Detection of DNA in tissues of free-ranging red foxes () in Central Italy

Ranieri Verin (1) , Alessandro Poli (1) , Gaetano Ariti (1) , Simona Nardoni (1) , Martina Bertuccelli Fanucchi (1) , Francesca Mancianti (1)

1 Department of Animal Pathology, Prophylaxis and Food Hygiene

To assess the role of the red fox () as a reservoir of leishmaniosis, 92 adult foxes of both genders (58 males and 34 females), shot during the regular hunting seasons in Central Italy, were examined. Blood samples were taken as well as samples from spleen, lymph nodes, and skin to investigate the presence of antibodies against and the presence of the parasite DNA in tissues, by means of a species-specific polymerase chain reaction, respectively. All tested sera were negative as well as skin samples. Forty eight animals (52.2%) had leishmania DNA in the lymph nodes and the splenic samples from eight of them (8.7%) scored positive also. The present report would indicate that foxes in an medium-endemic area seem negligible reservoir for leishmania infection, even if more than 50% of them bear parasite DNA in their lymphatic tissue.

Mots clés: Leishmania; Red fox (); PCR; Reservoir; Lymph node; Skin; DNA

Ranieri Verin, Alessandro Poli, Gaetano Ariti, Simona Nardoni, Martina Bertuccelli Fanucchi, et al.. Detection of DNA in tissues of free-ranging red foxes () in Central Italy. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 2010, 56 (4), pp.689-692. ⟨10.1007/s10344-010-0395-8⟩. ⟨hal-00591225⟩