Abstract
Passalurus ambiguus (Nematoda, Oxyuroidae) is one of the most common parasites of digestive tract of domestic and wild rabbits and rodents. Passalurus spp. are cosmopolitan, and the mature nematodes are localized in the appendages and large intestine of animals. The passaluariasis infections remain quite relevant in modern rabbit breeding, because the disease is highly contagious, with the possibility of unlimited spread inducing significant economic losses. The aim of the study was to determine the identifying morphological species characteristics of P. ambiguus nematodes, which were isolated from the colon of domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus). The identifying characters of Passalurus include morphological features, namely the presence of a spherical bulb in the esophagus, and the presence of three teeth in the oral capsule. Males of P. ambiguus have a characteristic structure of the tail end, namely the presence of papillary protrusions and a massive narrowed part with a spicule handle, and five papillae around the cloaca. Twenty-eight metric indicators are proposed that characterize the size of the body, oral capsule, esophagus in different parts of it, the tail end, spicules, the location of the cloaca. Two different morphotypes of mature females of P. ambiguus were revealed – short-tailed and long-tailed, which were larger by 19 indicators (by 3.2–43.6%). The morphotypes of P. ambiguus females are characterized; the length of the tail, body length and width in different areas, depth of the oral capsule, esophageal size and its structural elements, the location of the vulva and nerve ring, the width of the caudal process. At the same time, the parameters of esophageal bulb length and caudal process in short-tailed females were higher (by 13.9% and 11.9%, respectively) than in the long-tailed females. A total of 25 morphometric parameters were proposed for the identification of P. ambiguus females. The obtained data indicate the feasibility of further research on the causes of occurrence of such morphotypes in P. ambiguus females and the need to take into account the existence of such forms of females for their differential diagnosis taking into account their proposed morphometric parameters.
Highlights
In some countries, rabbit breeding is a promising livestock industry that produces raw materials and a variety of products for food and light industry, crop production and medicine
We proposed using metric parameters to identify female P. ambiguus, which characterize the depth of oral capsule, body width in different parts of the body, the size of the narrowings in the esophagus, the distance from vulva to anus
It is proposed to use additional morphometric parameters to enhance the efficiency of the differential diagnosis in order to morphologically identify the nematodes of the species Passalurus ambiguus (Rudolphi, 1819) isolated from the colon of domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus). 28 parameters are proposed in male nematodes and 25 in female nematodes to characterize the total length of the body, its width in different areas, the depth of the oral capsule, the size of the esophagus and its structural elements, the location of the nerve ring
Summary
Rabbit breeding is a promising livestock industry that produces raw materials and a variety of products for food and light industry, crop production and medicine. The potential of this industry lies in the fast production and relatively low cost of keeping the animals (Dalle Zotte, 2014; Cullere & Dalle Zotte, 2018; Li et al, 2018). The development of that industry is restrained by diseases of parasitic etiology, among which passaluriasis occupies a dominant place as a highly contagious infection with the possibility of unlimited spread among susceptible rabbits. In Scotland, the rates of infection by P. ambiguus was found to be 0.5% in hares and 54.0% in domestic rabbits (Boag & Iason, 1986)
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