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Ana Dominguez - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Ancient mitochondrial pseudogenes reveal hybridization between distant lineages in the evolution of the Rupicapra genus
Gene, 2017Co-Authors: Trinidad Pérez, Jesús Albornoz, Fernando Santos Rodríguez, Maria-rosa Fernandez, Ana DominguezAbstract:Mitochondrial pseudogenes (numts) inserted in the nuclear genome are frequently found in population studies. Its presence is commonly connected with problems and errors when they are confounded with true mitochondrial sequences. In the opposite side, numts can provide valuable phylogenetic information when they are copies of ancient mitochondrial lineages. We show that Rupicapra individuals of different geographic origin from the Cantabrian Mountains to the Apennines and the Caucasus share a nuclear COI fragment. The numt copies are monophyletic, and their pattern of differentiation shows two outstanding features: a long evolution as differentiated true mitochondrial lineage, and a recent integration and spread through the chamois populations. The COI pseudogene is much older than the present day mitochondrial clades of Rupicapra and occupies a basal position within the Rupicapra-Ammotragus-Arabitragus node. Joint analysis of this numt and a cytb pseudogene with a similar pattern of evolution places the source mitochondrial lineage as a sister branch that separated from the Ammotragus-Arabitragus lineage 6millionyearsago (Mya). The occurrence of this sequence in the nucleus of chamois suggests hybridization between highly divergent lineages. The integration event seems to be very recent, more recent than the split of the present day mtDNA lineages of Rupicapra (1.9Mya). This observation invites to think of the spread across the genus by horizontal transfer through recent male-biased dispersal.
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Analysis of population structure.
2017Co-Authors: Trinidad Pérez, Sabine E. Hammer, Margarita Fernández, Ana DominguezAbstract:Genetic clusters obtained with the software STRUCTURE (a), PCoA of haplotypic diversity (b) and PCoA of nucleotidic diversity (c). The chamois from Iberia (parva and pyrenaica) are represented in green, the population from the Apennines (ornata) is represented in light blue and the Rupicapra cluster, the east populations (cartusiana, Rupicapra, tatrica, carpatica, balcanica, asiatica, caucasica), are in red.
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Mean pairwise nucleotide differences using the correction of Jukes-Cantor, among Rupicapra population groups.
2017Co-Authors: Trinidad Pérez, Sabine E. Hammer, Margarita Fernández, Ana DominguezAbstract:Mean pairwise nucleotide differences using the correction of Jukes-Cantor, among Rupicapra population groups.
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Genetic diversity in chamois.
2017Co-Authors: Trinidad Pérez, Sabine E. Hammer, Margarita Fernández, Ana DominguezAbstract:Estimates are provided for each putative especies, R. pyrenaica (Rpyr) and R. Rupicapra (Rrup), separately and for the total.
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The shared mitochondrial genome of Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata and Rupicapra Rupicapra cartusiana: Old remains of a common past
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 2014Co-Authors: Trinidad Pérez, Sabine E. Essler, Iago González, Margarita Alonso Fernández, Ana DominguezAbstract:Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has largely been used for species delimitation. However, mtDNA introgression across species boundaries can lead to inconsistent phylogenies. Partial sequences of the mitochondrial genome in the chamois, genus Rupicapra, show the presence of three well differentiated clades, West (mtW), Central (mtC) and East (mtE), each with a geographically restricted distribution. The complete mtDNAs of the clades mtW and mtE (main representatives of the two currently considered species R. pyrenaica and R. Rupicapra respectively) have been reported. In the present study, we sequenced the clade mtC present in populations from both species inhabiting the central area of Europe: the Apennines (R. pyrenaica ornata) and the Chartreuse Mountains (R. Rupicapra cartusiana). The phylogenetic comparison with the genomes of Caprini highlights the ancient presence of chamois in Europe relative to the fossil record, and the old age of the chamois clade mtC that was split from the clade mtW in the early Pleistocene. The separation of R. pyrenaica ornata and R. Rupicapra cartusiana female lineages was recent, dating of the late Pleistocene. Our data represent an example of mtDNA introgression of resident females of Chartreuse Mountains into immigrant males of R. Rupicapra due to male-biased migration and female phylopatry.
