FIRST OCCURENCE OF Thelazia callipaeda IN FOXES (Vulpes vulpes L.) IN SERBIA

Thelazia callipaeda  is a vector-borne zoonotic eyeworm, parasitizing at the conjunctiva sac of domestic and wild carnivores (dogs, cats, foxes, and wolves), and humans. Over the last decade, infection with that  spirudida is increasingly occurring in dogs and cats in the numerous European countries including the Balkans area. In Serbia we also established infection with this parasites in foxes during 2014. Adult nematodes were retrieved from the conjunctival sacs of 3 animals (2 from Belgrade area and 1 from Branicevo district)  hunted during control effect of oral vaccination of foxes against rabies. In total we extracted 23 parasites, 10 males and 13 females. This is the first report of autochthonous cases of  T. callipaeda  infection in red foxes in Serbia.