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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #415312
Research Project: Foodborne Parasites and their Impact on Food Safety

Location: Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory

Title: Trichinella murrelli Pozio and La Rosa, 2000 in a gray fox (Urocyon cinereargenteus) from Pennsylvania: A new host record for this zoonotic nematode

Author
item Thompson, Peter
item DE ARAUJO, LARISSA - Orise Fellow
item GUPTA, ADITYA - Orise Fellow
item Kay, Sasha
item Kwok, Oliver
item BATTLE, JAY - Orise Fellow
item VAN WHY, KYLE - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA)
item BROWN, JUSTIN - University Of Pennsylvania
item Rosenthal, Benjamin
item Dubey, Jitender

Submitted to: Journal of Parasitology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/15/2024
Publication Date: 10/16/2024
Citation: Thompson, P.C., De Araujo, L., Gupta, A., Kay, S., Kwok, O.C., Battle, J., Van Why, K., Brown, J., Rosenthal, B.M., Dubey, J.P. 2024. Trichinella murrelli Pozio and La Rosa, 2000 in a gray fox (Urocyon cinereargenteus) from Pennsylvania: A new host record for this zoonotic nematode. Journal of Parasitology. 110(5):502-505. https://doi.org/10.1645/24-53.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1645/24-53

Interpretive Summary: Trichinellosis (or trichinosis) is a parasitic disease occurring worldwide. Human trichinellosis has been known for more than two centuries; extreme cases can cause death. Uncooked pork was the main source of human infection until successful control efforts relegated most cases to consumption of wild game. Thirteen species/subspecies/genotypes of Trichinella have thus far been identified; of these, Trichinella spiralis poses the greatest risk as a human pathogen, given its ability to establish long-lasting and intense infections in pigs. Development of better farm practices has reduced Trichinella infections in domestic pigs to almost negligible. However, clinical trichinellosis continues to occur in the USA, mainly due to other zoonotic species of Trichinella in wildlife. Trichinella murrelli is the predominant species circulating in wildlife in the USA and is zoonotic Here. the authors report gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in Pennsylvania as a new host for T. murrelli.This information will be of interest to biologists, wildlife scientists, hunters, parasitologists and veterinarians.

Technical Abstract: Trichinella murrelli Pozio and La Rosa, 2000, is the primary sylvatic trichinellid encountered in temperate North America. During a survey for Sarcocystis in wild canids, a single worm matching the morphology of encapsulated Trichinella was observed in a muscle tissue squash from a gray fox male originating from Pennsylvania. The worm was photographed and then separated from the host tissue by artificial digestion, and genomic DNA was extracted from the worm. This DNA was subjected to species-specific multiplex PCR and short-read genomic sequencing. The banding pattern of the multiplex PCR indicated that the worm was T. murrelli, and the sequence of the mitochondrial Cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene and the ribosomal 18S ribosomal RNA, Internal Transcribed Spacer 1, 5.8S ribosomal RNA, Internal Transcribed Spacer 2, and 28S ribosomal RNA confirmed the diagnosis. This is the first report of T. murrelli in gray foxes that includes assays for assigning parasite species. This report confirms suspected data from surveys conducted over 30 yr ago and establishes a new host record for T. murrelli.