Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41491495›Full record

ArticleParasites & vectors2026

First report of Taenia arctos (Cestoda: Taeniidae) from brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Romania.

Maria Monica Florina Moraru, Andrei-Daniel Mihalca, Ana-Maria Marin, Dan-Cornel Popovici, Azzurra Santoro, Sorin Morariu, Ioana Bianca Mitrea, Narcisa Mederle

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Parasites & vectors, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Maria Monica Florina MoraruDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Mihai I" From Timisoara, Calea Aradului, No. 119, 300645, Timisoara, Romania.
Andrei-Daniel MihalcaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăştur, No. 3-5, 400372, Cluj-Napoca-Napoca, Romania.
Ana-Maria MarinDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Mihai I" From Timisoara, Calea Aradului, No. 119, 300645, Timisoara, Romania. anamaria.marin@usvt.ro.
Dan-Cornel PopoviciForestry Faculty, Transilvania University Brasov, Șirul Ludwig Van Beethoven, no.1, 500123, Brasov, Romania.
Azzurra SantoroWHO Collaborating Centre for the Epidemiology, Detection and Control of Cystic and Alveolar Echinococcosis (One Health, Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore Di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
Sorin MorariuDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Mihai I" From Timisoara, Calea Aradului, No. 119, 300645, Timisoara, Romania.
Ioana Bianca MitreaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Calea Mănăştur, No. 3-5, 400372, Cluj-Napoca-Napoca, Romania.
Narcisa MederleDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences "King Mihai I" From Timisoara, Calea Aradului, No. 119, 300645, Timisoara, Romania.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe brown bear (Ursus arctos) is an apex predator with significant ecological importance and serves as a valuable indicator species for monitoring parasitic burdens in forest ecosystems. Owing to its complex ecology and varied diet, this species may play a key role in the life cycle of numerous pathogens, including cestodes of the genus Taenia, such as the recently described Taenia arctos. Among the potential intermediate hosts for T. arctos is the moose (Alces alces), a species sporadically present in northern Romania, where its habitat may overlap with that of U. arctos. In this context, the present study aimed to identify and molecularly characterize cestodes isolated from the small intestines of U. arctos.

methodsBetween May 2022 and December 2024, small intestines from 91 U. arctos individuals were collected across 16 counties in Romania. Biological samples were preserved by freezing and analyzed using both classical methods (macroscopic and microscopic examination) and molecular biology techniques (through amplification and sequencing of mitochondrial gene fragments, cox1 and 12S rRNA).

resultsOut of the 91 samples analyzed, only 1 specimen tested positive for an adult cestode (prevalence 1.1%). Genetic analysis confirmed its identification as T. arctos, a species not previously reported in Romania.

conclusionsThis study represents the first molecular identification of T. arctos in U. arctos in southeastern Europe, thereby extending the known geographic range of the parasite. The findings may indicate that trophic interactions compatible with the life cycle of T. arctos occur in this area, although the evidence is limited to a single detection.

Indexed as

TaeniaTaeniasisUrsidaeAnimalsFemaleIntestine, SmallMalePhylogenyRomaniaMolecular identificationRomaniaTaenia arctosUrsus arctos

Identifiers

PMID41491495
PMCPMC12870887

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.