Article

Robustostrongylus aferensis gen. nov. et sp. nov. (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea) in Kob (Kobus kob) and Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus jacksoni) (Artiodactyla) from Sub-saharan Africa, with Further Ruminations on the Ostertagiinae

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Abstract

Abomasal nematodes (Ostertagiinae: Trichostrongyloidea), representing a previously unrecognized genus and species, were discovered in kob (Kobus kob) and kongoni (hartebeest) (Alcelaphus buselaphus jacksoni) from Uganda during surveys of ungulate parasites in the 1960s. Robustostrongylus aferensis gen. nov. et sp. nov. is characterized by a ventriculus-like, bilobed valve at the junction of the esophagus and intestine, a synlophe with unusually robust ridges, cervical papillae and excretory pore situated posterior to the mid-length of the esophagus, a unique body form and large diameter in males and females, a relatively anterior position for the vulva, and strongly convoluted and spiraled ovarian tracks in females. Bursal structure is 2-1-2, with subequal Rays 2/3, strongly reduced and robust Rays 8, and relatively narrow Rays 9/10 contained within a reduced, laterally inflated dorsal lobe. Spicules are filamentous and tripartite; the gubernaculum is cryptic, alate, and heart-shaped in the anterior. Robustostrongylus aferensis, with narrow filamentous spicules that trifurcate distally near 80%, paired arcuate "0" papillae that terminate in bulbous expansions, and a reduced dorsal lobe and ray most closely resembles species of Longistrongylus. A suite of unique characters, consistent in males and females, however, unequivocally distinguishes specimens of R. aferensis from all ostertagiines with either a 2-1-2 or 2-2-1 bursal pattern. Among 15 genera of the Ostertagiinae in the global fauna, 5 are entirely limited in distribution to Africa, including Africanastrongylus, Hamulonema, Longistrongylus, Pseudomarshallagia, and Robustostrongylus gen. nov.; species among 5 additional genera, including Cervicaprastrongylus, Hyostrongylus, Marshallagia, Ostertagia, and Teladorsagia, also occur in Africa, but they are represented as mosaics, with diversity centered in Eurasia or the Holarctic.

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... Based on the literature, 5 of the 15 genera within the subfamily Ostertagiinae (i.e. Teladorsagia, Ostertagia, Orloffia, Spiculopteragia, Marshallagia) should be considered as polymorphic (Hoberg et al., 2009). ...
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After a historical introduction to the Ostertagiinae and several revisions of this group, it is proposed that the subfamily shall contain seven genera: Ostertagia, Hyostrongylus, Longistrongylus, Marshallagia, Mazamastrongylus, Spiculopteragia and Teladorsagia. The synonyms of these genera are to be found in the literature. In this proposal the genus Hyostrongylus should belong to the Ostertagiinae though it has probably an intermediate position between the Ostertagiinae and Graphidiinae. Cervicaprastrongylus and Tunisostertagia are regarded as synonyms of Hyostrongylus and Ostertagia respectively. The position of Ostertamia and Trichostrongyella is not clear but they could have their closest affinities with Teladorsagia and Mazamastrongylus respectively. The origin of the subfamily and the relationships of the genera with regard to their preferences for host groups and to their geographical distribution are discussed.
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The nematode family Trichostrongylidae is divided into six subfamilies Trichostrongylinae, Libyostrongylinae, Haemonchinae, Cooperiinae, Ostertagiinae and Graphidiinae which are briefly reviewed. The key is based mainly on specimens examined by the authors and includes one genus in the Trichostrongylinae, three genera in the Libyostrongylinae, six in the Haemonchinae, seven in the Cooperiinae, 17 in the Ostertagiinae and two in the Graphidiinae. Pseudostertagia, Pararhabdonema, Parostertagia, Obeliscoides and Travassosius are briefly described, figured and considered as genera of uncertain affinities. Nine genera, namely, Moguranema, Neocooperia, Bergheia, Mazamastrongylus, Paramecistocirrus, Ostertagiana, Ostertamia, Graphidiella and Trichostrongyella, specimens of which have not been available to the authors for examination, are listed giving details of host, habitat and geographical location, together with a summary of the diagnostic characters as described by the original authors.
