Biomedical subjects

N Müller

Publications and source records attributed to N Müller.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

[Immunology in schizophrenic disorders].

This manuscript deals with whether immune-mediated mechanisms of inflammation contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. A model is presented which integrates psychoneuroimmunologic findings and actual results from pharmacological, neurochemical, and genetic studies in schizophrenia. A pivotal role in the neurobiology of schizophrenia is played by dopaminergic neurotransmission, which is modulated by influences of the glutamatergic system. The decreased function of the glutamate system described in schizophrenia seems primarily mediated by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonism. Kynurenine acid is the only known endogenous NMDA receptor antagonist. In higher concentrations it blocks the NMDA receptor, but in lower concentrations it blocks the nicotinergic acetylcholin receptor, which has a prominent role in cognitive functions. Therefore, higher levels of kynurenine acid may explain psychotic symptoms and cognitive dysfunction. Several findings point out that prenatal infection, associated with an early sensitisation of the immune system, may result in an imbalance of the immune response (type 1 vs type 2) in schizophrenia. This immune constellation leads to inhibition of the enzyme indoleamin dioxigenase (IDO). It and tryptophane 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) both catalyse the degradation from tryptophan to kynurenine. Due to the inhibition of IDO, tryptophan is metabolised to kynurenine primarily by TDO. In the CNS, TDO is located only in astrocytes, which are in particular activated in schizophrenia and in which kynurenine acid is the final product and can not be further metabolised. Therefore kynurenine acid accumulates in the CNS of schizophrenics and - due to its NMDA-antagonistic properties - leads to cognitive dysfunction and psychotic symptoms. This model describes the pathway of immune-mediated glutamatergic-dopaminergic dysregulation, which may lead to the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia. Therapeutic consequences (e.g. cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors) are discussed.

Brain↗

PubMed2006

Expression and diversity of Echinococcus multilocularis AgB genes in secondarily infected mice: evaluating the influence of T-cell immune selection on antigenic variation.

The T-cell-mediated immune response exhibits a crucial function in the control of the intrahepatic proliferation of Echinococcus multilocularis larvae in mice and humans, both being natural intermediate hosts of the parasite. Antigen B (AgB), a metabolized Echinococcus spp. lipoprotein, contributes to the modulation of the T-cell immune response, and distinct sites of the corresponding AgB1, AgB3 and AgB4 genes were shown to be under positive selection pressure. Since several AgB gene variants are present in a single Echinococcus metacestode, we used secondary E. multilocularis infections in BALB/c and in athymic nude mice (devoid of T-cell responses) to analyze the effect of the cellular immune response on the expression and diversity of EmAgB1-EmAgB4 genes. We demonstrated hereby that EmAgB transcripts were less abundant in nude mice during the early phase of infection (at one month post-infection), and that EmAgB2 is simultaneously down-regulated when compared to the other three genes. A negative relationship exists between the level of transcription and diversity of EmAgB genes. Moreover, no excess of non-synonymous substitutions was found among the distinct EmAgB alleles from a single host. Together, these results pointed to the effect of purifying selection, which seemed to eliminate the detrimental AgB variants generated during the development of the metacestode within the peritoneal cavity of its intermediate host.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Redundancy and recombination in the Echinococcus AgB multigene family: is there any similarity with protozoan contingency genes?

Numerous genetic variants of the Echinococcus antigen B (AgB) are encountered within a single metacestode. This could be a reflection of gene redundancy or the result of a somatic hypermutation process. We evaluate the complexity of the AgB multigene family by characterizing the upstream promoter regions of the 4 already known genes (EgAgB1-EgAgB4) and evaluating their redundancy in the genome of 3 Echinococcus species (E. granulosus, E. ortleppi and E. multilocularis) using PCR-based approaches. We have ascertained that the number of AgB gene copies is quite variable, both within and between species. The most repetitive gene seems to be AgB3, of which there are more than 110 copies in E. ortleppi. For E. granulosus, we have cloned and characterized 10 distinct upstream promoter regions of AgB3 from a single metacestode. Our sequences suggest that AgB1 and AgB3 are involved in gene conversion. These results are discussed in light of the role of gene redundancy and recombination in parasite evasion mechanisms of host immunity, which at present are known for protozoan organisms, but virtually unknown for multicellular parasites.

