Echinococcus spp.in golden jackals (Canis aureus)

Abstract

The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a confirmed definitive host for tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus. As Serbia has one of Europe’s largest resident populations of golden jackals, investigating their role in the transmission and distribution of Echinococcus spp. is of interest to public health. To analyze the population genetics of Echinococcus spp. circulating in golden jackals, the project WORM_PROFILER, which started in March of 2024, is collecting gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of legally hunted animals from different areas of Serbia. For this study, GI tracts of 33 animals were processed. After defrosting, the intestines were cut open longitudinally and feces were transferred into 50 mL centrifuge tubes. The mucosa was scraped and analyzed microscopically to isolate parasites. Approximately 3 g of feces was processed by ZnCl2 flotation and sequential mesh filtration to collect taeniid eggs. The DNA from adult Echinococcus spp. and taeniid eggs was extracted using quick boiling in 0.02 M NaOH and screened by multiplex PCR designed to detect E. multilocularis, E. granulosus and E. canadensis. Examination of the mucosa yielded several gravid Echinococcus tapeworms from the small intestine of one animal from western Serbia and eggs were collected from the feces. PCR identified the tapeworm species as E. multilocularis. Single egg picking and sequencing of the cox1 and nad1 genes is underway. Taeniid eggs were additionally collected from another jackal from the same area, but could not be identified as Echinococcus spp. by PCR. These early findings suggest that E. multilocularis is present in western Serbia and sampling in the same geographical area will be intensified. Processing of additional collected samples is ongoing.