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Emerging zoonotic risk: molecular detection of Trichobilharzia franki in Western Europe's largest artificial lake, Alqueva, Portugal
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Resumo(s)
Background: Emerging parasites pose increasing challenges at the interface of human, animal, and ecosystem health. Among these, Trichobilharzia spp., schistosomatid of migratory and resident waterfowl, can cause cercarial dermatitis (CD) when its larval stage (cercaria) accidentally penetrate human skin. While this parasite has been documented in several European countries, its presence in Portugal has remained unreported, leaving a critical gap in understanding potential zoonotic risks in local freshwater ecosystems. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the presence of Trichobilharzia spp. in freshwater snails from Lake Alqueva, providing the first insights into its potential ecological and public health implications in Portugal. Methods: Fieldwork was carried out on Lake Alqueva, considered the largest artificial reservoir in Western Europe, with ecological and public health relevance. Freshwater snails from shore locations in Lake Alqueva were examined for cercarial shedding, and molecular identification was performed by PCR amplification of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Results: Morphological and genetic analyses confirmed Trichobilharzia franki from Radix auricularia, showing high homology with European and Asian lineages. Moreover, human infections compatible with CD were also reported in the region. Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for continued malacological surveillance, particularly in recreational freshwater bodies, to assess risk areas and implement mitigation strategies. Furthermore, this study expands the known geographical distribution of T. franki in Europe and underscores the importance of integrating ecological and public health approaches to monitor emerging zoonotic parasites.
Descrição
Funding information: This work is funded by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the R&D unit Global Health and Tropical Medicine (DOI: 10.54499/UID/04413/2025) (UID/04413/2025) and the Associated Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health REAL (LA/P/0117/2020). And FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the Project Alqueva (PTDC-2022.01349). Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Palavras-chave
Avian schistosomes Cercarial dermatitis Lake Alqueva Portugal Radix auricularia Trichobilharzia franki Global and Planetary Change Environmental Science (miscellaneous) Pollution Health Policy Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being SDG 15 - Life on Land