Please cite this article in press as: ´ Cirovi ´ c, D., et al., A large-scale study of the Trichinella genus in the golden jackal (Canis aureus) population in Serbia. Vet. Parasitol. (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.07.022 ARTICLE IN PRESS G Model VETPAR-7709; No. of Pages 4 Veterinary Parasitology xxx (2015) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Veterinary Parasitology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/vetpar A large-scale study of the Trichinella genus in the golden jackal (Canis aureus) population in Serbia Duˇ sko ´ Cirovi ´ c a,∗ , Vlado Teodorovi ´ c b , Dragan Vasilev b , Marija Markovi ´ c c,1 , Nada ´ Cosi ´ c d , Mirjana Dimitrijevi ´ c b , Ivana Klun c , Olgica Djurkovi ´ c-Djakovi ´ c c a Department for Animal Ecology and Zoogeography, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia b Department for Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia c Centre of Excellence for Food- and Vector-borne Zoonoses, Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Dr Suboti´ ca 4, 11129 Belgrade, Serbia d Institute for Biological Research “Siniˇ sa Stankovi´ c”, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 17 June 2015 Received in revised form 19 July 2015 Accepted 21 July 2015 Keywords: Trichinella spiralis Trichinella britovi Golden jackal Canis aureus Serbia The Balkans a b s t r a c t Over the last decades the golden jackal (Canis aureus) has significantly expanded its range throughout Southeast and Central Europe, and the Balkan Peninsula is considered to be a core area of the species distri- bution in this part of the range. Due to its increasing number, ability of long distance movement through a wide range of landscapes and opportunistic feeding habits, the golden jackal may represent an important reservoir and transmitter of a variety of zoonotic agents, including parasites. The Balkans, Serbia included, remain an endemic area for various zoonotic parasites including Trichinella spp. Trichinella has recently been recorded in jackals in Serbia, which prompted us to carry out a large-scale survey of its prevalence, distribution and species identification in this host. In cooperation with local hunters, carcasses of a total of 738 legally hunted golden jackals were collected at 24 localities over an 11-year period (2003–2013). Analysis of tongue base tissue revealed Trichinella larvae in 122, indicating a prevalence of infection of 16.5%. No difference in the prevalence of infection was found between genders [16.2% in males and 16.9% in females ( 2 = 0.05, p = 0.821)], or among the study years (G = 7.22, p = 0.705). Trichinella larvae were found in 13 out of the 24 examined localities. Molecular identification was performed for 90 isolates, and 64 (71.1%) larvae were identified as Trichinella spiralis and 25 (27.9%) as Trichinella britovi. Mixed infection (T. spiralis and T. britovi) was recorded in a single case. Although T. spiralis was more prevalent, T. britovi had a wider distribution, and was the only recorded species in jackal populations from the mountainous region of eastern Serbia. On the other hand, T. spiralis was dominant in jackals in the lowlands of central and northern Serbia, where domestic pigs are mostly reared. These results show that the golden jackal is involved in both the domestic and sylvatic cycle, and that it has emerged as a major host species in the sylvatic cycle of the Trichinella genus. Therefore, continued monitoring of Trichinella infection in golden jackals in Serbia and the whole of the Balkans is recommended in order to control transmission of this parasite to humans and domestic animals. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Trichinellosis is one of the most widespread zoonoses in the world. Infection by nematode parasites of the Trichinella genus has been detected in a wide range of vertebrates (domestic and wild) in all continents, except the Antarctica (Pozio and Darwin Murrell, 2006). The genus comprises no less than nine species and three ∗ Corresponding author. Fax: +381 11 2638500. E-mail address: dcirovic@bio.bg.ac.rs (D. ´ Cirovi ´ c). 1 Present address: Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Prudêncio lab, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal. additional genotypes of yet unclear taxonomic status, of which four, including Trichinella spiralis, Trichinella nativa, Trichinella britovi and Trichinella pseudospiralis circulate in Europe (Pozio and Zarlenga, 2013). In Europe, the Balkans is recognized as an endemic region for Trichinella infections in domestic pigs and humans (Pozio, 2007). Of the 1100 documented cases of human trichinellosis in Europe in 2004, 984 (almost 90%) were reported from Balkan countries including Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Serbia (Dupouy-Camet, 2006). Although wildlife is recognized as the most important reser- voir of the Trichinella genus (Pozio and Darwin Murrell, 2006), data on infection in wildlife in Serbia are scarce. Despite being recorded in different wild species in the ex-Yugoslavia (Slovenia) back in the sixties (Rukavina and Brglez, 1970), only recently has Trichinella http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.07.022 0304-4017/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.