New insights intoinfections in exotic mammals: description ofsp. nov. and detection of zoonotic
Source: PubMed Central Open Access, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine
This study aimed to identify nematodes of the genususing morphological and molecular methods and to determine their occurrence in a group of non-human primates and anteaters. A single female nematode collected from, together with carcasses of 29 non-human primates (belonging to 13 species) and two anteaters (representing one species) from Czech zoological gardens and private collections, were submitted between 2019 and 2025 to the State Veterinary Institute Prague for necropsies. Smears from the buccal cavity and tongue, as well as fecal samples, were collected by veterinarians at each facility and transported to the laboratory in tubes containing saline solution or in plastic bags, respectively. The samples were genetically characterized using the nuclearrRNA,rRNA genes, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (). Four non-human primates (two, one, and one) and two anteaters (), from the same zoological garden, were positive forsp. nov. The single female specimen fromwas identified as. The new species morphologically differed from its congeners in the body length of adult males, the left spicule length, the gubernaculum length, the protruded vulvar lips, and the number of precloacal papillae. Molecularly, theandrRNA genes were 99.88−100% similar to those ofand, whereas the ITS andsequences showed lower similarity to those of bothspecies.sp. nov. was morphologically and molecularly different from its congeners an
Abstract
This study aimed to identify nematodes of the genususing morphological and molecular methods and to determine their occurrence in a group of non-human primates and anteaters. A single female nematode collected from, together with carcasses of 29 non-human primates (belonging to 13 species) and two anteaters (representing one species) from Czech zoological gardens and private collections, were submitted between 2019 and 2025 to the State Veterinary Institute Prague for necropsies. Smears from the buccal cavity and tongue, as well as fecal samples, were collected by veterinarians at each facility and transported to the laboratory in tubes containing saline solution or in plastic bags, respectively. The samples were genetically characterized using the nuclearrRNA,rRNA genes, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (). Four non-human primates (two, one, and one) and two anteaters (), from the same zoological garden, were positive forsp. nov. The single female specimen fromwas identified as. The new species morphologically differed from its congeners in the body length of adult males, the left spicule length, the gubernaculum length, the protruded vulvar lips, and the number of precloacal papillae. Molecularly, theandrRNA genes were 99.88−100% similar to those ofand, whereas the ITS andsequences showed lower similarity to those of bothspecies.sp. nov. was morphologically and molecularly different from its congeners and therefore represents a new species. This is the first record of the zoonoticin. Althoughis zoonotic, the new species may also have zoonotic potential.