Canine Dracunculus Nematode Infection, Toledo, Spain

A fragment of a Dracunculus-like worm was extracted from the hind limb of a 2-year-old dog from Toledo, Spain. Cytochrome oxidase I and rRNA sequences confirmed an autochthonous mammalian Dracunculus worm infection in Europe. Sequence analyses suggest close relation to a parasite obtained from a North American opossum.

Keywords: Dracunculus; Europe; Guinea worm; Spain; dog; dracunculiasis; foodborne diseases; infection; mammalian; nematodes; parasites; vector-borne infections; waterborne diseases.