Alleles↗

PubMed2006

Acute trichinellosis increases susceptibility to Giardia lamblia infection in the mouse model.

The intestinal protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia causes diarrhoea in humans and animals. In the present study, we used the C57BL/6 inbred mouse model to assess the impact of a nematode (Trichinella spiralis) infection on the course of a G. lamblia (clone GS/M-83-H7) infection. Acute trichinellosis coincided with transient intestinal inflammation and generated an intestinal environment that strongly promoted growth of G. lamblia trophozoites although the local anti-Giardia immunoglobulin (Ig) A production was not affected. This increased G. lamblia infection intensity correlated with intestinal mast cell infiltration, mast cell degranulation, and total IgE production. Furthermore, a G. lamblia single-infection investigated in parallel also resulted in intestinal mast cell accumulation but severe infiltration was triggered in the absence of IgE. Recently, intestinal mast cells emerging during a G. lamblia infection were reported to be involved in those immunological mechanisms that control intestinal proliferation of the parasite in mice. This anti-giardial activity was assumed to be related to the capacity of mast cells to produce IL-6. However, this previous assumption was questioned by our present immunohistological findings indicating that murine intestinal mast cells, activated during a G. lamblia infection were IL-6-negative. In the present co-infection experiments, mast cells induced during acute trichinellosis were not able to control a concurrent G. lamblia infection. This observation makes it feasible that the T. spiralis infection created an immunological and physiological environment that superimposed the anti-giardial effect of mast cells and thus favoured intestinal growth of G. lamblia trophozoites in double-infected mice. Furthermore, our findings raise the possibility that intestinal inflammation e.g. as a consequence of a 'pre-existing' nematode infection is a factor which contributes to increased susceptibility of a host to a G. lamblia infection. The phenomenon of a 'pre-existing' nematode infection prior to a G. lamblia infection is a frequent constellation in endemic areas of giardiasis and may therefore have a direct impact on the epidemiological situation of the disease.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Incidence of Neospora caninum and other intestinal protozoan parasites in populations of Swiss dogs.

The protozoan parasite Neospora caninum is one of the most important abortifacient organisms in cattle worldwide. The dog is known to act as definitive host although its potential role as infection source for bovines still remains unelucidated. The aim of the present study was to compile initial epidemiological data on the prevalence and incidence of N. caninum in Swiss dogs acting as definitive hosts. Thus, 249 Swiss dogs were investigated coproscopically in monthly intervals over a period of 1 year. A total of 3289 fecal samples was tested by the flotation technique. Among these, 202 were shown to contain Sarcocystis sp. (6.1%), 149 Cystoisospora sp. (=Isospora sp.; 4.5%) and 25 Hammondia/Neospora-like oocysts (HNlO) (0.7%). All but one sample containing HNlO were from different dogs; one dog shed HNlO at two subsequent time points. Calculation of the yearly incidence for HNlO resulted in the surprisingly high value of 9.2%. Farm dogs exhibited a higher incidence for HNlO than urban family dogs. Thirteen out of the 25 HNlO-samples showed sporulation after 5 days incubation at room temperature. HNlO were further differentiated by species-specific PCR. However, all HNlO-samples were negative for N. caninum, Hammondia heydorni and Toxoplasma gondii. One reason may be the low oocyst density found in most fecal samples, which did not permit us to carry out PCR under optimal conditions. Three out of the 25 HNlO-cases contained enough oocysts to allow further enrichment and purification by the flotation technique. Subsequently, twenty to fifty sporulated HNlO-oocysts were orally administered to Meriones unguiculatus. All gerbils were seronegative for N. caninum at 5 weeks p.i. A N. caninum-seroprevalence of 7.8% was determined by ELISA upon 1132 serum samples collected from dogs randomly selected by veterinarians among their clinical patients.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

The cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor celecoxib has therapeutic effects in major depression: results of a double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled, add-on pilot study to reboxetine.

