FIRST REPORT OF ALARIA ALATA IN WILD RED FOXES (VULPES VULPES) FROM EMILIAROMAGNA REGION, ITALY

none3Alaria alata is a digenean trematode of the family Diplostomatidae, which has been reported in wild red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from several European countries (Loos-Frank et al., 1982, Z Parasitenkd., 67:99-113.; Möhl et al., 2009, Parasitol Res, 105:1-15). Although the presence of A. alata in Italy has been already reported in the past (Molin, 1854, Prodromus Faunae Helminthologicae Venetae), recent descriptions of the parasite are lacking. This report aims to update Alaria alata infection in red foxes (V. vulpes) from Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy. According to literature, prevalence values of A. alata in the fox populations examined ranges from 0.1 % (Loos-Frank et al., 1982, l.c.) to 94.8 % (Bružinskaité-Schmidhalter et al., 2012, Parasitology, 139:120-7). We didn’t find any reports of this parasite from Italy in several wide parasitological surveys (Soldati et al., 1976, Riv Parassitol, 37:329-332; Poglayen et al., 1985, Parassitologia, 27:303-11; Capelli et al., 2003, J. Mt. Ecol., 7:199-205; Di Cerbo et al., 2008, Acta Parasitologica, 53:302-311) except for a report of Alaria sp. in a red fox (Alborali et al., 2012, Collana Fond. In. Zooprof. Brescia, 91:566) and in a dog (Ferroglio et al., 2012, Mappe Parassitol., 18:160). Its complex life cycle requires a freshwater snail as first intermediate host and an amphibian as second intermediate host (Möhl et al., 2009, l.c.). Reptiles, rodents, wildboars and other vertebrates can act as paratenic hosts after feeding on infected amphibians (Wolfe et al., 2001, Vet Rec. 149:759-763). Definitive hosts, usually members of the family Canidae, become infected after ingesting mesocercariae contained in amphibians or paratenic hosts. A. alata is also a potential zoonotic agent. Humans can acquire infection after eating undercooked frog legs or raw game meat containing mesocercariae (Murphy et al., 2012, Parasitol Res., 111:283-290). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between February 2013 and March 2014, we analyzed 28 red foxes and one wolf (Canis lupus) collected from hunters or found dead in the Province of Modena and Bologna (Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy). The stomach and the gut were removed during necropsy and parasites were collected using SCT (Sedimentation and Counting Technique) according to standard protocols. RESULTS: Only two foxes (7.1 %) out of 28 were found positive for Alaria alata (Fig.1). Both of them lived in a lowland territory, rich in humid areas and channels, a suitable environment for the life cycle development of A. alata. We found other specimens of Alaria alata in the duodena of wild red foxes from the Province of Forlì during a survey for Echinococcus granulosus. Only two (2.5%) out of 80 foxes were infected. Morphological analysis of the parasites from the four foxes confirmed our presumptive identification showing measures agreeing with the description reported by Mohl et al. (2009).CONCLUSIONS: The sporadic presence of A. alata in our Region might be explained by the illegal importation of game animals from Eastern Europe. Further studies on a higher number of specimens are necessary to exclude the presence of other Alaria species in Italian territory, as the importation of bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus), suitable host for Alaria spp., from extra-European countries and their diffusion into the wild, could lead to a the diffusion of exotic parasites.noneFiocchi A.; Gustinelli A.; Poglayen G.Fiocchi A.; Gustinelli A.; Poglayen G