Abstract:
The giant liver fluke, Fascioloides magna, common in North America and introduced into Europe in the 19th century, is an underappreciated model system for epidemiological studies on biological invasions, interactions with other native parasites and for health impact assessments within both definitive and intermediate snail host populations. Owing to its first contemporary appearance in Europe and then its subsequent spread, fascioloidosis has become a fluke-livestock/wildlife-snail combination of increasing interest for veterinarians, parasitologists and population geneticists. Here, we present a description of its recent epidemiology, biogeography and biology, inclusive of host species lists. Special emphasis is placed upon known definitive hosts of F. magna within Europe and considerations upon this fluke\'s local intermediate snail hosts. This helps us envisage plausible future epidemiological scenarios for further expansion across Europe, potentially even invasion into the UK. In line with others who draw attention upon needs for better systematic monitoring of putative risk-areas of fluke transmission, we close by highlighting why better surveillance of F. magna across continental Europe, and neighbouring territories, is justified.
摘要:
巨大的肝吸虫,麦格纳龙,在北美很常见,并在19世纪引入欧洲,是一个被低估的生物入侵流行病学研究模型系统,与其他天然寄生虫的相互作用,以及对确定和中间蜗牛宿主种群的健康影响评估。由于它在欧洲首次出现,然后传播,筋膜样病已成为兽医越来越感兴趣的吸虫-牲畜/野生动物-蜗牛组合,寄生虫学家和人口遗传学家。这里,我们对其最近的流行病学进行了描述,生物地理学和生物学,包括宿主物种列表。特别强调了欧洲已知的F.magna的确定寄主,并考虑了这种fl虫的当地中间蜗牛寄主。这有助于我们设想未来的流行病学情景,以便在整个欧洲进一步扩张,甚至有可能入侵英国。与其他提请注意需要更好地系统监测假定的侥幸传播风险区域的人一致,我们最后强调了为什么更好地监视整个欧洲大陆的麦格纳,和邻国,是有道理的。