Cystic echinococcosis and other helminth infections of wild boar in northeastern and northwestern regions of Tunisia

Abstract

This study identified helminth species of wild boar (Sus scrofa) originating from northeastern and northwestern regions of Tunisia using 297 lungs, 297 livers, 264 intestinal tracts, 120 samples of muscle tissue (tongue, masseter, diaphragm, inter-costal) and 232 faecal samples derived from a total of 591 animals. Host gender was registered for the lung and liver wild boar group, which included 163 males and 134 females. All animals, excluding those used to retrieve muscular samples, were classified into three age classes, <2 (n = 212), 2–3 (n = 208) and ⩾4 years old (n = 141). Helminth fauna of the examined wild boar included 14 parasite species: one trematode (adult, Brachylaemus suis), three cestodes (metacestodes of Echinococcus granulosus, Taenia hydatigena cysticercus, adult, Hymenolepis diminuta), nine nematodes (adults of Metastrongylus apri, Metastrongylus pudendotectus, Ascarops strongylina, Globocephalus urosubulatus, Physocephalus sexalatus, Gnathostoma hispidum, Gongylonema pulchrum and eggs of Strongyloides ransoni and Capillaria spp.) and one acanthocephalan (adult, Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus). Trichinella larvae were not recovered from any of the 30 wild boar examined. Results showed a 73.5% global prevalence of infection with visceral helminths, 67.3% of which were lung and hepatic infections and 80.3% of helminths were recovered from the gastrointestinal tract. The most prevalent parasite was M. hirudinaceus (61.7%) while the highest intensity of infection was observed for Metastrongylus spp. The most prevalent cestode was E. granulosus (18.9%). This is the first detailed study on helminth infections of wild boar from a North African country.

"On the Risks of Wild Boars (Sus Scrofa Linnaeus, 1758) in Palestine, with Particular Emphasis on the West Bank"

“…In fact, Wild Boars are reservoirs for a number of viruses, bacteria and parasites that are transmissible to domestic animals and humans. This was confirmed by Lahmar, et al [34,68,130], Meier and Ryser-Degiorgis [131] who pointed out those Wild Boars can act as reservoirs for many important infectious diseases and parasites in domestic animals and humans. The incidence of tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis has increased in Wild Boar, which is a potential infection concern in cattle and humans.…”

“…Abdelwahab, et al [32] described the Wild Boar as a predator of scorpions in north-western Algeria. The Wild Boar was tested for cystic echinococcosis and other helminthes infections in Morocco and Tunisia [33,34]. Work on Wild Boars is neither extensive nor deep in Palestine, so few studies are available.…”

First molecular description of Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus in wild boars from Italy with pathomorphological and epidemiological insights

“…As far as we know, no previous epidemiological surveys have been carried out on M. hirudinaceus in wild boars in Sardinia. Furthermore, there are only a few studies on the prevalence of the acanthocephalan in these ungulates in Italy (Magi et al 2005;Papini et al 2018) (Mowlavi et al 2006;Sarkari et al 2016;Dodangeh et al 2018) and Tunisia (Lahmar et al 2019). The worldwide variations in recorded prevalence could be related to the different climatic conditions and soil composition that may influence the distribution of the dung beetles (Scarabaeidae) which act as intermediate hosts of M. hirudinaceus (Foata et al 2005;Lizana et al 2021).…”