Abstract
Infections with zoonotic pathogens have received increasing attention in recent years, as reflected in the literature of both veterinary and human medicine. Cryptosporidium and Giardia are recognised as the principal causes of waterborne outbreaks worldwide, but there is still limited data on the role of wild carnivores, such as red foxes and wolves, as reservoir hosts and in disseminating these pathogens in the environment. The aim of the current project was to analyse the prevalence and abundance of Cryptosporidium and Giardia infections in foxes from seven voivodeships and in wolves from the Warmia-Masuria Voivodeship in Poland and to conduct a phylogenetic analysis of the detected parasites. For the detection of both parasites, we used the commercial immunofluorescent assay MeriFluor Cryptosporidium/Giardia. For Cryptosporidium detection we also applied modified Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining of faecal smears and, following PCR amplification, sequenced the 18S rDNA locus. For Giardia detection, we sequenced the glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) gene. In total, 117 and 69 faecal samples obtained from red foxes and wolves, respectively, were screened for the presence of Cryptoporidium/Giardia. In red foxes, prevalence was 38.5% and 15.4% for Cryptosporidium spp. and G. intestinalis, respectively. In wolves, the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. was 14.5%, and only one sample was Giardia-positive. Cryptosporidium canis, Cryptosporidium sp. vole genotype, C. baileyi and Cryptosporidium sp. were identified in red foxes, while C. canis and Cryptosporidium sp. were detected in wolves. Our results indicate that red foxes and grey wolves act as reservoir hosts of Cryptosporidium spp. and G. intestinalis in natural areas in Poland.