Pathology of Urinary Bladder in <i>Pearsonema</i> spp. Infected Wildlife from Central Italy

• Main Authors: Claudia Eleni, Alessia Mariacher, Goffredo Grifoni, Elena Cardini, Sara Tonon, Andrea Lombardo, Antonino Barone, Gianluca Fichi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Pathogens
• Subjects: eosinophilic cystitis; mustelids; <i>Pearsonema</i>; red fox; urinary capillariosis; wolf
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/10/4/474

The genus <i>Pearsonema</i>, in the nematode family <i>Capillariidae</i>, includes several species that parasitize the urinary bladders of wild and domestic carnivores. The infection has been reported worldwide from several wildlife species, including canids, mustelids, and felids, but the pathological aspects have seldom been investigated. In order to assess the presence and severity of the lesions in <i>Pearsonema</i>-infected wildlife, we performed a parasitological and pathological examination of urinary bladders from 72 animals, belonging to the families <i>Canidae</i> (red fox <i>Vulpes vulpes</i>, <i>n</i> = 28, and wolf <i>Canis lupus</i>, <i>n</i> = 29) and <i>Mustelidae</i> (beech marten <i>Martes foina</i>, <i>n</i> = 3; pine marten <i>Martes martes</i>, <i>n</i> = 2; and European badger <i>Meles meles</i>, <i>n</i> = 10). A greater prevalence of infection for canids (64.91%; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 52.52–77.30%) than for mustelids (13.33%) (<i>p</i> < 0.001) was recorded. The prevalence of infection in red foxes was 75.0% (95% CI, 58.96–91.04%), in accordance with other reports from European countries, supporting the role of this species as a reservoir for infection. Eosinophilic cystitis was observed in 34 out of the 72 examined animals (47.22%). The influence of <i>Pearsonema</i> sp. infection on the occurrence of eosinophilic cystitis was statistically significant in wolves (<i>p</i> < 0.01), which were also affected by more severe histological lesions compared to foxes.