Signs of an inflammatory process, in particular increased pro-inflammatory cytokines and increased levels of prostaglandine E(2) (PGE(2)), have repeatedly been described in major depression (MD). As cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors inhibit the PGE(2) production and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, we performed a therapeutic trial with the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib. In a prospective, double-blind, add-on study, 40 patients suffering from an acute depressive episode were randomly assigned to either reboxetine and celecoxib or to reboxetine plus placebo. After a wash-out period, 20 patients received 4-10 mg reboxetine plus placebo and 20 received reboxetine plus 400 mg celecoxib for 6 weeks. The treatment effect was calculated by analysis of variance. There were no significant differences between groups in age, sex, duration or severity of disease or psychopathology, or reboxetine dose or plasma levels. Over 6 weeks, both groups of patients showed significant improvement in scores of the Hamilton Depression Scale. However, the celecoxib group showed significantly greater improvement compared to the reboxetine-alone group. Additional treatment with celecoxib has significant positive effects on the therapeutic action of reboxetine with regard to depressive symptomatology. Moreover, the fact that treatment with an anti-inflammatory drug showed beneficial effects on MD indicates that inflammation is related to the pathomechanism of the disorder, although the exact mechanisms remain to become elucidated.

Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors↗

PubMed2006

14-3-3- and II/3-10-gene expression as molecular markers to address viability and growth activity of Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes.

The present study aimed to search for and characterize parasite molecules, whose expression levels correlate with the viability and growth activity of Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes. We focused on the expression profiles of 2 parasite-derived genes, 14-3-3 and II/3-10, as putative molecular markers for viability and growth activity of the larval parasite. In experiments in vivo, gene expression levels of 14-3-3 and II/3-10 were relatively quantified by real-time reverse transcription-PCR using a housekeeping gene, beta-actin, as a reference reaction. All three reactions were compared with growth activity of the parasite developing in permissive nu/nu and in non-permissive wild type BALB/c mice. At 2 months p.i., the transcription level of 14-3-3 was significantly higher in parasites actively proliferating in nu/nu mice compared to parasites moderately growing in wild type mice. Immunoblotting experiments confirmed at the protein level that 14-3-3 was over-expressed in parasites derived from nu/nu mice at 2 months p.i. In vitro treatment of E. multilocularis with an anti-echinococcal drug nitazoxanide resulted in a significant decrease of both 14-3-3 and II/3-10 transcription levels found after 8 days of treatment, which correlated with the kinetics of a housekeeping gene, beta-actin. The conclusion is that 14-3-3, combined with II/3-10, exhibits good potential as a molecular marker to assess viability and growth activity of the parasite.

14-3-3 Proteins↗

PubMed2006

[Methods for investigating Trichinella infections in domestic and wild animals].

Trichinellosis is an important parasitic zoonosis that is caused by the intracellular nematode Trichinella spp.. Infection of humans occurs through consumption of raw (or undercooked) meat containing infectious larvae. In Europe, meat from pork, horse, and wild boar have been identified as most important sources of Trichinella infections in humans. In Switzerland, both the domestic pig and wild boar population are considered free of Trichinella. Conversely, Swiss foxes, lynxs and recently a wolf were found to be infected, the species identified in these animals was always referred to as Trichinella britovi. Although this species rarely infects pork and, compared to Trichinella spiralis, only causes reduced pathogenic effects in humans, the basic presence of Trichinella in Switzerland cannot be neglegted. This fact has gained increasing importance since the responsible authorities in the European Union (EU) are preparing regulations for the official Trichinella-control in meat in order to improve food safety for consumers. These regulations will be implemented as a consequence of the recent association of east European countries with the EU. This new legislation particularly takes into account, that in the past by far most cases of human trichinellosis in the EU were due to consumption of imported east European meat.Within the framework of the bilateral agreements of Switzerland with the EU, the Swiss veterinary public health authorities will have to comply with the foreseen EU regulations. Although diagnostic methods for the direct demonstation of Trichinella in pork meat are already routine practice in several Swiss abattoirs, the implementation of a meat control program for Trichinella for the entire slaughter pig population of the country would lead to an enormous increase in costs for the administration and will require an increased infrastructure in veterinary services. In order to find a reduced testing format for monitoring Trichinella infections in Swiss pork, an infection risk-oriented survey strategy is currently evaluated. In the present article, this minimized survey strategy is discussed regarding its compatibility with the EU regulations laying down rules for the official control of meat for Trichinella.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

[Search for Neospora caninum DNA in bull semen using PCR ].

