title: First report of Echinococcus shiquicus in dogs from eastern Qinghai-Tibet plateau region, China.
abstract: Echinococcus shiquicus was discovered in foxes and pika wildlife hosts in Sichuan Province, China in 2005. Faecal samples from dogs collected in a previous echinococcosis purgation survey from Shiqu County, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Sichuan) were screened by coproPCR to investigate the possible occurrence of E. shiquicus. In addition, coproDNA extracted from 8 necropsied Tibetan foxes (Vulpes ferrilata), the natural host of E. shiquicus, were also included. Thirty (6/20) percent of faecal samples from dogs were positive for E. shiquicus DNA after PCR amplification of a fragment within the ND1 mitochondrial gene. Echinococcus shiquicus was confirmed by sequencing in four dogs and 3 of the 6 dogs were concurrently infected with E. multilocularis. These were also verified by sequencing. Faecal samples from two Tibetan foxes were shown by PCR to harbour both E. multilocularis and E. shiquicus DNA. One of these dual E. multilocularis and E. shiquicus infections in a Tibetan fox was confirmed by sequencing.
authors.affiliation: Cestode Zoonoses Research Group, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, M5 4WT, Greater Manchester, UK. BBoufana@salford.ac.uk
authors.forename: Belgees
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Boufana
authors.forename: Jiamin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Xinwang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Budke
authors.forename: Maiza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campos-Ponce
authors.forename: Philip S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Craig
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000235:genetics; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D004285:Dogs; D004443:Echinococcosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004446:Echinococcus / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data
chemical_list: D018509:DNA, Helminth