Infection of Afghan Pika (Ochotona rufescens) with Oxyurid Worms in Northeastern Iran

Abstract

The Afghan pika (Ochotona rufescens) is a small mammal belonging to the family Ochotonidae. The members of this family have 26 teeth, and along with rabbits and hares from the family Leporidae is categorized in the order Lagomorpha. The members of this order can be separated from the rodents by a second set of incisors called peg teeth [1]. The Afghan pikas occur in mountainous regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and southwestern Turkmenistan. In Iran, they inhabit mountainous areas with the cold and semiarid weather [2]. Some parts of Iran such as Semnan, Tandoureh in Khorasan and different parts of Southern Khorasan are the primary habitats of the Afghan pikas. These animals, unlike the rodents, are strictly herbivores and are considered as pests of crops and compete with livestock for available vegetation [3]. In experimental infections, Afghan pikas were found susceptible to larvae of nematodes like Haemonchus contortus, Ostertagia circumcincta, Trichostrongylus axei, Trichostrongylus colobriformis [4]. Previously, in Iran, Afghan pika exhibited infection with some oxyurid worms such as Fastigiuris prudhoei, and Cephaluris chabaudi [5]. Also, these animals are host to fleas, Ixodid ticks, and red mites [5]. In plateau grasslands, the Afghan pikas are found in company with ruminants and livestock that may lead to transmission of the helminthic parasite to humans and livestock [3]. This study aimed to identify the parasitic helminths among Afghan pikas from Bojnord, Mashhad, Birjand, and Tandoureh in the northeast of Iran.