title: Intestinal helminths of golden jackals and red foxes from Tunisia.
abstract: Forty wild canids including 31 golden jackals (Canis aureus Linné, 1758) and 9 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes Linné, 1758) collected between 2008 and 2011 in the northeast, northwest and center of Tunisia were necropsied and examined for intestinal helminth parasites. All jackals and foxes were found infected with a prevalence rate of 95% for cestodes, 82.5% for nematodes and 7.5% for acanthocephalans. A total of twelve helminth species were recorded in red foxes: cestodes, Dipylidium caninum (55.6%), Diplopylidium noelleri (55.6%), Mesocestoïdes lineatus (55.6%), Mesocestoïdes litteratus (33%), Mesocestoïdes corti (22%); nematodes, Ancylostoma caninum (11%), Uncinaria stenocephala (44%), Spirura rytipleurites (11%), Trichuris vulpis (33%), Pterygodermatites affinis (67%), Oxynema linstowi (33%) and the acanthocephalan Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus (22%). The fifteen recovered helminth species in jackals were Echinococcus granulosus (9.7%), D. caninum (16%), D. noelleri (16%), M. lineatus (74%), M. litteratus (23%), M. corti (12.9%), Taenia pisiformis (3.2%), Taenia spp. (19%), Toxocara canis (16%), Toxascaris leonina (6.5%), A. caninum (9.7%), U. stenocephala (68%), P. affinis (6.5%), O. linstowi (3.2%) and Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus (3.2%). This is the first report on the presence of P. affinis, D. noelleri and O. linstowi in Tunisia. E. granulosus was found in young jackals, aged less than 4 years old, with a higher abundance in females (8.9 worms). M. lineatus presented the highest mean intensity of 231.86 and 108.8 tapeworms respectively in jackals and foxes. Canids from the northwest region had the highest prevalence (77.5%) and highest intensity (243.7) of helminth species compared to those from the northeast and central areas. U. stenocephala and O. linstowi had the highest mean intensity for nematodes in both jackals and foxes at 14.3 and 88 worms respectively.
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Laboratory, National School of Veterinary Medicine, 2020 Sidi Thabet, Tunisia. Electronic address: drlsamia@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Samia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lahmar
authors.affiliation: Ecosystems and Environment Research Centre, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, M5 4WT, UK. Electronic address: B.Boufana@salford.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Belgees
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Boufana
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Laboratory, National School of Veterinary Medicine, 2020 Sidi Thabet, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Sarra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ben Boubaker
authors.affiliation: Carnivores and Equids Medical Pathology, National School of Veterinary Medicine, 2020 Sidi Thabet, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Faouzi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Landolsi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005589:Foxes / Q000469:parasitology*; D006374:Helminthiasis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D006376:Helminths / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007422:Intestines / Q000469:parasitology; D046030:Jackals / Q000469:parasitology*; D008297:Male; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Epidemiology; Golden jackal; Intestinal helminths; Necropsy; Red fox; Tunisia