MOLECULAR INVESTIGATION OF VECTOR-BORNE PATHOGENS IN RED FOXES (VULPES VULPES) FROM SOUTHERN FRANCE
Abstract
Because of their free-ranging nature, the probability of wild animals being exposed to vector-borne pathogens is likely higher than that of humans and pets. Recently, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has been suspected as being a reservoir or host of several pathogens of veterinary and public health importance. We conducted a molecular survey on 93 red foxes hunted in 2008-18, in the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône and Var, in southeastern France, for pathogens including Leishmania infantum, Piroplasmida, Hepatozoon spp., nematodes, Coxiella burnetii, Borrelia spp., Rickettsia spp., and Anaplasmataceae. Spleen samples were screened for the presence of vector-borne pathogens by PCR followed by sequencing. Pathogens were detected in 94% (87/93) of red foxes, and coinfections were identified in 24% (22/93) of foxes. We identified DNA from Hepatozoon canis, L. infantum, and Babesia vogeli in 92% (86/93), 15% (14/93), and 3% (3/93) of red foxes, respectively. We also found DNA of nematodes in 3% (3/93) of foxes; Spirocerca vulpis was identified in one fox and Dirofilaria immitis in the two others. Interestingly, C. burnetii genotype 3, previously described in humans from the same region, was identified in 3% (3/93) of foxes and Anaplasma platys in 2% (2/93) of foxes. We did not detect DNA of Borrelia spp., Bartonella spp., or Rickettsia spp. In our study, the prevalence of pathogens did not vary by fox origin, sex, or tick carriage. Molecular evidence of B. vogeli, H. canis, S. vulpis, D. immitis, C. burnetii, and A. platys in red foxes has not previously, to our knowledge, been reported from southern France. We propose that red foxes are potential reservoirs for several pathogens, including major zoonotic agents such as L. infantum. They could be incidental hosts for pathogens, such C. burnetii. The high prevalence for H. canis suggests an important role of foxes in domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) infection. These animals may pose a threat to human and animal health.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In southern France, presence of D. immitis was identified in two of ninety-three examined red foxes.
“In southern France, the presence of D. immitis was identified in two of ninety-three examined red foxes [138].”
From What has happened to heartworm disease in Europe in the last 10 years? (2022) · cites this paper as [138]
Wild animals in which Dirofilaria infections were identified were predominantly canids like red foxes, golden jackals, and grey wolves.
“Furthermore, there are some wild animals in which Dirofilaria infections were identified, predominantly in canids like red foxes [4, 5, 51–62], golden jackals [52–55, 63, 64], and grey wolves [2, 3, 51, 52, 55, 65, 66].”
From Vectors, host range, and spatial distribution of Dirofilaria immitis and D. repens in Europe: a systematic review (2025) · cites this paper as [4]
The citation lists haven’t been fetched yet
References 71 · Cited by 38
- Authors
- Medkour, H., Laidoudi, Y., Marié, J.-L., Fenollar, F., Davoust, B., & Mediannikov, O.
- Affiliations
- Aix-Marseille Université (FR)
- Working Group on Animal Epidemiology, French Army Health Service, Marseille, France
- Méditerranée Infection Foundation (FR)
- Corresponding author
- Mediannikov, Oleg
- Venue
- Journal of Wildlife Diseases
- Publisher
- Wildlife Disease Association
- Published
- 2020-10-08
- Volume
- 56
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 837-850
- ISSN
- 0090-3558 (ISSN-L)
- 1943-3700
- OpenAlex
- W3025473572
- Cited by
- 38
- References
- 71
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 7
- FWCI
- 4.68
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Wildlife Diseases (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL AMU (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-10-IAHU-0003)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Parasitology › Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Research on Leishmaniasis Studies
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Parasitology › Bartonella species infections research
- Keywords
- red fox, vector-borne pathogens, reservoir hosts, zoonoses, Leishmania infantum, Hepatozoon canis, Babesia vogeli, Dirofilaria immitis, Coxiella burnetii, Anaplasma platys, co-infection, wild carnivores, southern France
- MeSH terms
- Vector Borne Diseases, Animals, Bacterial Infections, DNA, Bacterial, Foxes, France, Nematode Infections, Protozoan Infections, Animal, Thelazioidea, DNA, Protozoan, Spirurida Infections, Coinfection
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
