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Molecular identification of parasitic nematodes (Nematoda: Strongylida) in feces of wild ruminants from Tunisia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2017

Yousra Said Open the ORCID record for Yousra Said [Opens in a new window] ,
Mohamed Gharbi ,
Moez Mhadhbi ,
Moktar Dhibi  and
Samia Lahmar
Yousra Said*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science of Bizerte, University of Carthage, Jarzouna, Bizerte 7021, Tunisia Parasitology Laboratory, National School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Manouba, Sidi Thabet 2020, Tunisia
Mohamed Gharbi
Affiliation:
Parasitology Laboratory, National School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Manouba, Sidi Thabet 2020, Tunisia
Moez Mhadhbi
Affiliation:
Parasitology Laboratory, National School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Manouba, Sidi Thabet 2020, Tunisia
Moktar Dhibi
Affiliation:
Parasitology Laboratory, National School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Manouba, Sidi Thabet 2020, Tunisia
Samia Lahmar
Affiliation:
Parasitology Laboratory, National School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Manouba, Sidi Thabet 2020, Tunisia
*
Author for correspondence: Yousra Said, E-mail: yousra.said.vet@gmail.com
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Abstract

In Tunisia and other North African countries, there is a lack of knowledge about parasite biodiversity within threatened wild ruminants and there are not any studies on their gastrointestinal nematodes. Thus the aim of this study was to identify gastrointestinal fauna in the faecal samples of Tunisian wild ruminants. A total of 262 faecal samples were collected from domestic sheep and goat, and wild ruminants (Addax, Barbary sheep, Barbary red deer, Dorcas gazelle, Slender-horned gazelle and Scimitar-horned Oryx) living in protected areas. Samples were examined with floatation (saturated sodium chloride solution), polymerase chain reaction and sequencing of the second internal transcribed spacer region of the rDNA. Microscopic analysis allowed the identification of only Nematodirus genus or molecular tools allowed a first identification of five gastrointestinal nematode species in North African wild ruminants: Chabertia ovina (1.6%), Camelostrongylus mentulatus (1.6%), Marshallagia marshalli (4.7%), Nematodirus helvetianus (62.5%) and Nematodirus spathiger (29.7%). This study reported the first records of C. mentulatus and M. marshalli in Addax and of M. marshalli in Dorcas gazelle and it was the first reported record of N. helvetianus and M. marshalli in Tunisia.

Keywords

Biodiversitygastrointestinal nematodesCamelostrongylus mentulatusMarshallagia marshalliNematodirus helvetianuswild ruminantsthreatened speciesTunisiaNorth Africa
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 145 , Issue 7 , June 2018 , pp. 901 - 911
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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