Luca Rossi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Diversity of Eimeria Species in Wild Chamois Rupicapra spp.: A Statistical Approach in Morphological Taxonomy.
Frontiers in veterinary science, 2020Co-Authors: Federica Berrilli, N Formenti, T. Trogu, Paolo Lanfranchi, Margherita Montalbano Di Filippo, Claudio De Liberato, Ilaria Marani, Nicola Ferrari, Francesco Ferretti, Luca RossiAbstract:Wildlife is frequently infected by intestinal protozoa, which may threaten their fitness and health. A diverse community of Eimeria species is known to occur in the digestive tract of mountain-dwelling ungulates, including chamois (genus Rupicapra). However, available data on Eimeria diversity in these taxa is at times inconsistent and mostly dated. In the present study, we aimed to revisit the occurrence of Eimeria spp. in the Alpine subspecies of the Northern chamois (Rupicapra Rupicapra Rupicapra) and the Apennine subspecies of the Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata) in Italy, using an integrated approach based on a hierarchical cluster analysis (HCPC) applied to oocyst morphology and morphometry. A total of 352 fecal samples were collected from R. r. Rupicapra (n = 262) and R. p. ornata (n = 90). Overall, 85.3% (300/352) of the animals tested microscopically positive to Eimeria spp. Based on morphological analysis, we identified all the eimerian species described in chamois. Through the HCPC method, five clusters were generated, corresponding to E. suppereri, E. yakimoffmatschoulskyi, E. riedmuelleri (two different clusters), and E. Rupicaprae morphotypes. The well-defined clusters within E. riedmuelleri support the existence of two distinct morphological groups, possibly referable to different taxonomic units. This study suggests that combining a morphometrical approach with a powerful statistical method may be helpful to disentangle uncertainties in the morphology of Eimeria oocysts and to address taxonomic studies of eimeriid protozoa at a specific host taxon level.
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Pathology and Distribution of Trombiculosis in Northern Chamois ( Rupicapra Rupicapra Rupicapra) in the Italian Alps.
Journal of wildlife diseases, 2018Co-Authors: Claudia Salvadori, N Formenti, C V Citterio, T. Trogu, Paolo Lanfranchi, Luca Rossi, Federica Obber, Alessandro PoliAbstract:Trombiculosis has been reported in some wild ruminant species. We investigated the occurrence of trombiculosis in the northern chamois (Rupicapra Rupicapra Rupicapra) in the Western Italian Alps, and we describe the related histopathologic changes. Superficial scrapes and skin samples were taken from 191 chamois from the Lombardy and Piedmont regions during the hunting season in September–December 2015. Numbers of eosinophils, mast cells, cluster of differentiation (CD)3-, CD79α-, CD68-positive cells were determined on immunohistochemically stained skin sections using a semiautomatic analysis system. Forty (20.9, 40/191) chamois were positive for trombiculid larvae on skin scrapings. Of the positive animals, 15 were from Lombardy and 25 from Piedmont, with similar prevalences. Macroscopic lesions were light with involvement of body regions that had contact with the ground, especially head (pinnae and areas around eyes and mouth) and limbs, where stylostome was easily formed due to thin skin. Histologically, trombiculosis caused a focal moderate dermatitis with epidermal necrosis, thin crusts, and hyperkeratosis. Inflammatory infiltrates were suggestive of a granulomatous reaction centered on a stylostome, formed by mite saliva and necrotic host tissue debris. However, we detected some difference in cutaneous immune response with some chamois showing a prevalent T-cell response and others having an increased Bcell count associated with a higher number of eosinophils, mast cells and a lower number of T cells.
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Description and epidemiological implications of S. scabiei infection in roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ) originating from chamois ( Rupicapra Rupicapra )
European Journal of Wildlife Research, 2008Co-Authors: Arianna Menzano, Luisa Rambozzi, Pier Giuseppe Meneguz, A.r. Molinar Min, Luca RossiAbstract:The authors describe a case of Sarcoptes scabiei transmission from a chamois (Rupicapra Rupicapra) kid to three roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) fawns kept in captive cohabitation in a wildlife rehabilitation centre for approximately 4 months. Symptoms in the two male fawns started developing 1 week after skin lesions were noticed in the kid, whereas a delayed (75 days later) appearance of scabies signs was observed in the female fawn. A severe generalised form of scabies rapidly developed in a male fawn, but lesions in the other two healed after triple inoculation of ivermectin at 15 days intervals. These roe deer were monitored for specific anti-S. scabiei antibodies with an immunoblotting technique. The strongest antibody response was exhibited during the clinical phase of the infection and then rapidly declined post-treatment. Interestingly, the female fawn developed immunoglobulin G to S. scabiei proteins more than 2 months before the onset of clinical scabies. Since all captive roe deer appeared sensitive to infection with S. scabiei var. Rupicaprae, the authors hypothesise that the sporadic frequency of spontaneous scabies in this Cervid host may be attributed to avoidance of direct contacts with moribund or recently dead scabietic chamois, and/or to a self-limiting (and therefore difficult to detect) course of the disease after infrequent infectious contacts and/or exposure to lower infectious doses than in the described episode.
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Development of two multiplex PCRs for microsatellite analysis in Alpine chamois (Rupicapra r. Rupicapra)
Italian Journal of Animal Science, 2005Co-Authors: Dominga Soglia, Ezio Ferroglio, Luca Rossi, Stefano Sartore, Sandra Maione, F. La Neve, Roberto Rasero, Paola SacchiAbstract:The study of the genetic diversity gives important information about structure, subdivision in subunits and evolution of populations. Chamois (Rupicapra Rupicapra, Linneus 1758) are mountain ungulates belonging to the subfamily Caprinae. They are presently distributed over most of the medium to high altitude mountains in the Southern Europe. Ten distinct geographical populations have been recognised as subspecies (Masini and Lovari, 1988); one of this subspecies, R. r. Rupicapra, includes also the chamois living on the Italian Alps.
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Biotin-avidin amplified ELISA for detection of antibodies to Sarcoptes scabiei in chamois (Rupicapra spp.)
Veterinary Research, 2004Co-Authors: Luisa Rambozzi, Arianna Menzano, Santiago Lavin, Luca RossiAbstract:Scabies is a major threat to the well being of mountain-dwelling Bovid hosts, Rupicapra Rupicapra and Rupicapra pyrenaica. Severe outbreaks are in progress over a significant part of their distribution area and resource managers demand improved methods to monitor, analyse and possibly forecast the spread and effects of scabies at the population level. An amplified capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed to detect antibodies to Sarcoptes scabiei in chamois (Rupicapra spp.) serum. The method used the biotin-avidin amplification system and was validated on a panel of 144 serum samples, of which 40 were obtained from scabietic and 104 from healthy unexposed individuals originating from a scabies-free area. The antigen, a whole body extract of the various developmental stages of S. scabiei, was prepared from mites actively leaving the skin lesions of naturally infested red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). The resulting LAB-ELISA was characterised by 93% sensitivity, 97% specificity and a high degree of repeatibility. A single seroreactor was found amongst 32 chamois affected with skin pathologies other than scabies, including infestations by other Acarina (Trombicula spp. and Ixodid ticks). Antibodies to S. scabiei were present in 26 out of 169 sera (15.4%) obtained by clinically healthy chamois within a scabies outbreak area, indicating that asymptomatic infestations by S. scabiei can be revealed by serological methods in the studied Caprinae hosts.
Trinidad Pérez - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Ancient mitochondrial pseudogenes reveal hybridization between distant lineages in the evolution of the Rupicapra genus
Gene, 2017Co-Authors: Trinidad Pérez, Jesús Albornoz, Fernando Santos Rodríguez, Maria-rosa Fernandez, Ana DominguezAbstract:Mitochondrial pseudogenes (numts) inserted in the nuclear genome are frequently found in population studies. Its presence is commonly connected with problems and errors when they are confounded with true mitochondrial sequences. In the opposite side, numts can provide valuable phylogenetic information when they are copies of ancient mitochondrial lineages. We show that Rupicapra individuals of different geographic origin from the Cantabrian Mountains to the Apennines and the Caucasus share a nuclear COI fragment. The numt copies are monophyletic, and their pattern of differentiation shows two outstanding features: a long evolution as differentiated true mitochondrial lineage, and a recent integration and spread through the chamois populations. The COI pseudogene is much older than the present day mitochondrial clades of Rupicapra and occupies a basal position within the Rupicapra-Ammotragus-Arabitragus node. Joint analysis of this numt and a cytb pseudogene with a similar pattern of evolution places the source mitochondrial lineage as a sister branch that separated from the Ammotragus-Arabitragus lineage 6millionyearsago (Mya). The occurrence of this sequence in the nucleus of chamois suggests hybridization between highly divergent lineages. The integration event seems to be very recent, more recent than the split of the present day mtDNA lineages of Rupicapra (1.9Mya). This observation invites to think of the spread across the genus by horizontal transfer through recent male-biased dispersal.
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Analysis of population structure.
2017Co-Authors: Trinidad Pérez, Sabine E. Hammer, Margarita Fernández, Ana DominguezAbstract:Genetic clusters obtained with the software STRUCTURE (a), PCoA of haplotypic diversity (b) and PCoA of nucleotidic diversity (c). The chamois from Iberia (parva and pyrenaica) are represented in green, the population from the Apennines (ornata) is represented in light blue and the Rupicapra cluster, the east populations (cartusiana, Rupicapra, tatrica, carpatica, balcanica, asiatica, caucasica), are in red.
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Mean pairwise nucleotide differences using the correction of Jukes-Cantor, among Rupicapra population groups.
2017Co-Authors: Trinidad Pérez, Sabine E. Hammer, Margarita Fernández, Ana DominguezAbstract:Mean pairwise nucleotide differences using the correction of Jukes-Cantor, among Rupicapra population groups.
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Genetic diversity in chamois.
2017Co-Authors: Trinidad Pérez, Sabine E. Hammer, Margarita Fernández, Ana DominguezAbstract:Estimates are provided for each putative especies, R. pyrenaica (Rpyr) and R. Rupicapra (Rrup), separately and for the total.
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The shared mitochondrial genome of Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata and Rupicapra Rupicapra cartusiana: Old remains of a common past
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 2014Co-Authors: Trinidad Pérez, Sabine E. Essler, Iago González, Margarita Alonso Fernández, Ana DominguezAbstract:Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) has largely been used for species delimitation. However, mtDNA introgression across species boundaries can lead to inconsistent phylogenies. Partial sequences of the mitochondrial genome in the chamois, genus Rupicapra, show the presence of three well differentiated clades, West (mtW), Central (mtC) and East (mtE), each with a geographically restricted distribution. The complete mtDNAs of the clades mtW and mtE (main representatives of the two currently considered species R. pyrenaica and R. Rupicapra respectively) have been reported. In the present study, we sequenced the clade mtC present in populations from both species inhabiting the central area of Europe: the Apennines (R. pyrenaica ornata) and the Chartreuse Mountains (R. Rupicapra cartusiana). The phylogenetic comparison with the genomes of Caprini highlights the ancient presence of chamois in Europe relative to the fossil record, and the old age of the chamois clade mtC that was split from the clade mtW in the early Pleistocene. The separation of R. pyrenaica ornata and R. Rupicapra cartusiana female lineages was recent, dating of the late Pleistocene. Our data represent an example of mtDNA introgression of resident females of Chartreuse Mountains into immigrant males of R. Rupicapra due to male-biased migration and female phylopatry.
Paolo Lanfranchi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Diversity of Eimeria Species in Wild Chamois Rupicapra spp.: A Statistical Approach in Morphological Taxonomy.
Frontiers in veterinary science, 2020Co-Authors: Federica Berrilli, N Formenti, T. Trogu, Paolo Lanfranchi, Margherita Montalbano Di Filippo, Claudio De Liberato, Ilaria Marani, Nicola Ferrari, Francesco Ferretti, Luca RossiAbstract:Wildlife is frequently infected by intestinal protozoa, which may threaten their fitness and health. A diverse community of Eimeria species is known to occur in the digestive tract of mountain-dwelling ungulates, including chamois (genus Rupicapra). However, available data on Eimeria diversity in these taxa is at times inconsistent and mostly dated. In the present study, we aimed to revisit the occurrence of Eimeria spp. in the Alpine subspecies of the Northern chamois (Rupicapra Rupicapra Rupicapra) and the Apennine subspecies of the Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata) in Italy, using an integrated approach based on a hierarchical cluster analysis (HCPC) applied to oocyst morphology and morphometry. A total of 352 fecal samples were collected from R. r. Rupicapra (n = 262) and R. p. ornata (n = 90). Overall, 85.3% (300/352) of the animals tested microscopically positive to Eimeria spp. Based on morphological analysis, we identified all the eimerian species described in chamois. Through the HCPC method, five clusters were generated, corresponding to E. suppereri, E. yakimoffmatschoulskyi, E. riedmuelleri (two different clusters), and E. Rupicaprae morphotypes. The well-defined clusters within E. riedmuelleri support the existence of two distinct morphological groups, possibly referable to different taxonomic units. This study suggests that combining a morphometrical approach with a powerful statistical method may be helpful to disentangle uncertainties in the morphology of Eimeria oocysts and to address taxonomic studies of eimeriid protozoa at a specific host taxon level.
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identification and genetic characterization of a novel respirovirus in alpine chamois Rupicapra Rupicapra Rupicapra
Open Access Journal, 2020Co-Authors: C Luzzago, Paolo Lanfranchi, Erika Ebranati, Antonio Lavazza, M Besozzi, Gianguglielmo Zehender, S LauziAbstract:The Respirovirus genus, family Paramamixoviridae, includes respiratory viral pathogens. Here we report the identification and genetic characterization of a respirovirus in an Alpine chamois showing interstitial pneumonia associated with catarrhal bronchopneumonia. The full-genome characterization of this respirovirus, named ChamoisRV/IT2014, revealed low similarities to caprine respirovirus (77.1%), bovine respirovirus (74.5%) and human respirovirus (72.0%). The phylogenetic analyses based on the full-length genome sequence of the novel isolate and reference respirovirus strains showed that ChamoisRV/IT2014 clustered with caprine respirovirus but formed a separate branch. The phylogenetic tree topology of complete large protein amino acid sequences, representing the current species demarcation criterion for Respirovirus genus, showed a 0.05 branch length of ChamoisRV/IT2014 sequence between the nearest node and the tip of the branch, suggesting that this virus belongs to a novel species. This new isolate in a new host species raises several questions to be addressed on the epidemiological role of chamois and the risks of cross-transmission between wild ruminants and livestock.
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Pathology and Distribution of Trombiculosis in Northern Chamois ( Rupicapra Rupicapra Rupicapra) in the Italian Alps.
Journal of wildlife diseases, 2018Co-Authors: Claudia Salvadori, N Formenti, C V Citterio, T. Trogu, Paolo Lanfranchi, Luca Rossi, Federica Obber, Alessandro PoliAbstract:Trombiculosis has been reported in some wild ruminant species. We investigated the occurrence of trombiculosis in the northern chamois (Rupicapra Rupicapra Rupicapra) in the Western Italian Alps, and we describe the related histopathologic changes. Superficial scrapes and skin samples were taken from 191 chamois from the Lombardy and Piedmont regions during the hunting season in September–December 2015. Numbers of eosinophils, mast cells, cluster of differentiation (CD)3-, CD79α-, CD68-positive cells were determined on immunohistochemically stained skin sections using a semiautomatic analysis system. Forty (20.9, 40/191) chamois were positive for trombiculid larvae on skin scrapings. Of the positive animals, 15 were from Lombardy and 25 from Piedmont, with similar prevalences. Macroscopic lesions were light with involvement of body regions that had contact with the ground, especially head (pinnae and areas around eyes and mouth) and limbs, where stylostome was easily formed due to thin skin. Histologically, trombiculosis caused a focal moderate dermatitis with epidermal necrosis, thin crusts, and hyperkeratosis. Inflammatory infiltrates were suggestive of a granulomatous reaction centered on a stylostome, formed by mite saliva and necrotic host tissue debris. However, we detected some difference in cutaneous immune response with some chamois showing a prevalent T-cell response and others having an increased Bcell count associated with a higher number of eosinophils, mast cells and a lower number of T cells.
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RESEARCH Open Access Giardia duodenalis in Alpine (Rupicapra Rupicapra Rupicapra) and Apennine
2016Co-Authors: Claudio De Liberato, Paolo Lanfranchi, Federica Berrilli, Francesco Ferretti, Marianna Marangi, Maristella Santoro, Tiziana Trogu, Lorenza Putignani, Annunziata GiangasperoAbstract:Background: Although chamois Rupicapra spp. are the most abundant mountain ungulates in Europe, no data are available on the presence of Giardia duodenalis infecting these species. Methods: A total of 157 fecal samples from Alpine Rupicapra Rupicapra Rupicapra and Apennine Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata chamois were tested for the presence of G. duodenalis by immunofluorescence test, quantitative Real Time PCR and end-point PCR for genotype characterization. Results: G. duodenalis was detected in R. r. Rupicapra and R. p. ornata, with a percentage value of 4.45 (5.82 and 1.85 %, respectively), and a cyst burden of up to 31,800 cysts/g of feces. Assemblages A/AI and E were identified in R. r. Rupicapra and assemblage A/AIII in R. p. ornata. Conclusions: The present study represents the first record of Giardia duodenalis in Rupicapra spp., suggesting that these wild bovids can play an epidemiological role in environmental contamination and transmission of both zoonotic and non-zoonotic genotypes
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Characterization of Immune System Cell Subsets in Fixed Tissues from Alpine Chamois (Rupicapra Rupicapra).
Journal of comparative pathology, 2016Co-Authors: Claudia Salvadori, N Formenti, T. Trogu, Alessandro Poli, Paolo Lanfranchi, J. Finlayson, C. Citterio, J. Palarea-albaladejo, Francesca ChianiniAbstract:Immune system cell subsets in lymph nodes and spleen from alpine chamois (Rupicapra Rupicapra subspecies Rupicapra) living in the Italian Alps were characterized immunohistochemically. Seven primary antibodies (against human CD3, CD79αcy, CD68, or ovine CD4, CD8, CD21 and γδ T-cell receptor [TCR] epitopes) were tested on tissues fixed either in formalin or in zinc salts (ZS) and cross-reactivity with chamois immune cell epitopes was shown. ZS fixation allowed wider identification of immune cells, without the need for antigen retrieval. CD4(+) and CD21(+) cells were labelled only in ZS-fixed tissues. Reagents specific for human CD3, CD79 and CD68 antigens successfully detected chamois immune cells, both in ZS-fixed and formalin-fixed tissues. The reactivity and distribution of immune cells in lymph nodes and spleen were similar to those described in other domestic and wild ruminants. Results from this study may allow future investigation of the immune response and pathogenesis of diseases in the chamois.
Gabriela Chovancová - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Ashworthius sidemi Schulz, 1933 (Trichostrongylidae: Haemonchinae) in mountain ecosystems - a potential risk for the Tatra chamois Rupicapra Rupicapra tatrica (Blahout, 1971/1972).
International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife, 2021Co-Authors: Paweł Nosal, Jerzy Kowal, Anna Wyrobisz-papiewska, Gabriela ChovancováAbstract:Abstract The Asian native Ashworthius sidemi is now in Europe, and several dozen years after its introduction, it is a widespread parasite of all wild cervids. For bovids, the nematode is a significant threat to the European bison (Bison bonasus) population and has also been found in mouflon (Ovis aries musimon). Our study aimed to assess the risk of infection for the endemic subspecies of northern (Alpine) chamois (Rupicapra Rupicapra) – the Tatra chamois (R. r. tatrica), which has a critically endangered status. We conducted the investigation in the mountainous areas of Slovakia and Poland occupied by Tatra chamois (R. r. tatrica), Alpine chamois (R. r. Rupicapra), red deer (Cervus elaphus) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). Animals (n = 93) shot during licensed hunting and killed in road accidents (roe deer, red deer), or which had died of natural causes (chamois) were post-mortem examined for the presence of Haemonchinae. The investigation confirmed the expansion of Ashworthius sidemi to high mountain regions via Cervidae. A. sidemi affected all of the examined roe deer and 90.0% of the red deer. As for the chamois, A. sidemi was found in one R. Rupicapra originating from the Low Tatras, but not in any pure R. r. tatrica individuals living in the High and Western Tatras. Our work is the first confirmation of northern chamois infection with this alien and highly pathogenic blood-sucking nematode. Due to the important health hazard of A. sidemi infection for the Tatra chamois (R. r. tatrica), appropriate measures should be taken to reduce the possibility of parasite transmission between various cervid species living in the Tatra region, as well as the affected population of chamois and the pure Tatra chamois population inhabiting the higher parts of the mountains, constituting their natural habitat.
