RT Journal Article
T1 Molecular Evidence of the Role of the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) in the Epidemiology of Ungulate-Related Sarcocystis Species in Croatia, Lithuania, and Portugal
A1 Gudiškis, Naglis
A1 Prakas, Petras
A1 Beck, Relja
A1 Figueiredo, Ana
A1 Juozaitytė-Ngugu, Evelina
A1 Balčiauskas, Linas
A1 Calero Bernal, Rafael
A1 Gagović, Ema
A1 Torres, Rita T.
A1 Hipólito, Dário
A1 Carmena, David
A1 Stirkė, Vitalijus
A1 Butkauskas, Dalius
AB Sarcocystis spp. (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae) are globally distributed protozoan parasites with an obligatory two-host prey–predator life cycle involving intermediate (IHs) and definitive hosts (DHs). Canids, including the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), often serve as DHs for species infecting various ungulates. This study identified Sarcocystis species in red foxes from Croatia, Lithuania, and Portugal. Between 2021 and 2024, 164 faecal samples (80 from Croatia, 50 from Portugal, and 34 from Lithuania) were analysed using nested PCR targeting the cox1 gene. Twelve Sarcocystis species were detected: S. arieticanis, S. capracanis, S. capreolicanis, S. cruzi, S. gracilis, S. hjorti, S. iberica, S. linearis, S. miescheriana, S. morae, S. rossii, and S. tenella. The overall prevalence was highest in Croatia (78%) and Lithuania (62%) and lowest in Portugal (30%). Phylogenetic and haplotype analyses revealed high homogeneity and absence of geographic structuring. These results confirm the red fox as a key DH for multiple Sarcocystis species infecting European ungulates and underscore its epidemiological importance in parasite transmission across diverse ecosystems
PB MDPI
YR 2026
FD 2026
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/134086
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/134086
LA eng
NO Gudiškis, N., Prakas, P., Beck, R., Figueiredo, A., Juozaitytė-Ngugu, E., Balčiauskas, L., Calero-Bernal, R., Gagović, E., Torres, R. T., Hipólito, D., Carmena, D., Stirkė, V., & Butkauskas, D. (2026). Molecular Evidence of the Role of the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) in the Epidemiology of Ungulate-Related Sarcocystis Species in Croatia, Lithuania, and Portugal. Animals, 16(4), 538. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16040538
NO Author ContributionsConceptualization, N.G., P.P. and D.B.; methodology, N.G. and P.P.; formal analysis, N.G., R.B., A.F., E.J.-N. and D.C.; investigation, N.G., R.B., A.F., E.J.-N. and D.C.; resources, E.J.-N., R.C.-B., E.G., R.T.T., D.H. and V.S.; writing—original draft preparation, N.G., P.P., A.F., L.B., R.C.-B. and D.B.; writing—review and editing, N.G., P.P., R.B., A.F., E.J.-N., L.B., R.C.-B., E.G., R.T.T., D.H., D.C., V.S. and D.B.; supervision, N.G., P.P. and D.B.; funding acquisition, D.B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
NO Research Council of Lithuania
NO Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 19 mar 2026