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Alaria alata mesocercariae in raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Germany

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Abstract

Alaria alata is a trematode of carnivores from Europe. The mesocercarial stage was recently identified in wild boar meat from Europe. Previous histopathologic studies showed the presence of unidentified parasitic cysts within the tongues of raccoons from northern Germany. For identification of the parasite species, tissue samples of 105 raccoons originating from a National Park in northern Germany and from Berlin metropolitan area were collected. Histological examination of cryotome sections of frozen as well as paraffin-embedded tongues were used to identify parasite cysts. These were located in the connective and adipose tissue and in close proximity to small arterioles, suggesting a hematogenous spread of the parasite. Often, cysts were surrounded with mild infiltration by inflammatory cells. Additionally, mesocercariae were isolated from defrosted tongue samples of 11 raccoons. Molecular-biology assays confirmed the parasite species as A. alata. Except for one positive raccoon from Berlin City, all other positive raccoons originated from the sylvan Müritz National park, indicating an abundance of intermediate hosts in this area. Our results show that raccoons can act as paratenic hosts for A. alata and extend the broad host range of this parasite to a species introduced into Germany.

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Abbreviations

Bp:

Base pairs

DNA:

Deoxyribonucleic acid

HE:

Hematoxylin–eosin

ID:

Identification

LR:

Lewitz region

MNP:

Müritz National Park

NTC:

Nontemplate control

Syn:

Synonym

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. U. Wittstatt from the State Laboratory Berlin-Brandenburg for providing raccoon samples, Marcus Borcherts from the Technical University of Dresden for his commitment to gather raccoons in Lewitz, and to Z. Mezoe, D. Krumnow, and M. Biering for their excellent technical assistance. We are grateful to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Mexican Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT) for financial support (fellowship of Z. M. Rentería-Solís). Additionally, this study was financially supported by the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Consumer Protection (BMELV) through the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), grant number 2810HS017.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315, Berlin, Germany

    Zaida Melina Rentería-Solís & Gudrun Wibbelt

  2. Institute of Food Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04301, Leipzig, Germany

    Ahmad Hamedy, Ernst Lücker & Katharina Riehn

  3. Group of Wildlife Research, Institute of Forest Botany and Forest Zoology, Technical University of Dresden, Pienner Str. 7, 01737, Tharandt, Germany

    Frank-Uwe Michler, Berit Annika Michler & Norman Stier

Authors
  1. Zaida Melina Rentería-Solís
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  2. Ahmad Hamedy
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  3. Frank-Uwe Michler
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  4. Berit Annika Michler
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  5. Ernst Lücker
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  6. Norman Stier
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  7. Gudrun Wibbelt
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  8. Katharina Riehn
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Correspondence to Zaida Melina Rentería-Solís.

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Rentería-Solís, Z.M., Hamedy, A., Michler, FU. et al. Alaria alata mesocercariae in raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Germany. Parasitol Res 112, 3595–3600 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-013-3547-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-013-3547-4

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