title: Is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) a competent definitive host for Taenia multiceps?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Shepherd and stray dogs are thought to represent the primary definitive hosts of Coenurosis by Taenia multiceps, due to their feeding habits which translate into high chances of coming into contact with infected intermediate hosts. Nonetheless, little attention has been paid to the role of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in the epidemiology of coenurosis. In fact a knowledge gap exists on the role played by red foxes in the epidemiology of Taenia multiceps and the capability of this parasite to produce fertile and viable eggs in this wild canid, i.e. on the occurrence of a sylvatic cycle. This study investigates the role of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in the epidemiology of T. multiceps and related metacestodoses.
  
  
  METHODS
  The small intestine of 63 red foxes was macroscopically examined for the presence of cestodes. Adult parasites were identified morphologically as being T. multiceps. Tapeworm eggs were counted and stored at 4 °C in physiological saline solution prior to experimental infection of four sheep and one goat. Sheep were inoculated orally on Day 0 with 3000 (sheep 1), 5000 (sheep 2 and 3) or 7000 eggs (sheep 4), while the goat was infected with 5000 eggs of T. multiceps. The animals were followed-up regularly by MRI and underwent surgical treatment between days 180 to day 240 post infection. Collected coenuri were identified using morphological and molecular methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 6.3 % of red foxes were found infected with T. multiceps and the eggs obtained from the worms were determined to have a viability of 45.4 %. Two of the challenged sheep and the goat developed disease compatible with T. multiceps. Morphometrical features of the cysts were consistent with those of T. multiceps; nucleotide amplification and sequencing of mitochondrial genes (i.e., cox1 and Nd1) from the metacestode material confirmed the identification.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study is the first to provide evidence of the role of the red fox as a competent definitive host for T. multiceps, thus changing the epidemiological scenarios of infections by this cestode.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Parassitologia, Ospedale Didattico Veterinario, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy. varcasia@uniss.it.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Varcasia
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Parassitologia, Ospedale Didattico Veterinario, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy. cltamponi@uniss.it.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tamponi
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Parassitologia, Ospedale Didattico Veterinario, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy. gtosciri@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tosciri
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Parassitologia, Ospedale Didattico Veterinario, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy. pipia@uniss.it.
authors.forename: Anna Paola
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Pipia
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Parassitologia, Ospedale Didattico Veterinario, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy. cescodore@tiscali.it.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dore
authors.affiliation: Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. moniezia@zedat.fu-berlin.de.
authors.forename: Rolf Karl
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Schuster
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Animal Diseases, National Research Centre, El-Behouse Street, Dokki, P.O. Box 12622, Cairo, Egypt. kandil_om@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Omnia Mohamed
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Kandil
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Parassitologia, Ospedale Didattico Veterinario, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy. lmanu@uniss.it.
authors.forename: Maria Lucia
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Manunta
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Parassitologia, Ospedale Didattico Veterinario, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Sassari, Italy. scala@uniss.it.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scala
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002590:Cestode Infections / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005589:Foxes; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D013621:Taenia / Q000502:physiology*