Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 48(1), 2012, pp. 223–225 # Wildlife Disease Association 2012

Screening for britovi infection in red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and (Sus scrofa) in Southeastern France

Olivier Aoun,1 Sandrine A. Lacour,2 Aure´lie Levieuge,3 Jean-Lou Marie´,3 Isabelle Valle´e,2 and Bernard Davoust3,4 1 Cabinet me´dical, 12e Re´giment de Cuirassiers, Quartier Valmy, BP 119, 45161 Olivet Cedex, France; 2 UMR BIPAR, AFSSA, ENVA / Laboratoire National de Re´fe´rence « parasites transmis par les aliments », AFSSA LERPAZ, 23 avenue du ge´ne´ral de Gaulle, 94706 Maisons-Alfort Cedex, France; 3 Working Group on Epidemiology, Secteur ve´te´rinaire de Marseille, BP 30182, 13276 Marseille Cedex 9, France; 4 Corresponding author (email: [email protected]) Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/jwd/article-pdf/48/1/223/2334007/0090-3558-48_1_223.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 ABSTRACT: From 2006 to 2009 we screened Canjuers military camp from 2006 to 108 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and 894 wild 2009. During the same period, routine boars (Sus scrofa) in Haut-Var, France for Trichinella britovi infection. Prevalences were parasitologic investigation of hunted wild 2.7 and 0% respectively. The fox may be boar carcasses from the same camp was considered a predictive sentinel for Trichinella done. Diaphragm pillars muscle samples in the Haut-Var ecosystem. of 108 red foxes (body weight, 1.3–6.7 kg) and 894 wild boars were frozen at –20 C, The natural Trichinella infection cycle before being transported to the laboratory in the large military camp of Canjuers in for Trichinella larvae screening by artifi- the north of the Var region, southeastern cial digestion. A total of 100 g +/2 2gof France (43u389470N, 6u289050E) is poorly muscle was analyzed by the artificial known. The camp, which encompasses 35,000 ha at an elevation of 800–1,000 m, digestion method according to Directive is a natural reserve for wild flora and 2075/2005 (European Commission, 2005). fauna. Wild boar (Sus scrofa), roe deer Trichinella larvae were identified using (Capreolus capreolus) and red fox (Vulpes multiplex PCR as described by Pozio and vulpes) are the primary breeding wild la Rosa (2003). Muscle larvae of T. spiralis mammals. A military hunting society (ISS004), T. britovi (ISS235), T. nativa regulates animal numbers by setting bag (ISS042) and T. pseudospiralis (ISS13) limits at the beginning of the hunting were used as positive controls. season. A routine inspection for Trichinel- All wild boar samples were negative but la spp. in wild boar meat has been Trichinella prevalence in foxes was 2.7% operational since 1995. Since then, all (3/108). The parasites were identified as T. tested samples (n.2,000 wild boar) have britovi. The three infested foxes had a low been negative (Davoust, unpubl. data). parasite load: 2.4 and 1.2 larvae/g (LPG) in Nevertheless, six human trichinellosis two foxes screened in 2007 and 0.6 LPG in cases were described in southeastern a fox screened in 2008. France in 2003. All of the patients had T. britovi is the main etiological agent of eaten from the same undercooked meat sylvatic Trichinella infection in temperate (Gari-Toussaint et al., 2005) from a wild Eurasia. This species has been detected in boar shot near the Canjuers military camp. red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and other domestic Analysis of muscle from the boar showed and wild (Pozio, 2001) and is the three Trichinella larvae per gram. The dominant species in foxes. The fox is at the larvae were identified as Trichinella brit- center of the sylvatic Trichinella infection ovi using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cycle (Pozio et al., 1998) and T. britovi is genomic analysis. the species present in sylvatic animals To better understand the natural Trich- living 500 m above sea level in France, inella infection cycle in the Haut-Var area, Italy, and Spain (Pozio et al., 1996). The we conducted a longitudinal epidemiolog- cycle usually develops in a closed circuit ic survey of foxes killed within the where cannibalism plays an important role

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(Campbell, 1988). Small mammals (e.g., other reservoir hosts should be sought field mice) represent 95% of the foxes’ within the animal population in Canjuers diet and could also be involved in as well as larger numbers of foxes sampled transmission within the fox population. are needed for a better understanding of The T. britovi prevalence in foxes the natural Trichinella infection cycle in within the military camp of Canjuers is this military camp. similar to prevalences in other European We thank Aure´lie Grasset for her countries. In Norway, prevalence of Trich- excellent technical collaboration. inella infection in red foxes was 4.8% (19/

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Sardinia (Italy). Veterinary Parasitology 159: Submitted for publication 1 January 2010. Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/jwd/article-pdf/48/1/223/2334007/0090-3558-48_1_223.pdf by guest on 30 September 2021 361–363. Accepted 10 August 2011.