title: Wild Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) as Sentinels of Parasitic Diseases in the Province of Soria, Northern Spain.
abstract: Four hundred red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were examined for ecto- (arthropods) and endoparasites (Leishmania spp., Trichinella spp., and intestinal parasites). Different species of flea (total prevalence, 40.50%), tick (16.25%), mite (7.25%), and fly (1.50%) were identified. The most prevalent flea was Pulex irritans (found on 29% of the foxes); the most prevalent tick, mite, and fly were Ixodes canisuga (on 5%), Sarcoptes scabiei (on 5.25%), and Hippobosca equina (on 1%), respectively. The endoparasites identified included Leishmania spp. (found in 12% of the foxes), Trichinella spp. (in 15.5%, with T. britovi the most prevalent species in 15.25%), Cestoda (in 72.75%, with Mesocestoides spp. the most prevalent in 69.50%), and intestinal ascarids (in 73.25%, with Ancylostoma caninum the most prevalent in 12.50%). No animal was free of parasites. The present results suggest that foxes can act as sentinels of diseases transmitted by ecto- and endoparasites.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Alcalá University , Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain .
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lledó
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Alcalá University , Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain .
authors.forename: Consuelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giménez-Pardo
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Alcalá University , Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain .
authors.forename: José Vicente
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Saz
authors.affiliation: 2 Territorial Health and Social Welfare Service of the Junta de Castilla y León , Soria, Spain .
authors.forename: José Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Serrano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000145:classification*; D002589:Cestoda / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D005589:Foxes / Q000469:parasitology*; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D007891:Leishmania / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008297:Male; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D005423:Siphonaptera / Q000145:classification; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013987:Ticks / Q000145:classification; D014234:Trichinella / Q000302:isolation & purification*
keywords: Epidemiology; Foxes; Parasitology; Sentinel species; Transmission