Eucoleus boehmi infection in red fox (Vulpes vulpes) from Italy.

In the last decade an increase of the number of red foxes in anthropized habitats acrossEuropean countries, including Italy, has been observed. This pones implications in terms ofdisease transmission between wildlife and domestic animals; in fact, there are evidencesof the role of foxes as reservoirs and amplifiers of a broad spectrum of parasites infectingpets. The present study evaluated the prevalence of Eucoleus boehmi, an emerging extra-intestinal nematodes of the Capillariinae subfamily, in red foxes.The nasal passages and sinuses of 179 red foxes culled from several areas of northern andcentral Italy were inspected and the mucosal surfaces were scrapped and examined for adultnematodes and eggs, microscopically and genetically identified. Overall 55 foxes (30.7%)were found to be infected with E. boehmi, i.e. 27 on inspection of the nasal passages andsinuses and 28 on mucosal flush and scraping. The occurrence of E. boehmi was significantly(p < 0.05) correlated to the sampling location, the age and gender of the animals examined; the higher rates of prevalence were observed in animals culled in Piedmont (43.3%) and infemale (60.6%) and adult (38.1%) subjects. A total of 184 adult parasites were recovered,with a mean intensity of infection of 3.34, and a more frequent localization of E. boehmi inthe nasal passages rather than in the sinuses. A significant (p < 0.05) relationship was foundbetween the parasite burden and body condition and age of the animals; the intensityof infection was significantly higher in juveniles (mean: 6.3 specimens) and in animalsshowing poor fox body condition (mean: 7.8 specimens).These results show that E. boehmi is highly prevalent in the red fox populations of certainareas of Italy. Epidemiological implications are discussed, with a special focus on the rolethat this wild canid may have in the increasing transmission of nasal eucoleosis to domestic dogs.