Remesar Susana, García-Dios David, Forcina Giovanni, Ali Abdullahi H, Ndunda Mathew, Jowers Michael J
Investigación en Sanidad Animal: Galicia (Grupo INVESAGA), Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain.
IBADER-Instituto de Biodiversidade Agraria e Desenvolvemento Rural, Lugo, Spain.
Vet Rec. 2025 Jun 21;196(12):e5223. doi: 10.1002/vetr.5223. Epub 2025 Mar 27.
The hirola (Beatragus hunteri) is the world's most critically endangered antelope. Its parasitic fauna has never been genetically characterised, raising questions about its possible role in the species' population decline. This study aimed to assess the presence of gastrointestinal parasites in hirolas and their transmission pathways.
Thirty-one hirola faecal samples were examined using coprological methods. The identification of trematode and nematode species was performed by PCR amplification of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS-2) and 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) genes.
Trematode and nematode eggs were detected in five (16.1%) and 23 (74.2%) samples, respectively. The trematode sequence was identical to Cotylophoron cotylophorum, while the nematode sequence showed a 99.3% identity to Chabaudstrongylus ninhae (18S rRNA) and 99.4% identity to Cooperia curticei (ITS-2).
The sample size is relatively small; however, it represents a large portion of the extant hirola population at the year of sampling.
A high percentage of the animals were infected by parasites whose presence may be associated with co-occurrence between hirolas and other ungulate species. Monitoring the parasite burden in local livestock may therefore be crucial for hirola conservation.
希氏长角羚（Beatragus hunteri）是世界上最濒危的羚羊。其寄生动物区系从未进行过基因特征分析，这引发了关于其在该物种数量下降中可能作用的疑问。本研究旨在评估希氏长角羚体内胃肠道寄生虫的存在情况及其传播途径。
采用粪便学方法检查了31份希氏长角羚粪便样本。通过对内部转录间隔区2（ITS-2）和18S核糖体RNA（18S rRNA）基因进行PCR扩增，对吸虫和线虫物种进行鉴定。
分别在5份（16.1%）和23份（74.2%）样本中检测到吸虫和线虫卵。吸虫序列与柯氏杯殖吸虫相同，而线虫序列与宁氏沙巴线虫（18S rRNA）的相似度为99.3%，与柯氏古柏线虫（ITS-2）的相似度为99.4%。
样本量相对较小；然而，它代表了采样当年现存希氏长角羚种群的很大一部分。
很大比例的动物感染了寄生虫，其存在可能与希氏长角羚和其他有蹄类物种的共生有关。因此，监测当地家畜的寄生虫负荷可能对希氏长角羚的保护至关重要。