Article
Phylogenetic analysis of the subfamilies of the Trichostrongylidae based on 22 morphological transformation series produced a single cladogram with a consistency index (CI) = 74.2%. Monophyly for the family was supported by the structure of the female tail and copulatory bursa. Two major clades are recognized: the Cooperiinae clade with the basal Cooperiinae and Libyostrongylinae+Trichostrongylinae, and the Graphidiinae clade with the basal Graphidiinae and Ostertagiinae+Haemonchinae. Dendrograms presented by Durette-Desset (1985) (CI = 56.1%) and Lichtenfels (1987), based on the key to the Trichostrongylidae by Gibbons and Khalil (1982) (CI = 59.0%), were found to be relatively inefficient in describing character evolution and in supporting putative relationships among the subfamilies. Based on the current analysis, the intestine appears to have constituted the ancestral habitat for the trichostrongylids with the stomach/abomasum having been independently colonized in each clade. Assessment of host associations suggests extensive colonization but also a high degree of coevolution with Bovidae and Cervidae for Ostertagiinae+Haemonchinae. Biogeography for this assemblage is complex, but this analysis is compatible with a Palearctic or Eurasian origin for Cooperiinae, Haemonchinae, and Ostertagiinae.
Article
Discovery of the ostertagiine nematode Teladorsagia boreoarcticus n. sp. in muskoxen, Ovibos moschatus, from the central Canadian Arctic highlights the paucity of knowledge about the genealogical and numerical diversity of nematode faunas characteristic of artiodactyls at high latitudes across the Holarctic. Teladorsagia boreoarcticus is a dimorphic cryptic species distinguished from Teladorsagia circumcincta/Teladorsagia trifurcata in domestic sheep by a 13% divergence in the ND4 region of mitochondrial DNA, constant differences in the synlophe, and significantly longer esophageal valve, spicules, gubernaculum, and bursa. Teladorsagia boreoarcticus represents an archaic component of the North American fauna and may have a Holarctic distribution in muskoxen and caribou. Recognition of T. boreoarcticus in muskoxen, in part, corroborates hypotheses for the existence of a cryptic species complex of Teladorsagia spp. among Caprinae and Cervidae at high latitudes and indicates the importance of climatological determinants during the late Tertiary and Pleistocene on diversification of the fauna. Also reinforced is the concept of the North American fauna as a mosaic of endemic and introduced species. Discovery of a previously unrecognized species of Teladorsagia has additional implications and clearly indicates that (1) our knowledge is incomplete relative to potentially pathogenic nematodes that could be exchanged among domestic and wild caprines; (2) we do not have sufficient knowledge of the fauna to understand the ecological control mechanisms (limitations) on dissemination and host range; and (3) an understanding of historical and geographical influences on the genealogical diversity and distribution of nematode faunas in domestic and wild ruminants is requisite to define the interface between agricultural and natural ecosystems across the Holarctic.
Article
The pattern of longitudinal ridges (synlophe) on the external cuticular surface of trichostrongylid nematodes has been shown to be of value for distinguishing species and determining relationships among higher taxa. In the process of studying Mecistocirrus digitatus, the large stomach worm of bovids of Asia that has been imported and established in the Americas, we observed remarkably similar synlophe patterns to those described for 3 species of Haemonchus and to those we examined in a species of Ashworthius. In all 3 genera, the synlophe is absent from the posterior part of the body. Only in Haemonchus does the synlophe extend beyond midbody. In both M. digitatus and Ashworthius sidemi, the synlophe extends posteriorly only about 1/4 of body length. In all 3 genera, the synlophe consists of about 30 ridges in the region of the esophagus with variation among species in specific areas, including additional pairs of subventral and subdorsal ridges and different lengths of sublateral ridges. This information is useful for identifying species and determining relationships among these large stomach worm parasites of cattle, sheep, goats, and farmed and wild cervids.
