title: The spread of zoonotic Thelazia callipaeda in the Balkan area.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Thelazia callipaeda (Spirurida, Thelaziidae), also known as "oriental eyeworm", is a small nematode parasite that lives in the conjunctival sac of domestic and wild carnivores, rabbits and even humans, causing mild (e.g., conjunctivitis, epiphora, and ocular discharge) to severe (e.g., keratitis, and corneal ulcers) ocular disease. This study reports, for the first time, the occurrence of T. callipaeda infection in the Balkan regions (i.e., Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia), it provides genetic evidence on the origin of the infection in that area and discusses potential expansion pathways in the near future.
  
  
  METHODS
  This survey was conducted in two Western Balkan countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. At necropsy, from January 2011 to April 2014, a total of 184 carcasses of red foxes were examined throughout the study area and worms were collected from the conjunctival sac. In the same period, worms were also collected during clinical examination from the conjunctival sac of four dogs and a cat from Bosnia and Herzegovina and two dogs from Croatia. All nematodes collected were morphologically identified and molecularly characterized by sequencing of partial cox1 gene.
  
  
  RESULTS
  T. callipaeda was observed in 51 (27.71%) foxes and the highest prevalence (50.0%) was in the region of East Bosnia. Beside the 4 cases of hyperemia (7.84%), most of the infected animals had no signs of ocular infection (n = 47, 92.15%). A total of 417 adult nematodes collected (364 from foxes, 51 from dogs, 2 from cat) were morphologically and molecularly identified as T. callipaeda haplotype 1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first report of autochthonous cases of T. callipaeda infection in red foxes, dogs and cat in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia and data presented here suggest that reports of thelaziosis in other Balkan areas are, as yet, not diagnosed most likely due to the lack of awareness of practitioners. In addition, data regarding the spread of the infection in Europe over the last ten years suggests that an increasing pattern in the distribution of this disease in domestic and wild animals should be expected in the future.
authors: Adnan
authors: A
authors: Hodžić
authors: Maria Stefania
authors: MS
authors: Latrofa
authors: Giada
authors: G
authors: Annoscia
authors: Amer
authors: A
authors: Alić
authors: Relja
authors: R
authors: Beck
authors: Riccardo Paolo
authors: RP
authors: Lia
authors: Filipe
authors: F
authors: Dantas-Torres
authors: Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, Bari, Valenzano, Italy. d.otranto@veterinaria.uniba.it.
authors: Domenico
authors: D
authors: Otranto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017522:Bosnia and Herzegovina / Q000453:epidemiology; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D002415:Cats; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D005589:Foxes; D008297:Male; D017205:Spirurida Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013802:Thelazioidea / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015047:Zoonoses