Nematode fauna in Canis lupus familiaris and Felis catus in Karakalpakstan and molecular genetic analysis of Toxascaris leonina
Abstract
The article analyses the current species diversity of nematodes of dogs and cats in Karakalpakstan. Our research team identified 11 species of nematodes in dogs: Trichocephalus vulpis (Froelich, 1789), Dioctophyme renale (Goeze, 1782), Ancylostoma caninum (Ercolani, 1859), Uncinaria stenocephala (Railliet, 1854), Toxascaris leonina (Linstow, 1902), Toxocara canis (Werner, 1782), Spirocerca lupi (Rudolphi, 1809), Physaloptera praeputialis (Linstow, 1888), Rictularia affinis (Jagerskiold, 1904), Dirofiliaria immitis (Leidy, 1856), and Dirofiliaria repens (Railliet et Henry, 1911). The prevalence of infection in the dog population ranged from 8.3% to 45.8%, with the intensity of infection ranging between 1 and 28 individuals. The nematode fauna of cats consisted of 9 species: D. renale , A. caninum , U. stenocephala , T. leonina , T. canis , Ph. praeputialis , R. affinus , D. immits , and D. repens . In this group of animals, the prevalence ranged from 8.3% to 37.6% and the intensity of infection from 1 to 23 individuals. Toxascaris leonina was the predominant helminth species in both cats and dogs. Toxocara canis showed a prevalence of 37.6% and an infection intensity of 4 to 9 individuals in domestic Canidae, and 33.7% and 3-8 individuals in Felis catus . The research team conducted a molecular genetic analysis of T. leonina . The study showed that Toxascaris leonina from dogs differed from the same species of nematodes from cats and w as characterised by two subclades. One clade identified in dogs (PP865013) is close to an isolate from China (MN329693) and Australia (NC023504), and the other one in cats (PP864705) to an isolate from the tiger (China, MW560284). In addition, the isolates are grouped together irrespective of hosts and location and are related to other species from the family Ascarididae .