Support for targeted sampling of red fox (Vulpes vulpes) feces in Sweden: a method to improve the probability of finding Echinococcus multilocularis

Table 2 Summary of major investigations undertaken in Sweden to examine for Echinococcus multilocularis in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and in rodents

Investigation	Duration	Species/sample	n	Pos. (%)	Year	Place of positive finding	Reference
SVA
Yearly monitoring	2000–2010	Fox intestines	3266	1 (<0.01)	2010	U	Osterman Lind et al. [3]
First nation-wide screening after positive finding	2011	Fox intestines	2985	3 (0.1)	2011	B, K, U	Wahlström et al. [4]
Regional survey^a	2011	Rodent livers	236	0 (0)	2011		Wahlström et al. [4]
Regional survey^b	2011	Fox feces^c	790	6 (0.8)	2011	K	Wahlström et al. [38]
Second nation-wide screening	2012–2014	Fox feces^c	2779	3 (0.1)	2012–2014	G/N, K, U	National Veterinary Institute (www.sva.se) [39]
SLU
EMIRO project^d	2013–2015	Rodent livers	1566	9 (0.6)	2013–2015	G/N, K	Miller et al. [5]
	2013–2015	Fox feces^c	714	41 (5.7)	2013–2015	G/N, K, U, V/V	This paper

Abbreviations: n total samples, Pos. (%) number and percent positive, SVA National Veterinary Institute, SLU Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, EMIRO Echinococcus Multilocularis in ROdents-this research project, B Borlänge, K Katrineholm, G/N Gnesta/Nyköping, U Uddevalla, V/V Vetlanda/Växjö
^aSamples collected near Uddevalla
^bSamples collected from a localized region (50 km diameter) near Katrineholm
^cFeces collected from environment
^dSamples collected from four regions (10 × 10 km or 20 × 20 km) in Sweden

ISSN: 1756-3305