The First Record of (G5) Tapeworms in Grey Wolf ().

The aim of this study is to confirm the presence and molecular identification of tapeworms in wolves from south-eastern Poland. An investigation was carried out on the intestines of 13 wolves from south-eastern Poland. The small intestines were divided into three equal segments. Each segment was separately examined using the sedimentation and counting technique (SCT). The detected tapeworms were isolated and identified by PCRs and sequencing ( and genes). Additionally, DNA isolated from the feces of wolves positive for tapeworms was examined with two diagnostic PCRs. The intestines of one wolf were positive for when assessed by SCT; the intestine was from a six-year-old male wolf killed in a communication accident. We detected 61 adult tapeworms: 42 in the anterior, 14 in the middle, and 5 in the posterior parts of the small intestine. The PCRs conducted for and produced specific products. A sequence comparison with the GenBank database showed similarity to the deposited (G5) sequences. An analysis of the available phylogenetic sequences showed very little variation within the species of (G5), and identity ranged from 99.10% to 100.00% in the case of and from 99.04% to 100.00% in the case of . One of the two diagnostic PCRs used and performed on the feces of -positive animals showed product specific for . This study showed the presence of adult tapeworms in wolves for the first time.