Protostrongylus caprae Zdzitowiecki et Boev, 1971 (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae) - First record in Alpine ibex (Capra ibex Linnaeus, 1758) from Europe

Mariana Panayotova-Pencheva; Martin Visser; Steffen Rehbein

doi:10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.10.009

Protostrongylus caprae Zdzitowiecki et Boev, 1971 (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae) - First record in Alpine ibex (Capra ibex Linnaeus, 1758) from Europe

Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl. 2023 Oct 20:22:199-204. doi: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.10.009. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

Mariana Panayotova-Pencheva¹, Martin Visser², Steffen Rehbein²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev str., Bl. 25, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria.
² Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, Kathrinenhof Research Center, Walchenseestr. 8-12, 83101, Rohrdorf, Germany.

Abstract

In the course of a survey of the endoparasites of Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) from Austria, examination of the lungs revealed male Protostrongylus nematodes presenting morphological characters which differed from those of the three Protostrongylus species previously reported from this host. Fragments of 16 adult male and 4 adult female nematodes extracted from the lung tissue of two female ibex following peptic digestion were subjected to close microscopic examination. Based on their morphology, the lungworms were identified as Protostrongylus caprae Zdzitowiecki et Boev, 1971. This species was originally described from Siberian ibex (Capra sibirica) in Asia and previously only reported from this host from Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The identification of P. caprae in Alpine ibex represents a new host and geographical record and reinforces the interest to further study the parasite diversity of wild ungulates for a better understanding of complex host-parasite associations and biogeography.

Keywords: Alpine ibex; Europe; Protostrongylidae; Protostrongylus caprae.