Protecting Free-Living Dormice: Molecular Identification of Cestode Parasites in Captive Dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius) Destined for Reintroduction

Abstract

The success of any population translocation programme relies heavily on the measures implemented to control and monitor the spread of disease. Without these measures, programmes run the risk of releasing immunologically naïve species or, more dangerously, introducing novel infectious agents to native populations. As a precaution, a reintroduction programme for the common or hazel dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius, in England screens dormice before release following captive breeding. Using PCR sequencing of a range of genes, we tested whether the same species of tapeworm(s) were present in captive and free-living dormice. Whilst only Rodentolepis straminea were identified in free-living dormice, cestode ova found in a captive individual produced a molecular match closely related to Hymenolepis microstoma and a previously unrecorded Rodentolepis species. To prevent putting at risk the free-living population, we recommended the continued treatment of dormice showing tapeworm infection before release. Our work demonstrates how molecular techniques can be used to inform reintroduction programmes, reduce risk from disease and increase chances of reintroduction success.

Psittacid Adenovirus-2 infection in the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogastor): A key threatening process or an example of a host-adapted virus?

“…If an infectious disease is introduced into a captive population of endangered species it can prove challenging or even impossible to eradicate [12, 13]. The introduction of novel pathogens to wild populations can also threaten their viability [14,15,16].…”

Molecular confirmation of trematodes in the snail intermediate hosts from Ratchaburi Province, Thailand

“…Molecular biological methods have been acknowledged as the most efficient and accurate tools that can be used for the identification of several parasitic organisms including trematodes [1,14,[19][20][21]. The internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of the 18S rDNA gene was selected and used in this study.…”

The mouse bile duct tapeworm, Hymenolepis microstoma in free-living small mammals in Slovakia: occurrence and genetic analysis

“…In twelve cestodes collected from house mice (Mus musculus) in Lima (Peru), morphologically and genetically (cox1 mt gene) categorized as H. microstoma, lower genetic variability between specimens from Peru and Spain compared to Japan indicated that the parasite was introduced into Peru from a European country (Gomez-Puerta et al, 2018). A close phylogenetic match to H. microstoma was also determined in the tapeworm derived from captive dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) in the United Kingdom (Peniche et al, 2017). The dwarf tapeworm H. nana is the only cestode recognized as not requiring an intermediate host to develop into maturity under natural conditions (Dovč et al, 2017).…”

“…Furthermore, a variety of other hymenolepidid species, morphologically similar to H. microstoma, can potentially infest free-living small mammals (Riebold et al, 2019). Thus, the use of molecular tools, especially in cases when identification via morphology is ambiguous, is essential for identifying and classifying species (Peniche et al, 2017). The study was designed to survey the occurrence of H. microstoma in free-living small mammals in selected areas of Slovakia and to conduct a retrospective analysis of epidemiological data published in Slovakia.…”