Morphological and Molecular Identification of Obligatory Myiasis-Causing Species in Wild Cervids in Croatia
The infestation of ruminants by fly larvae of the Oestridae family can lead to nasopharyngeal or subcutaneous myiasis, which can harm animal welfare and productivity on sheep and cattle farms. The infestation of wild ruminants allows them to serve as reservoirs for subsequent transfer to domestic an...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Ema Gagović Daria Jurković Žilić Krunoslav Pintur Adnan Hodžić Šimun Naletilić Relja Beck |
| author_facet | Ema Gagović Daria Jurković Žilić Krunoslav Pintur Adnan Hodžić Šimun Naletilić Relja Beck |
| author_sort | Ema Gagović |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The infestation of ruminants by fly larvae of the Oestridae family can lead to nasopharyngeal or subcutaneous myiasis, which can harm animal welfare and productivity on sheep and cattle farms. The infestation of wild ruminants allows them to serve as reservoirs for subsequent transfer to domestic animals. The fly species most commonly responsible for myiasis have been well studied in many parts of the world, but less so in southeastern Europe. Here, we identified three botfly species among 197 subcutaneous larvae and 138 nasopharyngeal larvae from 36 wild roe deer (<i>Capreolus capreolus</i>) and 9 wild red deer (<i>Cervus elaphus</i>) at 30 locations across Croatia. Instars were stored in 75% ethanol and their species and developmental stage were identified based on morphological and morphometric keys. Subcutaneous larvae in both cervid species were identified as <i>Hypoderma diana</i>, while nasopharyngeal larvae were identified as <i>Cephenemyia simulator</i> in roe deer and <i>Pharyngomyia picta</i> in red deer. Partial sequencing of the gene-encoding mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I confirmed the taxonomic classification of <i>C. stimulator</i> and <i>P. picta</i> but was unable to confirm that of <i>H. diana</i> for lack of previously published sequences. This study appears to be the first to combine the morphological and molecular characterization of myiasis-causing botflies in wild cervids in southeastern Europe. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a7aebbd7b969445b95bfb4d7262cc418 |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
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| spelling | doaj-art-a7aebbd7b969445b95bfb4d7262cc4182025-01-24T13:18:05ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-01-0115220810.3390/ani15020208Morphological and Molecular Identification of Obligatory Myiasis-Causing Species in Wild Cervids in CroatiaEma Gagović0Daria Jurković Žilić1Krunoslav Pintur2Adnan Hodžić3Šimun Naletilić4Relja Beck5Department of Bacteriology and Parasitology, Croatian Veterinary Institute, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Bacteriology and Parasitology, Croatian Veterinary Institute, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation, Karlovac University of Applied Sciences, 47000 Karlovac, CroatiaCentre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science (CMESS), Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, University of Vienna, 1010 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Pathology, Croatian Veterinary Institute, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Bacteriology and Parasitology, Croatian Veterinary Institute, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaThe infestation of ruminants by fly larvae of the Oestridae family can lead to nasopharyngeal or subcutaneous myiasis, which can harm animal welfare and productivity on sheep and cattle farms. The infestation of wild ruminants allows them to serve as reservoirs for subsequent transfer to domestic animals. The fly species most commonly responsible for myiasis have been well studied in many parts of the world, but less so in southeastern Europe. Here, we identified three botfly species among 197 subcutaneous larvae and 138 nasopharyngeal larvae from 36 wild roe deer (<i>Capreolus capreolus</i>) and 9 wild red deer (<i>Cervus elaphus</i>) at 30 locations across Croatia. Instars were stored in 75% ethanol and their species and developmental stage were identified based on morphological and morphometric keys. Subcutaneous larvae in both cervid species were identified as <i>Hypoderma diana</i>, while nasopharyngeal larvae were identified as <i>Cephenemyia simulator</i> in roe deer and <i>Pharyngomyia picta</i> in red deer. Partial sequencing of the gene-encoding mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I confirmed the taxonomic classification of <i>C. stimulator</i> and <i>P. picta</i> but was unable to confirm that of <i>H. diana</i> for lack of previously published sequences. This study appears to be the first to combine the morphological and molecular characterization of myiasis-causing botflies in wild cervids in southeastern Europe.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/208<i>Hypoderma diana</i><i>Cephenemyia simulator</i><i>Pharyngomyia picta</i><i>Capreolus capreolus</i><i>Cervus elaphus</i>detection |
| spellingShingle | Ema Gagović Daria Jurković Žilić Krunoslav Pintur Adnan Hodžić Šimun Naletilić Relja Beck Morphological and Molecular Identification of Obligatory Myiasis-Causing Species in Wild Cervids in Croatia Animals <i>Hypoderma diana</i> <i>Cephenemyia simulator</i> <i>Pharyngomyia picta</i> <i>Capreolus capreolus</i> <i>Cervus elaphus</i> detection |
| title | Morphological and Molecular Identification of Obligatory Myiasis-Causing Species in Wild Cervids in Croatia |
| title_full | Morphological and Molecular Identification of Obligatory Myiasis-Causing Species in Wild Cervids in Croatia |
| title_fullStr | Morphological and Molecular Identification of Obligatory Myiasis-Causing Species in Wild Cervids in Croatia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Morphological and Molecular Identification of Obligatory Myiasis-Causing Species in Wild Cervids in Croatia |
| title_short | Morphological and Molecular Identification of Obligatory Myiasis-Causing Species in Wild Cervids in Croatia |
| title_sort | morphological and molecular identification of obligatory myiasis causing species in wild cervids in croatia |
| topic | <i>Hypoderma diana</i> <i>Cephenemyia simulator</i> <i>Pharyngomyia picta</i> <i>Capreolus capreolus</i> <i>Cervus elaphus</i> detection |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/208 |
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