FILARIOSI SOTTOCUTANEA MASSIVA DA FILARIA MARTIS IN FAINE (MARTES FOINA) DEL SUD ITALIA

SUMMARY Although a plethora of parasites affects marten decline, subcutaneous filarioids are rarely reported and their competent vectors are unknown. Therefore, we investigated the presence of filarioids and ectoparasites in 7 martens of southwestern Italy. One marten (14.3%) scored massively positive (18 filarioids) in the dorso-posterior region, with mild redness and sloughing. The filarioids were identified as Filaria martis by morphology and cox1 sequencing (PQ034642), having 100% homology with those in GenBank. Phylogeny showed a 100% bootstrap value between our sequences and those of Italian martens and Spanish minks. Haemolymph, gut, and salivary glands of the Ixodes ricinus obtained from the infected marten tested negative for F. martis larvae/DNA. We reported the first case of F. martis filariosis in southwestern Italy, previously outlined in two cases from northern and southeastern areas, indicating the circulation of this poorly known filarioid.