Neospora caninum represents one of the most frequent abortifaciant organisms worldwide. The parasite is diaplacentally transmitted from the pregnant cow to the fetus, where it normally leads to the delivery of a healthy, however persistently infected calf. Abortion thus is a relative rare event. The transmission of bovine neosporosis occurs in more than 90% of the cases vertically due to the endogenous reactivation of a persistently infected mother. Exogenous infections are therefore responsible for less than 10% of the cases. The question arises about which infection sources may be relevant in this context. In Switzerland, the role of dogs as definitive hosts has been shown to be of low significance in that respect. Recently, discussion focused on the potential of infectious bull semen following natural or artificial insemination. Thus, a few years ago a report documented the detectability of N. caninum-DNA in the semen of naturally infected bulls by nested-PCR. As a consequence, we decided to gain own experience by investigating 5 separate semen specimens per animal, originating from 20 N. caninum-seropositive bulls used for artificial insemination in Switzerland. All probes turned out to be negative by nested PCR. Based upon our laboratory experiences, the potential bull semen-associated Neospora-problem seems not to affect the Swiss bull population, thus there is no evidence to include further respective means of control.

Abortion, Veterinary↗

PubMed2006

Comparison of the amount of nuclides released from the spent fuel in contact with and without a compacted bentonite block.

A spent LWR fuel specimen between Ca-bentonite blocks was leached in a simulated bentonite-saturated granitic water (SBGW) for 165 days and its results were compared with those of a specimen leached without a bentonite block. The amounts of Cs, Sb, Sr, Eu, Am, U and Pu released from a 4.3 mm thickness of a fuel pellet with a 50,400 MWD/MTU burn-up in the SBGW without a bentonite block were 2.2, 0.25, 0.15, 0.02, 0.01, 0.01 and approximately 5 x 10(-4)% of their inventories, respectively. However, the amounts of nuclides released from the specimen between the 1.4 Mg/m(3) bentonite blocks were decreased by three times at least. Moreover, the concentrations of the nuclides in the leachate were very low because most of them were retained in the bentonite blocks.

Bentonite↗

PubMed2006

The emergency room transfusion score (ETS): prediction of blood transfusion requirement in initial resuscitation after severe trauma.

The presented study was initiated to develop a scoring system for the prediction of red blood cell transfusion requirement in the early care of trauma patients. All trauma patients admitted to our institution who needed trauma team activation were evaluated during a 4-year period. A set of nine parameters with possible predictive value for the need of blood transfusion was recorded. All relevant data can be acquired during the first 10 min in the emergency room (ER). The data underwent multivariate logistic regression analysis for correlation and the calculation of predictive power. To transform the model into a practical score, we rounded all coefficients. The predictive power of the score was evaluated based on a linear regression equation. Of the 1103 patients (Injury Severity Score [ISS] 21 +/- 16) included in the study, 116 (10.5%; ISS 39 +/- 18) received blood in the ER. Early transfusion need was significantly correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) <90 mmHg (coefficient 2.5), SBP 90-120 mmHg (1.5), free fluid in abdominal ultrasound (2.0), clinically unstable pelvic ring fracture (1.5), age 20-60 years (0.5), age >60 years (1.5), admission from scene (1.0), traffic accident (1.0) and fall from >3 m (1.0). The probability for transfusion exponentially increased with the sum of points in the ER transfusion score, i.e. from 0.7% at one point to 5% at three points and 97% at 9.5 points maximum. To establish a practical cutoff point (risk <5%) a low-risk group was defined at <points (64% of the whole study group). The presented ER transfusion score is based on rapidly assessable parameters. The score identifies patients in need for immediate red blood cell substitution. Cost effectiveness appears to be a further advantage of the score. For patients not in need of urgent transfusion (low-risk group), the costs for transportation, cross-matching and loss by maltreatment of blood products may be avoided.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Recent insights into the mucosal reactions associated with Giardia lamblia infections.

