title: Hunting dogs as sentinel animals for monitoring infections with Trichinella spp. in wildlife.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nematode parasites of the genus Trichinella are important foodborne pathogens transmitted by ingestion of striated muscles harbouring infective larvae. Wild carnivorous and omnivorous animals are the most important reservoirs of these parasites. Hunting activities play an important role in Trichinella spp.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The aim of the present work was to assess if serological detection of anti-Trichinella IgG in hunting dogs can be a tool to indirectly monitor Trichinella spp. infections in wildlife.
  
  
  METHODS
  An ELISA and a Western blot (Wb) were developed and validated. To validate the assays, serum samples were collected from 598 dogs considered to be Trichinella-free, 15 naturally infected dogs, and six experimentally infected foxes. Sera were tested by ELISA with Trichinella spiralis excretory/secretory antigens. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of ELISA were 100 % (95 % CI: 83.89-100 %) and 95.65 % (95 % CI: 93.69-97.14 %), respectively. Sera from Trichinella-infected dogs/foxes tested by Wb showed a three-band pattern ranging from 48 to 72 kDa. Since the prevalence of Toxocara canis is very high in dogs, the specificity of the ELISA and Wb was further assessed by testing sera for anti-T. canis IgG using T. canis excretory/secretory antigens. No cross-reactivity was observed. To evaluate the test's reliability in the field, serum samples were collected from wild boar hunting dogs from Central Italy where Trichinella britovi was circulating among wildlife.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 384 hunting dog sera, 189 (49.2 %) tested positive by ELISA and of these, 56 (29.6 %) tested positive by Wb, showing an overall prevalence of 14.6 % (56/384) in the wild boar hunting dog population of the investigated area. The serological prevalence in hunting dogs was significantly (P < 0.001) associated with the hunting district's altitude. This is in agreement with previous investigations, which had shown that the prevalence of T. britovi in wildlife was higher in mountainous areas than in lowland areas of Italy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that the circulation of Trichinella spp. among wildlife can be monitored by testing sera from hunting dogs, which could act as sentinel animals of Trichinella spp. circulation in wildlife.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy. mariaangeles.gomezmorales@iss.it.
authors.forename: Maria Angeles
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gómez-Morales
authors.affiliation: U.F. Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria e Sicurezza Alimentare, ASL 2, Lucca, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Selmi
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ludovisi
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amati
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fiorentino
authors.affiliation: School of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Bologna, Ozzano Emilia, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Breviglieri
authors.affiliation: School of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Bologna, Ozzano Emilia, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Poglayen
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pozio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000097:blood*; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D014234:Trichinella / Q000276:immunology*; D014235:Trichinellosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth
keywords: ELISA; Epidemiology; Helminths; Hunting dogs; Serology; Toxocara canis; Trichinella; Western blot; Wildlife