Article
The most important viral disease of farmed deer and bison is malignant catarrhal fever. The other herpesviruses which have been isolated from these species are briefly described. Other viral agents that are recognised in these animals, including adenovirus, parapox, foot and mouth disease, bluetongue, epizootic haemorrhagic disease, bovine virus diarrhoea, rotavirus and coronavirus, are also discussed. Ectoparasites of importance in this group in various parts of the world include a variety of ticks, as well as lice, keds, Oestridae, mange mites and fire ants. Helminth parasites include liver flukes (Fascioloides and Fasciola), gastrointestinal nematodes of the family Trichostrongylidae, pulmonary lungworms of the genus Dictyocaulus and extra-pulmonary lungworms of the family Protostrongylidae. Chronic wasting disease is principally important in North America, where the disease occurs in wild cervids in a limited area and has been reported in farmed deer in a small number of states in the United States of America and one province in Canada. These diseases are summarised in terms of their classification, epidemiology, clinical signs, pathology, diagnosis, treatment and control.
Article
In the polymorphic Teladorsagia circumcincta (morphs circumcincta and trifurcata), a sheep and goat line (SGL) and a goat line (GL) have been previously described on the basis of the malate dehydrogenase allozyme polymorphism (MDH-2) and of the morphology of the dorsal ray. The GL were never found alone in 1 host, so the status of species was not given to these 2 lines. To investigate further whether there are other genetic markers that will delineate them, we collected T. circumcincta worms from goat and sheep at 8 farms in Touraine (west-central France). The worms were identified individually as being SGL or GL on the basis of MDH-2 polymorphism. This distinctiveness was corroborated by sequences of the beta-tubulin isotype I gene, the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) of their rDNA, and the nicotinamide dehydrogenase (ND4) gene of their mDNA. The extent of the divergence in the 3 additional genetic markers was such that SGL and GL may be considered as 2 species. A third putative species was found in the SGL line based exclusively on the ND4 gene. These findings suggest that T. circumcincta is a species complex and that further investigation is required on a wider geographic scale.
Article
A species of Ashworthius is reported for the first time in the Western Hemisphere, and A. patriciapilittae n. sp. is described on the basis of specimens in white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus from Costa Rica. Among 8 known species, A. patriciapilittae is morphologically similar to A. tuyenquangi in red muntjac Muntjacas muntjak from northern Vietnam. The synlophe in A. patriciapilittae is composed of 26 ridges in the cervical zone and is continuous to the caudal extremity in males and females. Males are characterized by a complex dorsal ray and narrow trifurcate spicules (351-356 microm long) lacking an "eyelet." with dissimilar ventral and dorsal processes; the gubernaculum is 45-48% of the spicule length. Females have a prominent linguiform flap at the vulva and large eggs (108-142 microm long). The presence of A. patriciapilittae in Costa Rica is examined in the context of competing hypotheses for cospeciation or contemporary host-switching in cervids: either A. patriciapilittae is a component of an endemic Central and South American fauna that has diversified through coevolution of Ashworthius and cervid hosts or it has been introduced. Among haemonchines in the Western Hemisphere, specimens of A. patriciapilittae may be confused with 3 species of Haemonchus, including H. contortus, H. placei, and H. similis, that occur in both domestic and wild ruminants. Discovery of A. patriciapilittae emphasizes the continued need for survey and inventory to define the structure and distribution of parasite faunas in wild and domestic ruminants from the Nearctic and Neotropical regions.
Article
The present paper is a report on a collection of helminths collected from gazelles from Tanganyika Territory. It comprises one species of trematode, Paramphistomum microbothriwn ; one species of a larval cestodc Taenia hydatigcna ; eleven species of nematodes, Trichuris spiricollis; Haemonchus contortus; Trichostrongylus probolurus; Gazellofilaria tanganyikae; Cooperioides antidorca; Paracooperia serrata; P. daubneyi; Longistrongylus meyeri; Impalaia nudicollis; Gazellostrongylus lerouxi gen. et sp. nov. (Trichostrongylidae) and Protostrongylns gazellae sp. nov. The seven last mentioned species are all new records for the gazelle.
Article
The purpose of this paper is to bring together all the information available on the helminth parasites known to occur in domesticated animals in Kenya. Several reports have been made by various workers over the past fifty years but these are scattered throughout the literature. Of the principal authors, Daubney (1926, 1933) has recorded many of the Nematodes, and Hudson (1934) published a list of the Cestodes known to occur in mammals, birds and reptiles in East Africa. Dinnik (1951, 1952, 1954, 1959, 1961a, 1961b, 1962) and Dinnik and Dinnik (1954–55, 1954, 1960) have recorded the Trematode species found in cattle, sheep and goats in East Africa.
