Aspectos sobre la epidemiología y el control de la infección por Babesia vulpes (sin. B. microti-like) en carnívoros domésticos y silvestres de Galicia

La piroplasmosis canina es una enfermedad de distribución mundial, transmitida por garrapatas de la familia Ixodidae que está causada por diferentes especies de los géneros Babesia y Theileria. En la actualidad, se han descrito varias especies con capacidad infectante para los perros, si bien de algunas de ellas todavía no se conoce su impacto clínico, habiendo sido identificadas únicamente por técnicas moleculares. La especie Babesia vulpes, anteriormente denominada Theileria annae y/o Babesia microti-like, fue descrita por primera vez a nivel mundial en el noroeste de la Península Ibérica, y desde entonces ha presentado un carácter emergente, habiéndose descrito tanto en perros como en zorros comunes o rojos (Vulpes vulpes) de distintos países. Galicia es la única región considerada endémica de esta parasitosis en los perros, lo que supone un reto clínico en medicina veterinaria ya que puede producir cuadros clínicos graves con pobre respuesta a los tratamientos específicos..

LEISHMANIA INFANTUM INFECTION in BENNETT'S WALLABIES (MACROPUS RUFOGRISEUS RUFOGRISEUS) in A Spanish WILDLIFE PARK

Although dogs are the main reservoir for human Leishmania infantum infection, the disease has also been reported in other domestic and wild mammals. In 2011, a fatal case of naturally acquired leishmaniosis was described for the first time in a Bennett's wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus) kept in a wildlife park in Madrid (Spain). This study was designed to assess the infection status of twelve Bennett's wallabies in the same park one year after this incident. Phlebotomus perniciosus, the main vector of L. infantum in Spain, was screened for using sticky and Centers for Disease Control miniature light traps. L. infantum infection was confirmed by molecular diagnosis in four animals, but only one wallaby returned a positive serology result. The presence of the sand fly vector was also confirmed in this habitat. These results suggest that the first case of L. infantum in a wallaby in this park was not an isolated incident and stress the need for further work to determine the role of this parasite in the morbidity and mortality of these macropods. Madrid was recently the scene of an outbreak of human cutaneous and visceral leishmaniosis. Epidemiological studies have so far revealed the widespread presence of L. infantum infection in animals other than the dog. Our ongoing work suggests a risk of L. infantum infection not only among captive animals in Madrid, but also among threatened species or even species that are already extinct in the wild.Depto. de Medicina y Cirugía AnimalFac. de VeterinariaTRUEpu