Golden jackals as hosts of zoonotic parasites: preliminary findings from southern Poland

Abstract Introduction The golden jackal, Canis aureus, has been rapidly expanding its range across Europe, raising concerns regarding its impact on the health of wildlife, domestic animals and humans. The goal of this study was to examine the parasitological fauna of golden jackals that had recently colonised southern Poland. Material and Methods The direct flotation method with centrifugation was used to search for parasite eggs, and a complex PCR and qPCR were run to detect the presence of tapeworms in nine faecal samples found by dogs and confirmed genetically, and in two samples taken from hunted individuals. The intestine contents of the hunted individuals were also examined using the sedimentation and counting technique. Camera traps were set to assess if the activity of golden jackals overlapped spatially with that of domestic animals. Results Nine out of eleven faecal samples contained eggs of the Toxocara and Trichuris genera and the Capillariidae and Ancylostomatidae families. Mesocestoides litteratus DNA was detected in three faecal samples and Taenia serialis DNA in one sample collected from a hunted golden jackal. The sites frequented by domestic cats and dogs were also visited by golden jackals. Conclusion Although golden jackals may be suspected of contributing to the transfer of some parasites to humans through domestic animals, the findings do not indicate that golden jackals represent a significant current or emerging threat to the health of wildlife or humans in southern Poland.