Article
The use of ovejector structure in the phylogeny of the Haemonchinae is hampered by differences among nematologists in the application of terminology and the recognition of homologous parts. Some workers recognize a sphincter with 2 parts, but others recognize only the proximal, rounded part of the sphincter and include the distal cylindrical part of the sphincter with the vestibule. The results of this study demonstrate that all sphincters of Haemonchinae of ruminants have 2 parts. To encourage the application of a uniform terminology to homologous parts of the ovejector, we propose the use of the terms "sphincter 1" for the rounded part and "sphincter 2" for the cylindrical part. It is hoped that clarification of the terminology for ovejectors of the Haemonchinae will provide a model useful for improving descriptions of ovejectors throughout the Trichostrongyloidea.
Article
Phylogenetic analysis of 25 morphological characters among the 12 species of Haemonchus resulted in 1 most parsimonious tree (60 steps; consistency index = 0.67, retention index = 0.80). Monophyly for Haemonchus was diagnosed by 3 unequivocal synapomorphies, including the asymmetric origin of the dorsal ray, relative size of the ventral rays, and the presence of a barb on each spicule tip. Species of Haemonchus have complex histories with respect to host and geographic associations: (1) origins in Africa with basal diversification in antelopes (H. krugeri, H. lawrencei, H. dinniki, H. horaki), (2) independent events of colonization for those species in Caprini and Bovinae (H. contortus, H. placei, H. bedfordi, H. similis), (3) colonization and development of core host associations within Camelidae (H. longistipes) and among Antilopinae, Tragelaphini, and Giraffidae (H. mitchelli, H. okapiae, H. vegliai), and (4) geographically widespread species that are represented only by those that have been translocated with domestic stock. The North American fauna is characterized by 3 introduced and exotic species, H. placei, H. contortus, H. similis, which emphasizes the importance of continued documentation of faunal diversity in the context of predictive foundations derived from phylogenetic studies. Satellite associations for species of Haemonchus, particularly among Cervidae and Camelidae in the Neotropics and Cervidae, Antilocapridae, and possibly wild Caprinae in the Nearctic, have been a consequence of introductions and exchange of parasites at historical interfaces for managed and natural ecosystems. Such distributions are emblematic of the overriding significance of anthropogenic factors as determinants of the global distributions for pathogenic parasites in domestic and wild ruminants.
Article
We review studies that have used molecular markers to address ecological and microevolutionary processes in parasites. Our goal is to highlight areas of research that may be of particular interest in relation to the parasitic lifestyle, and to draw attention to areas that require additional study. Topics include species identification, phylogeography, host specificity and speciation, population genetic structure, modes of reproduction and transmission patterns, and searching for loci under selection.
Article
An understanding of genetic variation in parasite populations, and how it is partitioned, is required to underpin many areas of basic and applied research. Population genetic studies on parasitic nematode populations are still in their infancy and have been dominated by the use of single locus markers. We have used a panel of five microsatellite markers to undertake a genetic study of a number of field and laboratory populations of Teladorsagia circumcincta. High levels of polymorphism were seen in all the populations examined with the majority of diversity being within rather than between populations. There was no detectable genetic differentiation between the UK populations examined although they included both laboratory passaged and field isolates derived from different geographical regions and host species. This broadly supports previous mtDNA sequence diversity studies of this parasite in the UK and USA. However, some between-population genetic differentiation was apparent when several populations from French goats and a laboratory population from New Zealand were examined. Most notably, a population from a French goat farm, which has previously been suggested to contain a cryptic species, showed very high levels of genetic differentiation from all the other populations. Analysis of multi-locus genotypes suggested the presence of two sympatric parasite populations on this farm with little or no gene flow between them. This supports the hypothesis that parasites currently defined as T. circumcincta by routine morphological criteria comprise more than a single species.
