Are humans the initial source of canine mange?. Issue 1 (December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Andriantsoanirina, Valérie; Fang, Fang; Ariey, Frédéric; Izri, Arezki; Foulet, Françoise; Botterel, Françoise; Bernigaud, Charlotte; Chosidow, Olivier; Huang, Weiyi; Guillot, Jacques; Durand, Rémy
• Is Part Of: Parasites & vectors. Volume 9:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 8
• Publication Date: 2016-12
• Subjects: Sarcoptes scabiei -- Scabies -- Sarcoptic mange -- Humans -- Dogs -- Canids -- Host switch -- Phylogenetic analysis; Parasitism -- Periodicals; Parasites -- Periodicals; Vector-pathogen relationships -- Periodicals; Animals as carriers of disease -- Periodicals; Insects as carriers of disease -- Periodicals; 616.96
• DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1456-y
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1756-3305

Abstract

Abstract Background Scabies, or mange as it is called in animals, is an ectoparasitic contagious infestation caused by the miteSarcoptes scabiei. Sarcoptic mange is an important veterinary disease leading to significant morbidity and mortality in wild and domestic animals. A widely accepted hypothesis, though never substantiated by factual data, suggests that humans were the initial source of the animal contamination. In this study we performed phylogenetic analyses of populations ofS. scabiei from humans and from canids to validate or not the hypothesis of a human origin of the mites infecting domestic dogs. Methods Mites from dogs and foxes were obtained from three French sites and from other countries. A part of cytochromec oxidase subunit 1 (cox 1) gene was amplified and directly sequenced. Other sequences corresponding to mites from humans, raccoon dogs, foxes, jackal and dogs from various geographical areas were retrieved from GenBank. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using theOtodectes cynotis cox 1 sequence as outgroup. Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analysis approaches were used. To visualize the relationship between the haplotypes, a median joining haplotype network was constructed using Network v4.6 according to host. Results Twenty-one haplotypes were observed among mites collected from five different host species, including humans and canids from nine geographical areas. The phylogenetic trees based on Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference analyses showed similar topologies with few differences in node support values. The results were not consistent with a human origin ofS. scabiei mites in dogs and, on the contrary, did not exclude the opposite hypothesis of a host switch from dogs to humans. Conclusions Phylogenetic relatedness may have an impact in terms of epidemiological control strategy. Our results and other recent studies suggest to re-evaluate the level of transmission between domestic dogs and humans.