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Local transmission of the eye worm Thelazia callipaeda in southern Germany

Magnis, Johannes ; Naucke, Thorsten ; Mathis, Alexander ; Deplazes, Peter ; Schnyder, Manuela

In: Parasitology Research, 2010, vol. 106, no. 3, p. 715-717

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    Title
    • Local transmission of the eye worm Thelazia callipaeda in southern Germany
    Author
    • Magnis, Johannes. Kleintierklinik Dr. S. Wisniewski, An der Rennbahn 16a, 76473, Iffezheim, Germany
    • Naucke, Thorsten. Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund Freud Strasse 25, 53105, Bonn, Germany
    • Mathis, Alexander. Institute of Parasitology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 266a, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Deplazes, Peter. Institute of Parasitology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 266a, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Schnyder, Manuela. Institute of Parasitology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 266a, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    Classification
    • Biology, Life sciences
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:316650
    Summary
    This report describes the first assumed locally transmitted case of the eye worm Thelazia callipaeda in a dog living in southern Germany. A 4-year-old male golden retriever from the town of Bühl in north eastern Baden-Württemberg, about 10km from the German-French border, showed one sided lacrimation for over 2weeks. Despite the application of antibiotics, there was no improvement, and the dog additionally showed blepharospasmus, epiphora and red conjunctivas. A deepened eye inspection revealed five whitish filiform parasites that were morphologically identified as T. callipaeda. The partial sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox1, 605bp) from one specimen revealed a novel haplotype, which differs by 1.3% from the only one (haplotype 1) identified in Europe so far. Since the infected dog had never been abroad with the exception of two daytrips to the close Alsace region in France, the transmission of T. callipaeda most probably was domestic. With the presence of end hosts and Phortica flies nourishing on lachrymal secretions acting as intermediate hosts and an increasing number of dogs travelling to and coming from endemic regions in the South, the establishment of T. callipaeda in large parts of Europe cannot be excluded