Tapeworms detected in wolf populations in Central Italy (Umbria and Marche regions): A long-term study.

ABSTRACT: Tapeworms are trophically-transmitted and multi-host parasites with a complex indirect life cycle, strictly depending on predator-prey interactions. Their presence in a free-living population, mainly definitive hosts, is arduous to study due to the complexity of collecting fecal samples. However, epidemiological studies on their frequency are crucial from a public health perspective, providing information on food habits and prey selection of predators. The present study aims to update the frequency of tapeworms detected in stool samples by molecular analysis in Italian wolf populations of Umbria and Marche regions collected from 2014 to 2022. Tapeworm's total frequency was 43.2%. In detail, Taenia serialis was detected in 27 samples (21.6%), T. hydatigena in 22 (17.6%), and <

SUBMITTER: Crotti S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10070192 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature