Pets, Wildlife and Parasites—2nd Edition

A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitic Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 871

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: feline and canine parasitology; cardiopulmonary nematodes; zoonotic parasites; wildlife parasitology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: wildlife parasitology; lungworms; parasitic diseases in pet animals; parasitic diseases in exotic animals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
Interests: food-borne zoonotic pathogens; water-borne zoonotic pathogens; vector-borne pathogens of domestic and wild-life animals; lungworms of companion animals; enteric protozoan parasites of small animals and ruminants
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pet ownership is a popular practice in most parts of the world. It has been estimated that 50% of people in all developed countries keep at least one pet, with dogs and cats being the most popular choices. As can be expected, for pet owners, the health and wellbeing of their animals is a primary concern; however, widespread pet ownership also requires a discussion about zoonotic diseases.

On the other hand, wild animals have a particular—and occasionally decisive—role in maintaining and spreading infectious agents; knowledge of this role is essential in research regarding both their health/conservation status and their contribution to the epizootiology of important pathogens, which may spread to domestic animals and/or to humans.

Parasites are among the most prevalent health-impairing agents affecting both pet animals and wildlife. While parasitism is the norm in wild animals, prevention and treatment aim to minimize parasitic infections/infestations in pet animals. Regardless of the affected animal species and their domesticated status, parasites may severely affect animals’ health, and parasitic diseases are occasionally fatal. Additionally, zoonotic parasitic diseases are a known threat to human health, and human infection can occur independently of a given individual’s contact with pets or wild animals.

In this context, Pathogens is launching a Special Issue entitled “Pets, Wildlife and Parasites—2nd Edition”, with the aim of sharing new information and knowledge across the scientific community through the publication of high-quality articles exploring these topics.

This Special Issue is open for the submission of research articles, interesting case presentations and review articles. Potential topics that will be considered include—but are not limited to—the following:

  • Parasites and the parasitic diseases of pet animals—epizootiology (occurrence, prevalence, distribution, seasonality, new host records, etc.); bridging infections between pets and wild animals; zoonotic implications and One Health approaches; and new insights on diagnosis, treatment and prevention strategies.
  • Parasites and the parasitic diseases of wild animals—investigation of parasitic fauna and its impact on wild animals’ health/conservation status; new information on epizootiology; investigations of “split over” phenomena; their effect on public health; and strategies for surveillance, control and prevention.

Dr. Anastasia Diakou
Dr. Georgiana Deak
Dr. Fabrizia Veronesi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pet animals
  • dog
  • cat
  • wildlife
  • wild animals
  • parasites
  • zoonosis

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 339 KiB  
Article
Humoral and T-Cell-Mediated Immunity Against Phlebotomus perniciosus Salivary Proteins in Dogs from a Leishmaniosis-Endemic Area
by Núria Balsells-Aguilar, Maria Magdalena Alcover, Marta Baxarias, Alejandra Álvarez-Fernández, Lourdes Alarcón, Petra Sumova, Petr Volf and Laia Solano-Gallego
Pathogens 2025, 14(6), 576; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14060576 - 10 Jun 2025
Abstract
Compounds in sand fly saliva elicit specific immune responses that may play a role in the establishment of canine Leishmania infection. Although canine antibodies to anti-sand fly saliva antigens have been extensively studied, little is known about cellular immune responses against Phlebotomus perniciosus [...] Read more.
Compounds in sand fly saliva elicit specific immune responses that may play a role in the establishment of canine Leishmania infection. Although canine antibodies to anti-sand fly saliva antigens have been extensively studied, little is known about cellular immune responses against Phlebotomus perniciosus salivary proteins. This study aimed to explore humoral and T-cell-mediated immunity against P. perniciosus salivary proteins in dogs (n = 85) from Mallorca (Spain), a leishmaniosis-endemic area, and find correlations with demographic (age, sex, and breed) and parasite-specific immunological parameters. Anti-sand fly saliva IgG was examined using a P. perniciosus whole salivary gland homogenate (SGH) ELISA and recombinant salivary protein rSP03B ELISA. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) release whole blood assays with L. infantum soluble antigen (LSA), SGH, and rSP03B were also performed. Positive correlations were found between IgG levels in the SGH and rSP03B tests and between concentrations of SGH IFN-γ and rSP03B IFN-γ. While concentrations of SGH IFN-γ and rSP03B IFN-γ were low and produced only by a minority of dogs (less than 20%), high levels and frequencies of LSA IFN-γ as well as anti-saliva IgG for SGH and rSP03B were detected in a majority of dogs (61% and 75%, respectively). LSA IFN-γ levels were positively correlated with age and Leishmania-specific antibodies. In conclusion, dogs from a leishmaniosis-endemic area presented high humoral immunity against P. perniciosus salivary proteins, but their cellular immunity to these proteins was low and less frequent. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pets, Wildlife and Parasites—2nd Edition)
55 pages, 11234 KiB  
Article
Integrated Taxonomic Approaches to Gastrointestinal and Urinary Capillariid Nematodes from Wild and Domestic Mammals
by Masae Tamaru, Seiho Sakaguchi, Yasuhiro Souzu, Koichi Murata, Muchammad Yunus, Imron Rosyadi and Hiroshi Sato
Pathogens 2025, 14(5), 455; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14050455 - 6 May 2025
Viewed by 391
Abstract
Fine nematodes of the family Capillariidae parasitize various organs and tissues in fish, amphibians, reptiles, avians, and mammals. Currently classified into more than 20 genera, these nematodes are primarily distinguished based on the caudal structures of male worms. Morphological and molecular analyses were [...] Read more.
Fine nematodes of the family Capillariidae parasitize various organs and tissues in fish, amphibians, reptiles, avians, and mammals. Currently classified into more than 20 genera, these nematodes are primarily distinguished based on the caudal structures of male worms. Morphological and molecular analyses were conducted on 15 mammal-parasitic species belonging to the genera Aonchotheca (A. putorii, A. suzukii n. sp., A. suis n. comb. (syn. Capillaria suis), A. riukiuensis, and A. bilobata), Pearsonema (P. neoplica n. sp., P. feliscati, P. iharai n. sp., and P. toriii n. sp.), Liniscus (L. himizu), Calodium (C. hepaticum), Echinocoleus (E. yokoyamae n. sp.), and Eucoleus (E. kaneshiroi n. sp., E. aerophilus, and Eucoleus sp.), using specimens from various wild and domestic animals in Japan and brown rats in Indonesia. As demonstrated in this study, nearly complete SSU rDNA sequencing is a powerful tool for differentiating closely related species and clarifying the phylogenetic relationships among morphologically similar capillariid worms. Additionally, most capillariid worms detected in dogs and cats are suspected to be shared with their respective wildlife reservoir mammals. Therefore, molecular characterization, combined with the microscopic observation of these parasites in wildlife mammals, provides a robust framework for accurate species identification, reliable classification, and epidemiological assessment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pets, Wildlife and Parasites—2nd Edition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop