Morphological and molecular identification of cyathostomine gastrointestinal nematodes of and species from Asian elephants in Myanmar.

Gastrointestinal nematode parasites have long been recognized in Asian elephants. The most common parasites belong to the subfamily Cyathostominae of the family Strongylidae, which are small to medium-sized with a cylindrical buccal capsule surrounded by coronal leaflets. Diagnostic keys of such parasites are provided from old illustrations in the form of line drawings. However, there very few photomicrographs and no genetic information of these parasites exist. In the present study we obtained adult worm specimens from faeces of Asian elephants after anthelmintic treatment in two elephant camps in Myanmar. Here, we provided photomicrographs for five cyathostomine parasites, , , , , and almost 100 years after their original drawings. In addition, we determined the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I () gene sequences of these species. Phylogenetic analysis of the genes of and species from Asian and African elephants revealed parasite speciation in each elephant host. The present study also indicated that several and species were widely distributed in Asian elephants in Myanmar, providing new insight into control strategies and evolution of cyathostomine gastrointestinal parasites in elephants.