Retrospective study of spirocercosis in coyotes (Canis latrans) in Costa Rica: epidemiology, pathological findings, and molecular characterization of Spirocerca lupi

Spirocerca lupi is a nematode that infects domestic dogs and wild carnivores. This study retrospectively analyzed postmortem records between 1989 and 2024 to assess S. lupi-associated lesions in coyote necropsies. In addition, it conducted molecular characterization of 18S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene fragments of larvae found at necropsies. Fecal samples from free-ranging coyotes were molecularly examined for S. lupi18S DNA. Of the 39 coyote cases, 33 (84. 6%) presented S. lupi-associated lesions. A significant association was observed between the presence of Spirocerca nematodes and the development of esophageal granulomas and aortic aneurysms. In addition, an atypical case of spinal cord invasion was documented, representing the first reported occurrence of this condition in coyotes. Out of all fecal samples tested, 4.6% were positive for S. lupi infection. The obtained cox1 sequence revealed a complete similarity to S. lupi isolated from the Andean fox Lycalopex culpaeus from Peru, suggesting its transmission between wild canid populations. These findings indicate that coyotes play a significant role in S. lupi transmission dynamics and highlight the need for further research on the ecological interactions between domestic and wild canids in Costa Rica.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  Parasites & Vectors

• Publication date

  2025-10-27

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1186/s13071-025-07030-4PMID 41146318PMCID 12560332
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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