First report on Protostrongylus cuniculorum (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae) in the European brown hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778 L.) from Bulgaria

Abstract

A nematode species from the Protostrongylidae family, unknown in the parasite fauna of Bulgaria until now, was found in the bronchi of a European brown hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778 L.) from a southwestern region of the country. At first the systematic identification of the found specimens was attributed to two possibilities-Protostrongylus terminalis Passerini (1884) Schulz, Orlow & Kutass, 1933 and Protostrongylus cuniculorum (Joyeux & Gaud, 1946) Schulz & Kadenazii, 1949. The autonomy of these two species was discussed based on data available in the literature. Morphological and morphometric data about the male and female specimens are provided in the present materials. After comparing these data with the ones available in the literature, the helminths were related to the species P. cuniculorum. P. cuniculorum is reported for the first time as part of the helminth fauna of the European brown hare from Southeastern Europe and Bulgaria in particular.

Helminth biocoenosis of Lepus europaeus meridiei (Hilzheimer, 1906) from Pianosa island, Italy

“…On the contrary, P. tauricus and P. cuniculorum seem to be distributed in southern regions: P. tauricus was reported in Spain ( Casanova et al, 1999 ) and in Bulgaria ( Panayotova-Pencheva et al, 2014 , 2018 ) while P. cuniculorum was found in Italy ( Sergi et al, 2018 ) and in Bulgaria ( Panayotova-Pencheva et al, 2018 ). The presence of P. oryctolagi in Italy, together with the only other available record of this species from L. europaeus in the south of France ( Lesage et al, 2014 ) suggests a distribution in southernmost regions also for this species.…”

“…All isolated nematodes were classified as male or female and counted. The caudal portion of each male was clarified in lactophenol and morphologically identified according to the key and descriptions of Boev (1975) and the descriptions of Casanova et al (1999) , Lesage et al (2014) and Panayotova-Pencheva et al (2018) .…”

A Comparison of the Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Wild Boar (Sus scrofa L.) Foraging in Urban and Suburban Areas

“…Another study conducted in Northwestern Poland recorded an infection rate of 58.8% in forest-dwelling wild boar [15]. Other authors have also identified Eimeria protozoa in these animals, with extensities of 33.33% in Italy [16], 7.5% in Bulgaria [17], and 3% in Russia [18]. Such variation can be related to environmental factors (e.g., warmer winters).…”

Wildlife and parasitic infections: A One Health perspective in Greece

“…Hares can also harbour other zoonotic parasites such as E. granulosus , E. multilocularis , Strongyloides sp. ( Panayotova-Pencheva, 2022 ), and T. callipaeda ( Cotuțiu et al, 2022 ). The cohabitation of hares with definitive hosts of parasites such as gray wolves, red foxes, dogs, and cats suggests a potential for pathogen transmission.…”