Recei ed: 31 Janua y 2025
Accep ed: 17 Ap il 2025
Published: 21 Ap il 2025
Ci a ion: Ga cía-Sánchez, A.M.;
Callejón, R. Pa asi es and Pa asi ic
Diseases in Small Animals. Animals
2025,15, 1183. h ps://doi.o g/
10.3390/ani15081183
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Licensee MDPI, Basel, Swi ze land.
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licenses/by/4.0/).
Edi o ial
Pa asi es and Pa asi ic Diseases in Small Animals
Angela M. Ga cía-Sánchez * and Rocío Callejón
Depa men o Mic obiology and Pa asi ology, Facul y o Pha macy, Uni e si y o Se ille, P o eso Ga cía
González 2, 41012 Se illa, Spain; [email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: aga [email p o ec ed]
1. In oduc ion
Pa asi es and pa asi ic diseases in small animals pose a signi ican challenge o public
heal h, animal heal h, and en i onmen al sus ainabili y, and his Special Issue is pa ic-
ula ly ele an wi hin he con ex o he One Heal h app oach, which ecognizes hei
in e connec edness [1].
Humans coexis wi h animals ha a e pa o ou ecosys em, al hough hey a e o en
no isible due o hei small size. In addi ion o animals na u ally p esen in he en i on-
men , a la ge numbe o small mammals a e commonly kep as pe s—including dogs, ca s,
oden s, hedgehogs, and abbi s, no o men ion o he exo ic animals like bi ds, ep iles,
amphibians, and ish. These close ela ionships explain why some pa asi ic diseases a e
also zoono ic, in ec ing humans and e en causing se e e illnesses. Zoonoses can also
lead o signi ican economic losses due o dec eased p oduc i i y and inc eased heal hca e
cos s. Domes ic and wild animals can ac as ese oi s and ec o s o zoono ic pa asi es,
acili a ing disease ansmission be ween species and inc easing he isk o ou b eaks ha
comp omise bo h human well-being and he ecological balance [1,2].
Flea in es a ions and many o he pa asi ic in ec ions a e examples ha illus a e how
pa asi es can a ec mul iple hos s in a ious en i onmen s [
3
–
5
]. These diseases no only
cause se e e heal h p oblems in humans and animals bu also lead o signi ican economic
losses due o ea men and con ol cos s, as well as dec eased p oduc i i y in sec o s
ela ed o li es ock and wildli e managemen [
6
]. Fu he mo e, ac o s such as clima e
change, u baniza ion, and inc eased human–animal con ac ha e exace ba ed he sp ead o
pa asi es o new geog aphical egions [6,7].
Al hough he e ha e been ad ances in his ield in ecen yea s, many aspec s emain
unknown. The success o he One Heal h concep now equi es b eaking down he in e -
disciplina y ba ie s ha s ill sepa a e human and e e ina y medicine om ecological,
e olu iona y, and en i onmen al sciences. The su eillance and con ol o hese diseases is
essen ial o mi iga e hei impac and, wi hou e ec i e s a egies ha limi ansmission
om ese oi animals o humans, he op imal con ol o hese in ec ions is no possible.
The implemen a ion o measu es based on he One Heal h app oach encou ages in e disci-
plina y collabo a ion among physicians, e e ina ians, ecologis s, and o he specialis s o
de elop in eg a ed solu ions ha add ess bo h he unde lying causes and consequences o
zoono ic pa asi oses [8,9].
In his ega d, i is c ucial o s eng hen epidemiological moni o ing ini ia i es, im-
p o e diagnos ic ools, and p omo e educa ional p og ams a ge ed a he gene al public
and heal h p o essionals. These ac ions will no only p o ec human and animal heal h
bu also con ibu e o main aining heal hy and sus ainable ecosys ems in an inc easingly
in e connec ed wo ld [
8
,
10
]. Fo hese easons, s udying and con olling pa asi ic diseases
in small animals is c ucial o imp o ing global public heal h.
Animals 2025,15, 1183 h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/ani15081183
Animals 2025,15, 1183 2 o 3
2. The S uc u e o This Special Issue
This Special Issue includes ele en pape s add essing he challenge o pa asi ic diseases
in small animals, explo ing hei impac on bo h wildli e and domes ic species. I includes
s udies on he di e si y and hos speci ici y o a ian haemospo idians in an A o opical
conse a ion egion, sugges ing ha biodi e se a eas may ha bo a g ea e a ie y o
pa asi es, which is c ucial o unde s anding hos –pa asi e dynamics and po en ial dis-
ease eme gence in a ian popula ions. On he o he hand, he applica ion o geome ic
mo phome ics is in oduced o di e en ia e h ee popula ions o synan h opic leas in An-
dalusia (Spain), highligh ing he impo ance o his echnique o s udying and managing
a h opod communi ies.
Fu he esea ch in es iga es he de ec ion o
β
- ubulin polymo phisms in T ichu is
ichiu a, o e ing p omising ools o imp o ing he diagnosis and ea men o ichu iasis.
In addi ion, he p e alence and isk ac o s o gas oin es inal pa asi es in domes ic dogs in
Se bia a e explo ed, p o iding ecommenda ions o imp o e pa asi e con ol in canines.
The Special Issue also co e s he occu ence o Pla ynosomum illiciens in ec ion in ca s wi h
ele a ed li e enzymes, shedding ligh on he epidemiology o his pa asi ic in ec ion and
i s e ec s on eline heal h.
Addi ionally, one s udy examines he s a us o T ypanosoma g osi and Babesia mic o i in
small mammals in he Republic o Ko ea, emphasizing he need o unde s and he dis ibu-
ion and gene ic di e si y o hese pa asi es o be e manage zoono ic diseases; ano he
epo s he de ec ion o Theile ia sinensis-like and Anaplasma cap a in icks, con ibu ing o
he knowledge o he dis ibu ion and gene ic di e si y o hese pa hogens.
The p e alence o Sa cocys is spp. mac ocys s in wild owl in he Eas e n Bal ic egion is
analyzed o e a speci ic ime ame, wi h a ocus on he economic impac o Sa cocys is ileyi
in ec ions on game bi ds. Da a on new in e media e and acciden al hos s o Angios ongylus
can onensis in he Cana y Islands (Spain) highligh he pa asi e’s sp ead in o new a eas,
unde sco ing he impo ance o moni o ing i s dis ibu ion. In addi ion, he p e alence
o mic ospo idia in he No h A ican hedgehog (A ele ix algi us) in he Cana y Islands is
epo ed, and i s implica ions o wildli e heal h and conse a ion a e discussed. Finally,
he de ec ion o Sa cocys is pilosa in a ed ox (Vulpes ulpes) ein oduced in Sou h Ko ea
p o ides insigh s in o he p esence o in e media e and de ini i e hos s in he egion,
emphasizing he need o moni o ing ein oduced wildli e o pa asi ic in ec ions.
These s udies collec i ely illus a e he complex ela ionships be ween pa asi ic in ec-
ions, animal heal h, and ecosys em dynamics.
3. Conclusions
This Special Issue highligh s a a ie y o inno a i e con ibu ions ha p o ide a be e
unde s anding o he epidemiology, hos speci ici y, and di e si y o pa asi es and pa asi ic
diseases in small animals. Moni o ing and con olling hese diseases no only p o ec s
animal heal h bu also sa egua ds public heal h by educing he isk o zoono ic in ec ions,
due o hei close con ac wi h humans, wi hou o ge ing he po en ial ou b eaks ha may
a ise in he nea u u e.
Au ho Con ibu ions: All au ho s lis ed ha e made a subs an ial, di ec , and in ellec ual con ibu ion
o he wo k and ha e app o ed i o publica ion. All au ho s ha e ead and ag eed o he published
e sion o he manusc ip .
Acknowledgmen s: The Gues Edi o s o his Special Issue hank all o he au ho s o hei impo an
con ibu ions.
Con lic s o In e es : The au ho s decla e no con lic s o in e es .
Animals 2025,15, 1183 3 o 3
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