Article
Among genera of the ostertagiine nematodes, structural attributes of Spiculopteragia caballeroi are consistent with criteria that diagnose the genus Sarwaria. Specifically, the following characters are compatible with referral to this genus: (1) species characterized by monomorphic males; (2) tapering lateral synlophe in the cervical zone; (3) minuscule, thornlike cervical papillae; (4) length of Ray "4" < Ray "5"; (5) relatively thick or robust Ray "4"; (6) a substantially reduced dorsal lobe and dorsal ray that are disposed or curved ventrally relative to Rays "8"; and (7) a broad, laterally inflated dorsal lobe. Consequently, we propose Sarwaria caballeroi n. comb., and we provide further validation for the genus Sarwaria. Additionally, we propose that the ostertagiines are represented by 12 valid genera, including those characterized by a bursal formula of 2-2-1 (Cervicaprastrongylus, Hyostrongylus, Mazamastrongylus, Spiculopteragia, and Teladorsagia in addition to Sarwaria), and those in which the lateral rays describe a 2-1-2 pattern (Camelostrongylus, Longistrongylus, Marshallagia, Orloffia, Ostertagia, and Pseudomarshallagia).
Article
Abomasal nematodes (Ostertagiine: Trichostrongyloidea) representing a previously unrecognized genus and species are reported in African buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer) from Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa. Africanastrongylus buceros gen. nov. et sp. nov. is characterized by a symmetrical tapering synlophe in the cervical region and a maximum of 60 ridges in males and females. Bursal structure is 2-2-1, with subequal Rays 4/5, massive Rays 8, and Rays 9/10, and a massive dorsal lobe that is reduced in length, laterally and dorsally inflated, and positioned ventral to externodorsal rays. Spicules are tripartite, and the gubernaculum is broadly alate in the anterior. A proconus is present. Among ostertagiines with a 2-2-1 bursa (Cervicaprastrongylus, Hyostrongylus, Mazamastrongylus, Sarwaria, Spiculopteragia, and Teladorsagia) specimens of Africanastrongylus are differentiated from respective genera based on the structure of the cervical synlophe, patterns of dorsal, externodorsal, lateral, and ventral rays, and configuration of the genital cone, gubernaculum, and spicules. Among 13 genera of the Ostertagiinae in the global fauna, 3 are entirely limited in distribution to Africa, including Africanastrongylus, Longistrongylus, and Pseudomarshallagia. Another 5 genera including Cervicaprastrongylus, Hyostrongylus, Marshallagia, Ostertagia, and Teladorsagia are represented as mosaics, with diversity centered in Eurasia or the Holarctic. Genera not represented in the African fauna include Camelostrongylus among Caprinae and some Antelopinae from Eurasia, Mazamastrongylus and Spiculopteragia in Cervidae from the Holarctic and Eurasia, respectively, Orloffia in Cervidae and Bovidae from the Holarctic, and Sarwaria among Tragulidae and Bovinae in southern Asia. The diverse nature of the ostertagiine fauna, with a disproportionate number of endemic genera relative to other regions of the northern hemisphere, may reflect the timing of episodic expansion events for artiodactyls into Africa from Eurasia during the Tertiary and Quaternary.
Article
Hamulonema gen. nov. is proposed for Teladorsagia hamata and Ostertagia kenyensis in the ostertagiine nematode fauna found in artiodactyl hosts from Africa. Monomorphic species representing this genus are characterized by a bilaterally symmetrical and parallel synlophe in males and females, a 2-2-1 bursal formula, an accessory bursal membrane that is strongly cuticularized and reduced, a strongly reduced dorsal lobe and ray, and robust spicules with a simple, weakly pointed, ventral process, and curved, hooklike dorsal process. Species referred to Hamulonema nov. gen. are immediately distinguished from those of Camelostrongylus, Longistrongylus, Marshallagia, Orloffia, Ostertagia, and Pseudomarshallagia in which the bursal formula is 2-1-2 in males. Hamulonema nov. gen. is distinguished from those genera having a 2-2-1 bursa, including Africanastrongylus, Cervicaprastrongylus, Hyostrongylus, Mazamastrongylus, Sarwaria, Spiculopteragia, and Teladorsagia by the structure of the synlophe, bursa, genital cone, "0" and "7" papillae, dorsal lobe, and spicules in specific instances. In the global fauna, 4 of 14 ostertagiine genera are endemic to Africa. African genera may represent morphologically divergent and discrete or historically isolated lineages reflecting a pattern of geographic and host colonization as a driver for diversification since the Miocene.
Mammals species of the world. A taxonomic and geographic reference On a collection of helminths from Thomson's gazelle, Gazella thomsoni, from Tanganyika
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