Identification of gastrointestinal nematode helminths of wild Rabbit (Lepus capensis)from East Azarbaijan province of Iran

Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. The cape hare, Lepus capensis, is the only species of harefound in the various ecosystems in Iran. Rabbits are generally infected with numerous parasites. Parasitic infections cause considerable diseases and losses to rabbits. Helminthic infections have greater ramification and significant impacts on these animals, when present in sufficient number can cause high morbidity and mortality. Few studies have been carried out on the parasites fauna of wild rabbits in Iran in the past. The objective of this study was to identify the types of gastrointestinal (GI) nematode helminths in wild rabbits in East Azerbaijan province, northwest of Iran. Between Oct 2016 and Jan 2017, hunters submitted visceral organs were examined in the parasitology lab of veterinary medicine faculty of University of Tabriz. A total of 13 stomachs and intestines of hunted wild rabbits (including 8 females and 5 males) were examined to identify the types of gastrointestinal nematode helminths. For this purpose, each part of the gastrointestinal tract was separately opened for a thorough examination. The contents of the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine were respectively washed and sieved. Residue contents were flushed out with saline solution, and the resulting solution was considered under loup. Afterward, the total number of nematodes were removed and cleared in lactophenol. Finally, helminths identification was performed based on valid references. In this study, only two nematode helminths including Nematodirus leporis and Trichostrongylus retortaeformis were identified from the infected wild rabbits. Eight samples (or specimens) (61.5%) including five females and three males were infected with nematodes helminths.the prevalence infection rate of Nematodirus leporis was higher (100%) than that of the other nematode species (30%). It should be noted that the helminthic infection was only found in the small intestine of rabbits. The other parts of the gastrointestinal had no infection.

Keywords:

Nematode , Gastrointestinal Helminthes , Wild rabbit , East Azarbaijan , Iran