Giardia lamblia is an intestinal protozoan parasite infecting humans and various other mammalian hosts. The most important clinical signs of giardiasis are diarrhoea and malabsorption. Giardia lamblia is able to undergo continuous antigenic variation of its major surface antigen, named VSP (variant surface protein). While intestinal antibodies, and more specifically anti-VSP IgA antibodies, were proven to be involved in modulating antigenic variation of the parasite the participation of the local antibody response in control of the parasite infection is still controversial. Conversely, previous studies based on experimental infections in mice showed that cellular immune mechanisms are essential for elimination of the parasite from its intestinal habitat. Furthermore, recent data indicated that inflammatory mast cells have a potential to directly, or indirectly, interfere in duodenal growth of G. lamblia trophozoites. However, this finding was challenged by other reports, which did not find a correlation between intestinal inflammation and resistance to infection. Since intestinal infiltration of inflammatory cells and/or CD8+T-cells were demonstrated to coincide with villus-shortening and crypt hyperplasia immunological reactions were considered to be a potential factor of pathogenesis in giardiasis. The contribution of physiological factors to pathogenesis was essentially assessed in vitro by co-cultivation of G. lamblia trophozoites with epithelial cell lines. By using this in vitro model, molecular (through surface lectins) and mechanical (through ventral disk) adhesion of trophozoites to the epithelium was shown to be crucial for increased epithelial permeability. This phenomenon as well as other Giardia-induced intestinal abnormalities such as loss of intestinal brush border surface area, villus flattening, inhibition of disaccharidase activities, and eventually also overgrowth of the enteric bacterial flora seem to be involved in the pathophysiology of giardiasis. However, it remains to be elucidated whether at least part of these pathological effects are causatively linked to the clinical manifestation of the disease.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Two cases of feline leishmaniosis in Switzerland.

Two cats with Leishmania species infections were investigated. The first had been imported from Spain with a non-healing, ulcerated nodule on a hindleg. The presence of Leishmania species was detected by histopathology and pcr on samples of skin. The lesion was unresponsive to treatment with allopurinol for three months but the cat was treated successfully by removing the lesion surgically. The second cat had lived in both Spain and Switzerland, and had a history of recurrent skin lesions on its head and neck. A diagnosis of pemphigus foliaceus was made on the basis of histopathology, but Leishmania species serology (elisa) and pcr of skin were positive, leading to a diagnosis of a Leishmania species infection combined with pemphigus foliaceus.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

[Differential indications for atypical neuroleptics: Amisulprid, Clozapin, Olanzapin, Quetiapin und Risperidon. Results of a pilot study of prescription habits in psychiatric clinical usage in the BRD].

With the introduction of atypical neuroleptics, the therapy of schizophrenia has been improved by a group of antipsychotic substances characterized by better tolerability concerning extrapyramidal side effects and higher efficiency against negative symptoms. However, these atypical antipsychotics are not a homogeneous class of drugs but rather represent a group of substances with very different neurobiologic, pharmacologic, and clinical features. This fact and the growing variety of available atypical neuroleptics illustrate the difficulty in choosing the "right" antipsychotic drug for each patient. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate preliminary empirical data for possible differential indication of atypical neuroleptics by a questionnaire-based survey of 192 physicians in ten psychiatric hospitals active in the biological psychiatry work group of the German Federal Directors' Conference.

Antipsychotic Agents↗

PubMed2005

Toltrazuril treatment to control diaplacental Neospora caninum transmission in experimentally infected pregnant mice.

We addressed the question whether diaplacental transmission of Neospora caninum can be controlled by metaphylactic chemotherapy using toltrazuril or enrofloxacin. Female C57/BL6 mice, infected on day 10 of pregnancy, were medicated for 6 consecutive days p.i. with 52.5 mg toltrazuril or - as an out-group control medication--16.7 mg enrofloxacin per kg body weight per day. Other control groups received either infection but no medication or vice versa. Toltrazuril treatment significantly reduced pre- and perinatal losses (10 deliveries of healthy newborns, versus 1 abortion and 4 failures) when compared to control-enrofloxacin (2 deliveries, versus 1 abortion, 7 failures and 2 pre-parturient deaths of dams) and non-treated animals (3 deliveries, versus 6 abortions, 8 failures and 4 pre-parturient deaths). Simultaneously, PCR-based parasite detection in the brain of mothers, histopathological findings as well as clinical fatality were significantly less frequent in toltrazuril-treated dams. The overall toltrazuril treatment efficacy was determined as 87 %, that of enrofloxacin-treatment as 17 %. The progenies of toltrazuril-treated dams also exhibited a very low rate of PCR-positivity in their brain (3 out of 39), whereas untreated dams delivered litters with mostly PCR-positive brains (12 out of 14) and a relatively high death rate post-partum (5 out of 19 newborns died). Mice subjected to a second mating delivered newborns all negative by N. caninum-PCR, indicating that diaplacental tachyzoite passage does not occur in a later, repeated pregnancy. Overall, our experiments showed that toltrazuril-treatment of an acute N. caninum-infection--induced during pregnancy--results in a clear reduction of fetal losses and a marked reduction of diaplacental passage of the parasite to the fetal brain, whereas enrofloxacin, as an out-group control substance, failed to show the same effect.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Quantitative assessment of sense and antisense transcripts from genes involved in antigenic variation (vsp genes) and encystation (cwp 1 gene) of Giardia lamblia clone GS/M-83-H7.

