18S rDNA and cox1 sequences from Gongylonema pulchrum infecting a tufted capuchin monkey (Sapajus apella) housed in a rescue centre in Italy, generated to confirm species identification and support phylogenetic analysis.
Gongylonema is a worldwide distributed nematode infecting a range of mammalian hosts acting as definitive hosts, while arthropods such as coprophagous beetles and cockroaches are the intermediate ones. Despite its broad host range, gongylonemiasis remains a neglected zoonosis, and reports in non-human primates are limited, often relying solely on morphological identification. In Italy, the parasite has been documented mainly in domestic and wild animals, but rare human cases have been reported. Here, we describe a case of gongylonemiasis in a tufted capuchin monkey (Sapajus apella) housed in a rescue centre in Italy. During necropsy, a 3x3 mm whitish nodule bulging from the surface of the tongue was observed. Histological examination revealed the presence of nematodes in the epithelial layer of the lingual mucosa, with morphological features consistent with the genus Gongylonema. Subsequently, the 18S rDNA gene was sequenced using Oxford Nanopore Sequencing technology and a partial region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) was sequenced and used for phylogenetic analysis, allowing the specific identification of Gongylonema pulchrum. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of G. pulchrum infection in S. apella. This finding contributes to the understanding of the epidemiology of G. pulchrum.
Gongylonema is a worldwide distributed nematode infecting a range of mammalian hosts acting as definitive hosts, while arthropods such as coprophagous beetles and cockroaches are the intermediate ones. Despite its broad host range, gongylonemiasis remains a neglected zoonosis, and reports in non-human primates are limited, often relying solely on morphological identification. In Italy, the parasite has been documented mainly in domestic and wild animals, but rare human cases have been reported. Here, we describe a case of gongylonemiasis in a tufted capuchin monkey (Sapajus apella) housed in a rescue centre in Italy. During necropsy, a 3x3 mm whitish nodule bulging from the surface of the tongue was observed. Histological examination revealed the presence of nematodes in the epithelial layer of the lingual mucosa, with morphological features consistent with the genus Gongylonema. Subsequently, the 18S rDNA gene was sequenced using Oxford Nanopore Sequencing technology and a partial region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) was sequenced and used for phylogenetic analysis, allowing the specific identification of Gongylonema pulchrum. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of G. pulchrum infection in S. apella. This finding contributes to the understanding of the epidemiology of G. pulchrum.