The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), as a reservoir for helminth parasites in Iran
Volume 6, Issue 2, June 2015, Pages 149-153
Soraya Naem, Behzad Pourreza, Tahmineh Gorgani-Firouzjaee
Abstract From April 2009 to December 2011, 44 dead hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) were collected incidentally from areas of Urmia, Iran. The overall prevalence of helminth infections was 95.0%. Specific parasites and their prevalences were: Physalopteraclausa(93.0%), Crenosoma striatum (61.0%), Capillariaaerophila(9.0%), Capillariasspp.(4.0%), Brachylaemuserinacei(2.0%) and Hymenolepiserinacei(16.0%). There were no significant differences in helminth occurrence between hedgehog sexes, either in single or in mixed infections (p > 0.05). The mixed infection involving Crenosoma striatum and P. clausaoccurred significantly more frequently than other mixed infection (p < 0.05).There were significant differences in prevalence among seasons, with the highest prevalence in summer and spring especially among P. clausaand C. striatum (p < 0.05).