Antigenic variation of the intestinal protozoan parasite Giardia lamblia is caused by an exchange of the parasite's variant surface protein (VSP) coat. Many investigations on antigenic variation were performed with G. lamblia clone GS/M-83-H7 which produces surface antigen VSP H7. To generate novel information on giardial vsp gene transcription, vsp RNA levels were assessed by quantitative reverse transcription-(RT)-PCR in both axenic VSP H7-type trophozoites and subvariants obtained after negative selection of GS/M-83-H7 trophozoites by treatment with a cytotoxic, VSP H7-specific monoclonal antibody. Our investigation was not restricted to the assessment of the sense vsp transcript levels but also included an approach aimed at the detection of complementary antisense vsp transcripts within the two trophozoite populations. We found that sense vsp H7 RNA predominated in VSP H7-type trophozoites while sense RNA from only one (vsp IVg) of 8 subvariant vsp genes totally analysed predominated in subvariant-type trophozoites. Interestingly, the two trophozoite populations exhibited a similar relative distribution regarding the vsp H7 and vsp IVg antisense RNA molecules. An analogous sense versus antisense RNA pattern was also observed when the transcripts of gene cwp 1 (encoding cyst wall protein 1) were investigated. Here, both types of RNA molecules only appeared after cwp 1 had been induced through in vitro encystation of the parasite. These findings for the first time demonstrated that giardial antisense RNA production did not occur in a constitutive manner but was directly linked to complementary sense RNA production after activation of the respective gene systems.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Organotypic slice cultures from rat brain tissue: a new approach for Naegleria fowleri CNS infection in vitro.

The free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri is the aetiological agent of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a disease leading to death in the vast majority of cases. In patients suffering from PAM, and in corresponding animal models, the brain undergoes a massive inflammatory response, followed by haemorrhage and severe tissue necrosis. Both, in vivo and in vitro models are currently being used to study PAM infection. However, animal models may pose ethical issues, are dependent upon availability of specific infrastructural facilities, and are time-consuming and costly. Conversely, cell cultures lack the complex organ-specific morphology found in vivo, and thus, findings obtained in vitro do not necessarily reflect the situation in vivo. The present study reports infection of organotypic slice cultures from rat brain with N. fowleri and compares the findings in this culture system with in vivo infection in a rat model of PAM, that proved complementary to that of mice. We found that brain morphology, as present in vivo, is well retained in organotypic slice cultures, and that infection time-course including tissue damage parallels the observations in vivo in the rat. Therefore, organotypic slice cultures from rat brain offer a new in vitro approach to study N. fowleri infection in the context of PAM.

Amebiasis↗

PubMed2005

Alveolar echinococcosis in the zoological garden Basle.

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a rare, but potentially severe zoonotic disease caused by Echinococcus (E.) multilocularis. Recent findings indicated an increasing importance of AE for non-human primates living in regions endemic for E. multilocularis. The death of five cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) and a lowland gorilla (Gorilla g. gorilla) due to AE raised concern about the incidence of this parasite in the Basle Zoo. Consequently, a project was initiated to investigate the prevalence amongst an affected group of cynomolgus monkeys, as well as in foxes and mice. Three out of 46 monkeys were seropositive for E. multilocularis antigen. In two of these monkeys and in another three animals, which were seronegative, structures compatible with metacestodal cysts were observed using ultrasonography. Seven out of 35 free roaming foxes caught at the zoo were positive for an intestinal E. multilocularis copro-antigen ELISA, four of them shed taeniid eggs simultaneously. No lesions compatible with AE were present in 50 necropsied mice from the zoo area. These results indicate that the fox population is a potential source to introduce E. multilocularis and may thus represent a risk for the zoo animals.

Animals↗