl) in the NGRFS, and F. hepatica DNA sought by PCR. Antibodies against F. hepatica were detected in all four species, with a higher prevalence in cattle and sheep than in chamois. Fasciola hepatica and hepatic lesions were concurrently observed in 13/214 of the chamois livers inspected (6.1%, CI95 2.9%–9.3%). Fasciola hepatica DNA was detected in one out of the 907 snails (0.1%, Cl95 0.1% – 0.3%; Ct value 33.3) and collected at 2054 m asl. Fasciola hepatica was consistently detected in a high mountain multi-host system, suggesting that its life cycle is completed and that it occurs endemically at the highest elevation reported in Europe. Transhumant livestock are the likely source in this alpine ecosystem, which according to rare occurrence of F. hepatica DNA in G. truncatula is still a suboptimal habitat for F. hepatica life cycle. Studying parasites at their highest distribution range can be useful to monitor climate change in seasonal mountain environments.
AB - Fasciola hepatica is a liver parasite of ruminants whose distribution is determined by its intermediate host, the freshwater snail Galba truncatula. In Europe, F. hepatica is mostly associated with lowlands. Infection from sympatric domestic reservoirs is rarely reported in wild mountain ungulates. This study explores F. hepatica in a multi-host system in a European alpine area. Serum samples (n = 1,209) from Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra p. pyrenaica), European mouflon (Ovis aries musimon), domestic sheep (Ovis aries) and domestic cattle (Bos taurus) were collected in the National Game Reserve of Freser-Setcases (NGRFS) in Catalonia, Northeastern Spain, from 2008 to 2019, and tested for antibodies against F. hepatica. During the same period, the livers of 214 chamois hunted in the NGRFS were inspected for F. hepatica and associated pathological changes. Finally, 907 freshwater snails were collected in summer 2016 between 1559 and 2,224 metres above sea level (asl) in the NGRFS, and F. hepatica DNA sought by PCR. Antibodies against F. hepatica were detected in all four species, with a higher prevalence in cattle and sheep than in chamois. Fasciola hepatica and hepatic lesions were concurrently observed in 13/214 of the chamois livers inspected (6.1%, CI95 2.9%–9.3%). Fasciola hepatica DNA was detected in one out of the 907 snails (0.1%, Cl95 0.1% – 0.3%; Ct value 33.3) and collected at 2054 m asl. Fasciola hepatica was consistently detected in a high mountain multi-host system, suggesting that its life cycle is completed and that it occurs endemically at the highest elevation reported in Europe. Transhumant livestock are the likely source in this alpine ecosystem, which according to rare occurrence of F. hepatica DNA in G. truncatula is still a suboptimal habitat for F. hepatica life cycle. Studying parasites at their highest distribution range can be useful to monitor climate change in seasonal mountain environments.
KW - alpine ecosystem
KW - Fasciola hepatica
KW - Galba truncatula
KW - Pyrenean chamois
KW - Rupicapra pyrenaica
KW - spillover
KW - wildlife-livestock interface
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85092534969&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/tbed.13865
DO - 10.1111/tbed.13865
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 33012085
AN - SCOPUS:85092534969
ER -