Veterinary Research Forum

Abstract Physalopteridae nematodes pose a threat to a broad spectrum of animals including amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The current study was the first molecular and phylogenetic characterization of Physaloptera clausa parasitizing long-eared hedgehogs (Hemiechinus auritus) in Iran. A male road-killed H. auritus was collected from Shahriar City, Tehran province in May 2022 and it was subjected to necropsy. After isolating parasites, they underwent morphological analysis using a light microscope and an identification key. For molecular analysis, the genomic DNA was isolated using the FavorPrepTM Tissue Genomic DNA Extraction Mini Kit. The PCR products were sequenced, the sequence data were analyzed and multiple alignments were conducted using the Clustal Omega. For phylogenetic analysis, these nucleotide sequences were aligned in MEGA 11 based on the lowest bayesian information criterion score. A cluster of parasites was found on the mucosa of the hedgehog stomach. All the nematodes were identified as P. clausa. The sequence obtained in this study has been submitted to GenBank^® with the accession number OR088573. The phylogeny analysis revealed that the genus Physaloptera formed a major clade where P. clausa was clustered with various Physaloptera species, closely related to Turgida, Physalopteroides and Skrjabinoptera genera. Our study specified the necessity for additional taxonomic and phylogenetic research on Physaloptera species and related genera to fully understand the evolutionary dynamics and ecological significance of these parasites.

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).