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Cystic echinococcosis in sheep and goats of Lebanon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2021

Gaelle Joanny ,
Naunain Mehmood ,
Giorgia Dessì ,
Claudia Tamponi ,
Francesca Nonnis ,
Chadi Hosri ,
Urmas Saarma Open the ORCID record for Urmas Saarma [Opens in a new window] ,
Antonio Varcasia Open the ORCID record for Antonio Varcasia [Opens in a new window]  and
Antonio Scala
Gaelle Joanny
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
Naunain Mehmood
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan
Giorgia Dessì
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
Claudia Tamponi
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
Francesca Nonnis
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
Chadi Hosri
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, Lebanese University, Dekwaneh, Lebanon
Urmas Saarma
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
Antonio Varcasia*
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
Antonio Scala
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
*
Author for correspondence: Antonio Varcasia, E-mail: varcasia@uniss.it
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Abstract

Cystic echinococcosis (CE), a zoonotic disease caused by the species complex of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.), is endemic in Middle East and the Mediterranean basin, where pastoral activity is widespread. Despite the chronic endemicity of the disease in Lebanon and neighbouring countries, recent data are scant. The objectives of this survey were to evaluate the current epidemiology of CE in Lebanon, investigate the prevalence and determine the infecting genotypes in locally raised sheep and goats. A multidimensional approach combining post-mortem inspection of slaughtered animals and molecular diagnosis of the parasite was conducted to this end. From 2018 to 2020, 62.9% of the sheep and 20.9% of the goats were found positive for CE. The presence of hydatids varied between organs, showing higher prevalence in the liver of sheep vs the lungs of goats, however, a higher fertility rate of hydatid cyst was observed in lungs for both animals. Molecular diagnosis based on partial mitochondrial cox1 gene (795 bp) showed that the majority of isolates were identified as E. granulosus sensu stricto (98.7%) and only one isolate from goat was identified as Echinococcus canadensis (genotype G7; 1.3%). Echinococcus granulosus s.s. population among the sheep and goats was represented by 22 haplotypes having very little genetic differentiation and relatively moderate haplotype diversity. Population demographics explored through neutrality indices suggested expanding population within the intermediate hosts. These results document the high prevalence of CE in the livestock of Lebanon and reveal for the first time the presence of three different genotypes G1, G3 and G7.

Keywords

Cystic echinococcosisE. canadensisE. granulosus s.sgoatshaplotypesLebanonsheep
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 148 , Issue 7 , June 2021 , pp. 871 - 878
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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