KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), Zoological Institute, Department of Ecology and Parasitology, Kornblumenstrasse 13, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany.
Parasitol Res. 2010 Jan;106(2):431-7. doi: 10.1007/s00436-009-1681-9. Epub 2009 Nov 24.
The palaeacanthocephalan Plagiorhynchus cylindraceus is a common intestinal parasite of passerine birds, which can also occur parenterally or in the intestinal tract of mammals, often as an invading species in many countries worldwide. In this survey, introduced hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus, n = 183) killed in New Zealand during a biocontrol campaign and conspecifics (n = 174) that had died in hedgehog rehabilitation centers in Germany and Britain were examined for this parasite. In New Zealand, P. cylindraceus is recorded for the first time here, in the vicinity of Auckland. In Europe, prevalences ranged from 4.2% up to 47.6%, while in New Zealand, only 1.6% (Auckland 7.9%). Most of the worms occurred inside the peritoneal cavity where they had partly degenerated. Since hedgehogs are seldom preyed upon in continental Europe but often become traffic victims, we hypothesize that the worms inside them, whether extra- or intraperitoneally, contribute to the abundance and persistence of the parasite by being ingested by scavenging birds. Accordingly, we consider P. cylindraceus as a "modern parasite" taking advantage of two aspects of global change: anthropogenic promoted transmission (road kills) and the transcontinental spread of infected intermediate and/or final hosts caused by humans.
古棘头虫 Plagiorhynchus cylindraceus 是一种常见的雀形目鸟类肠道寄生虫，也可以通过体腔或肠道寄生在哺乳动物中，在世界许多国家通常作为入侵物种存在。在这项调查中，在新西兰的一场生物防治行动中被杀死的引进刺猬（ Erinaceus europaeus ，n = 183）和在德国和英国的刺猬康复中心死亡的同种刺猬（n = 174）被检查是否携带这种寄生虫。在新西兰，首次在奥克兰附近记录到古棘头虫。在欧洲，流行率从 4.2%到 47.6%不等，而在新西兰，只有 1.6%（奥克兰为 7.9%）。大多数蠕虫存在于腹膜腔内，已经部分退化。由于刺猬在欧洲大陆很少被捕食，但经常成为交通事故的受害者，我们假设它们体内的蠕虫，无论是体腔外还是体腔内，通过被食腐鸟类吞食，有助于寄生虫的丰度和持久性。因此，我们认为 P. cylindraceus 是一种“现代寄生虫”，利用了全球变化的两个方面：人为促进的传播（道路死亡）和受人类影响的感染中间宿主和/或最终宿主的跨大陆传播。
