Besnoitia besnoiti is an apicomplexan parasite whose life cycle is not completely understood. It is assumed that this parasite might have an indirect life cycle with a carnivore as a definitive host able to shed oocysts after the ingestion of mature cysts in tissues of an infected intermediate host. Cattle and wild cervids on the Iberian Peninsula can act as intermediate hosts of B. besnoiti, and exposure to the parasite has been demonstrated in equids. In this study, we aimed to assess the presence of members of the genera Besnoitia in wild lagomorphs from the Iberian Peninsula and the potential role of these host species in the life cycle of B. besnoiti, as all the animals were sampled from 19 regions of the Iberian Peninsula where cases of bovine besnoitiosis have been previously detected. Serum samples (Oryctolagus cuniculus: n = 552; Lepus europaeus: n = 122) were first analysed by ELISA and subsequently confirmed by Western blot (WB). Specific antibodies against B. besnoiti were not found in any sampled animal by WB. In addition, lung samples from a subset of wild rabbits (n = 16) were tested by PCR and Besnoitia spp. DNA was not detected. These results suggest that Besnoitia spp. are unlikely to circulate in wild lagomorphs in the Iberian Peninsula. Thus, lagomorphs are not expected to play a key role in the biological cycle of B. besnoiti. Further studies are necessary to assess whether different micromammal species, such as rodents, can serve as natural reservoirs of Besnoitia spp. in other European regions.

中文翻译：

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没有抗 Besnoitia spp。来自伊比利亚半岛的欧洲野生兔形动物的特异性抗体

Besnoitia besnoiti是一种顶复门寄生虫，其生命周期尚不完全清楚。据推测，这种寄生虫可能具有间接的生命周期，食肉动物作为最终宿主，能够在摄入受感染的中间宿主组织中的成熟包囊后排出卵囊。伊比利亚半岛上的牛和野生鹿科动物可以作为B. besnoiti的中间宿主，并且已经在马科动物中证明了暴露于寄生虫。在这项研究中，我们旨在评估Besnoitia属成员在伊比利亚半岛野生兔形目动物中的存在，以及这些宿主物种在B. besnoiti生命周期中的潜在作用, 因为所有动物都是从伊比利亚半岛的 19 个地区取样的，这些地区以前曾检测到牛 benoitiosis 病例。血清样本（Oryctolagus cuniculus：n = 552；Lepus europaeus：n = 122）首先通过 ELISA 进行分析，随后通过蛋白质印迹 (WB) 进行确认。WB 在任何动物样本中均未发现针对B. besnoiti的特异性抗体。此外，还通过 PCR 和Besnoitia spp对来自一部分野兔 ( n = 16) 的肺样本进行了检测。未检测到 DNA。这些结果表明Besnoitia属 不太可能在伊比利亚半岛的野生兔形目动物中传播。因此，预计兔形目动物不会在B. besnoiti的生物循环中发挥关键作用。需要进一步的研究来评估不同的微型哺乳动物物种，如啮齿动物，是否可以作为Besnoitia spp. 的天然宿主。在其他欧洲地区。