Morphological and molecular comparison of nematodes from the family Ancylostomatidae isolated from selected species of carnivorous mammals in central Poland

Abstract

The aim of the study was to morphologically and genetically compare parasitic nematodes from the genus Uncinaria found in different hosts. These common parasites belong to hookworm nematodes (family Ancylostomatidae). Worms were collected during dissection of mammals obtained from the Institute of Veterinary Hygiene in Warsaw, where the animals had been tested for rabies. The hosts of the nematodes were European badgers (Meles meles) from the family Mustelidae, as well as red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), dogs (Canis familiaris), and raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) from the family Canidae. The parasites were viewed under a microscope, and identified on the basis of their morphological features characteristic of the species U. stenocephala. Isolated, PCR-amplified, and sequenced rDNA segments containing internal transcribed spacer segments (ITS1 and ITS2) in the gene encoding 5.8S rDNA were also compared. No genetic or morphological differences were found between Uncinaria hookworms obtained from the four different host species. This means that wild raccoon dogs and badgers can be a source and reservoir for the hookworm U. stenocephala that infects dogs.