Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Della Sardegna, Tortolì, Italy.
Parasitol Res. 2022 Jan;121(1):197-204. doi: 10.1007/s00436-021-07386-3. Epub 2021 Nov 25.
Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus is a zoonotic parasite affecting suids worldwide which are the definitive hosts for this helminth species. Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus is of significant economic and management concern due to its pathogenicity, causing intestinal obstruction and perforation in the definitive hosts. Current study is the preliminary investigation from Sardinia, Italy, reporting the pathomorphological findings and molecular characterization of M. hirudinaceus in the wild boars (Sus scrofa meridionalis). A total of 59 wild boars were examined showing acanthocephalan infection in 8 (13.6%) animals. In total, 49 parasites were collected with a mean intensity of 6.1. Comparatively higher infection levels were observed for males (16.7%) and young boars (14.3%); however, these epidemiological differences were statistically non-significant. Histopathological examination revealed the presence of a variable number of nodules (∼5 mm) in the intestine of M. hirudinaceus infested animals surrounded by a hyperemic-hemorrhagic halo. Several parasites were recovered from the intestinal lumen attached by the means of characteristic hooks showing necrosis in muscle layers. A moderate number of plump reactive fibroblasts and lesser numbers of fibrocytes were embedded with and at the borders of the inflammatory nodules in a moderate amount of homogeneous intensely eosinophilic fibrillary material rupturing the cell membrane. For molecular characterization, six isolated worms were amplified for the partial mitochondrial cox1 gene showing distinct interindividual variations. This first pathological and molecular description from southern Europe provided new knowledge about the diffusion of M. hirudinaceus in wild boars, furthering the research into the origin and transmission status of M. hirudinaceus in endemic localities.
蛭形巨吻棘头虫是一种影响全球猪类的人畜共患寄生虫，是该棘头虫物种的终末宿主。由于其致病性，蛭形巨吻棘头虫会导致终末宿主的肠道阻塞和穿孔，因此对经济和管理具有重要意义。本研究是来自意大利撒丁岛的初步调查，报告了野生野猪（Sus scrofa meridionalis）中蛭形巨吻棘头虫的病理解剖学发现和分子特征。共检查了 59 只野猪，其中 8 只（13.6%）动物患有棘头虫感染。共收集了 49 条寄生虫，平均强度为 6.1。雄性（16.7%）和幼猪（14.3%）的感染水平较高，但这些流行病学差异无统计学意义。组织病理学检查显示，在感染蛭形巨吻棘头虫的动物肠道中存在数量不等的结节（约 5 毫米），周围有充血性出血环。从肠道腔中回收了一些寄生虫，这些寄生虫通过特征性的钩子附着在肠道腔中，显示出肌肉层坏死。大量丰满的反应性成纤维细胞和较少数量的纤维细胞嵌入炎症结节中，并在其中和边界处有中等数量的均匀强嗜酸性纤维状物质，破坏细胞膜。为了进行分子特征分析，对 6 条分离的蠕虫进行了部分线粒体 cox1 基因扩增，显示出明显的个体间变异。这是来自南欧的首例病理学和分子描述，提供了关于蛭形巨吻棘头虫在野猪中扩散的新知识，进一步研究了该棘头虫在流行地区的起源和传播状况。
