Distribution of large lungworms (Nematoda: Dictyocaulidae) in free-roaming populations of red deer Cervus elaphus (L.) with the description of Dictyocaulus skrjabini n. sp.

• Published in: Parasitology
• Main Authors: Anna Maria Pyziel, Zdzisław Laskowski, Daniel Klich, Aleksander Wiaczesław Demiaszkiewicz, Stanisław Kaczor, Dorota Merta, Janusz Kobielski, Julita Nowakowska, Krzysztof Anusz, Johan Höglund
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press 2023
• Subjects: Dictyocaulus skrjabini n. sp; fallow deer (Dama dama); moose (Alces alces); phylogenetic reconstruction; red deer (Cervus elaphus); Biochemistry; QD415-436; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Microbiology; QR1-502; Alces alces
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1017/S003118202300080X; https://doaj.org/article/9c194748bf504b17b72647ddb1d81e88

Lungworms of the genus Dictyocaulus are causative agents of parasitic bronchitis in domestic and wild ungulates. This study investigates the distribution, morphology and genetic diversity of D. cervi and a new lungworm species, Dictyocaulus skrjabini n. sp. infecting red deer Cervus elaphus, fallow deer Dama dama and moose Alces alces in Poland and Sweden. The study was conducted on 167 red deer from Poland and on the DNA of lungworms derived from 7 fallow deer, 4 red deer and 2 moose collected in Sweden. The prevalence of D. cervi and D. skrjabini n. sp. in dissected red deer in Poland was 31.1% and 7.2%, respectively. Moreover, D. skrjabini n. sp. was confirmed molecularly in 7 isolates of fallow deer lungworms and 1 isolate of red deer lungworms from Sweden. Dictyocaulus skrjabini n. sp. was established based on combination of their distinct molecular and morphological features; these included the length of cephalic vesicle, buccal capsule (BC), buccal capsule wall (BCW), distance from anterior extremity to the nerve ring, the width of head, oesophagus, cephalic vesicle, BC and BCW, as well as the dimensions of reproductive organs of male and female. Additionally, molecular analyses revealed 0.9% nucleotide sequence divergence for 1,605 bp SSU rDNA, and 16.5–17.3% nucleotide sequence divergence for 642 bp mitochondrial cytB between D. skrjabini n. sp. and D. cervi, respectively, and 18.7–19% between D. skrjabini n. sp. and D. eckerti, which translates into 18.2–18.7% amino acid sequence divergence between D. skrjabini n. sp. and both lungworms.