Debenham John J, Johnson Robert, Vogelnest Larry, Phalen David N, Whittington Richard, Slapeta Jan
Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
J Parasitol. 2012 Jun;98(3):543-9. doi: 10.1645/GE-2982.1. Epub 2012 Jan 11.
The short-beaked echidna ( Tachyglossus aculeatus ) is 1 of 5 extant species of monotreme, found only in Australia and Papua New Guinea. The aim of this study was to identify the species of coccidia present and establish a range of subclinical Eimeria spp. (Coccidia: Apicomplexa) oocyst shedding in echidnas from eastern Australia over 18 mo. The coccidia were detected in 89% (49/55) of fecal samples from 12 long-term monitored and healthy captive echidnas, 75% (3/4) of 4 healthy long-term captive echidnas, 83% (5/6) of 6 short-term captive echidnas, and 60% (6/10) of 10 wild echidnas. Echidnas captive for 4 to 23 yr shed 100-46,000 oocysts g(-1) of E. echidnae and remained clinically healthy during this study. Sub-adult and adult wild, and short-term captive, echidnas shed oocysts of both E. echidnae and E. tachyglossi . The lack of coccidia in juvenile short-beaked echidnas suggests these animals are probably non-immune and should not be placed in environments heavily contaminated with oocysts. In addition, no oocysts were found in captive long-beaked echidnas ( Zaglossus bartoni bartoni , n = 2) housed at Taronga Zoo. This study represents an important step in understanding the host-parasite interaction between coccidia and short-beaked echidnas.
短喙针鼹（Tachyglossus aculeatus）是现存5种单孔目动物之一，仅分布于澳大利亚和巴布亚新几内亚。本研究的目的是确定存在的球虫种类，并确定澳大利亚东部针鼹在18个月内亚临床艾美耳属球虫（球虫纲：顶复门）卵囊的排出范围。在12只长期监测的健康圈养针鼹的89%（49/55）粪便样本、4只健康长期圈养针鼹的75%（3/4）、6只短期圈养针鼹的83%（5/6）以及10只野生针鼹的60%（6/10）中检测到球虫。圈养4至23年的针鼹每克粪便排出100 - 46,000个针鼹艾美耳球虫卵囊，在本研究期间保持临床健康。亚成体和成年野生及短期圈养的针鼹排出针鼹艾美耳球虫和针鼹艾美耳球虫的卵囊。幼年短喙针鼹未检测到球虫，表明这些动物可能无免疫力，不应置于卵囊严重污染的环境中。此外，在塔龙加动物园圈养的2只长吻针鼹（Zaglossus bartoni bartoni）粪便中未发现卵囊。本研究是了解球虫与短喙针鼹宿主 - 寄生虫相互作用的重要一步。
