Identification of Parelaphostrongylus odocoilei (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae) First-Stage Larvae in the Feces of Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) by Molecular Methods

First-stage nematode larvae with a dorsal-spine (DSL) were detected in five of 1,565 fecal samples from gray wolves (Canis lupus) collected in British Columbia, Canada, between 2005 and 2008. Molecular techniques were used to identify the DSL because it was not possible to determine their species id...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bryan, Heather M., Sim, Kathrin A., Darimont, Chris T., Paquet, Paul C., Wagner, Brent, Muñoz-Fuentes, Violeta, Smits, Judit E., Chilton, Nell B.
Format: Text
Language:unknown
Published: WBI Studies Repository 2010
Subjects:
accidental parasite
Canis lupus
dorsal-spined nematode larvae
gray wolf
Parelaphostrongylus odocoilei
PCR-based methods
single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP)
Animal Studies
Other Animal Sciences
Veterinary Preventive Medicine
Epidemiology
and Public Health
British Columbia
Canada
Online Access:https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/parasi/1
https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/context/parasi/article/1000/viewcontent/Identification_of_Parelaphostrongylus_odocoilei.pdf
Description
Summary:First-stage nematode larvae with a dorsal-spine (DSL) were detected in five of 1,565 fecal samples from gray wolves (Canis lupus) collected in British Columbia, Canada, between 2005 and 2008. Molecular techniques were used to identify the DSL because it was not possible to determine their species identity using morphologic characters. The DSL were identified as Parelaphostrongylus odocoilei based on the results of single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analyses and DNA sequencing of the ribosomal DNA first and second internal transcribed spacers. Finding DSL of P. odocoilei in the feces of gray wolves was unexpected because P. odocoilei adults are parasites of cervids and bovids. The most likely explanation for the presence of DSL in wolf feces is that they were ingested along with the viscera of recently consumed prey. This was probably black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus), which are known in the sampling area to be hosts of P. odocoilei. The present study demonstrates the use of SSCP and DNA sequencing for the identification, to the species level, of parasitic nematode larvae in feces.

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