Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0016632 (Fox)
 1,461 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Alveolar echinococcosis, caused by the metacestode of Echinococcus multilocularis, is a zoonosis with a wider distribution area than described in the past. Fox populations living in the Alpine regions of Italy had been considered free from this parasite until 2002, when two infected foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were detected in the Bolzano province (Trentino Alto Adige region) near the Austrian border. The aim of this work was to evaluate the prevalence of infection in red fox populations from five Italian regions. A modified nested PCR analysis was used to detect E. multilocularis DNA in faecal samples. Amplicons were confirmed by sequencing. Of 500 faecal samples from foxes shot in Valle d'Aosta (n=57), Liguria (n=44), Lombardy (n=102), Veneto (n=56), and Trentino Alto Adige (n=241) regions, 24 animals, all from the Trentino Alto Adige region, were found positive. Twenty-two positive animals originated from the Bolzano province and two positive animals from the Trento province. Several localities of the Bolzano province, in which positive foxes were detected, are the same as those where alveolar echinococcosis had been described in humans in the second half of the 19th century, suggesting an old endemicity for the investigated area, which is adjacent to endemic areas of Austria. Therefore, the question arises if we are observing an increase and expansion of foci, or if the new records are due to the more sensitive and specific methods used to detect the worm DNA.
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PMID:Echinococcus multilocularis in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) of the Italian Alpine region: is there a focus of autochthonous transmission? 1599 16

Alveolar echinococcosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the metacestode of the tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis. Fox populations living in the Alpine regions of Italy had been considered free from this parasite until 2002, when two infected foxes were detected in Bolzano province (Trentino Alto Adige region) near Austrian border. A modified nested PCR analysis was used to detect E. multilocularis DNA in faecal samples belonging to red fox populations from five Italian regions. A total of 522 faecal samples were analysed from foxes shot in Valle d'Aosta (N = 65), Liguria (N = 44), Lombardy (N = 105), Veneto (N = 67), and Trentino Alto Adige (N = 241) regions. Among these, 24 samples, all from the Trentino Alto Adige region, were found positive. Moreoever, 1406 faecal samples of red foxes were analyzed by CA-ELISAs commercial test kit. This paper provides an update of the epidemiological knowledge of this parasite in north Italy.
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PMID:Echinococcus multilocularis in north Italy. 1688 94

Alveolar echinococcosis is caused by a parasitic tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis and is a serious disease with high fatality in humans. The definitive primary host is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) but domestic animals (dogs and to a lesser extent cats) as well as several genera of rodents can also be infected with the parasite. There is, to date, no evidence of indigenous cases of E. multilocularis in Great Britain (GB) but in most of continental Europe the parasite is considered to be endemic and/or slowly spreading. All pet dogs entering the United Kingdom (UK) under the pet travel scheme (PETS) are therefore currently treated with an anthelmintic effective against Echinococcus spp. Surveillance of red foxes is required to demonstrate disease freedom and maintain this regulation to prevent further geographical spread of the parasite to free areas within the EU. A study of 588 wild red foxes collected from across Great Britain (GB) between October 1999 and November 2000 found no Echinococcus spp. This report describes a further study of GB foxes collected predominately during 2005 and 2006. Fox faecal samples (n=384) were examined for both E. multilocularis and Echinococcus granulosus using an egg isolation procedure followed by PCR method, based on published primer sets. A non-specific primer set that amplifies Taenia spp. as well as Mesocestoides, Dipylidium and Diphyllobothrium was also included in the assay to validate the test procedure as these parasites are expected to be more common in wild fox populations. All faecal samples tested negative for both E. multilocularis and E. granulosus but results for approximately 35% of the samples indicated the presence of Taenia spp. or other closely related cestodes. This data contributes to the evidence that suggests that E. multilocularis is not present in mainland Britain and justifies the requirement for ongoing surveillance to demonstrate disease freedom.
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PMID:A diagnostic study of Echinococcus multilocularis in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from Great Britain. 2284 Jun 43