Molecular identification of  Taenia hydatigena  and  Mesocestoides  species based on copro-DNA analysis of wild carnivores in Mongolia

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Abstract

Cyclophyllidean tapeworms obligatorily parasitize numerous mammalian species, including herbivores, domestic animals and humans, of which, the genera Taenia and Mesocestoides are well characterized. However, little is known about these parasitic infections in wild animals. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and distribution of Taenia sp. and Mesocestoides sp . in wild carnivores in Mongolia by identifying tapeworm species based on mtDNA analysis. The field survey was carried out in 2012–2013 in 19 provinces located in different ecological regions. A total of 405 fecal samples from wild carnivores were collected. Specific DNA markers in fecal samples was detected via copro-DNA analysis and tapeworm species were identified by DNA sequencing. From 27.7% (112/405) of samples, cox1 and 12S rRNA genes of tapeworms were amplified. Further, Taenia hydatigena (50.0%, 56/112) and two Mesocestoides species, including Mesocestoides sp.-1 (36.6%, 41/112) and Mesocestoides sp.-2 (13.4%, 15/112) were identified by DNA sequencing. The prevalence of T. hydatigena was 19.9% (27/136), 13.8% (23/167), 4.8% (3/62), and 7.5% (3/40) in wolves, red foxes, corsac foxes, and snow leopards, respectively. The prevalence of Mesocestoides sp.-1 was 14.7% (20/136), 9% (15/167), 9.7% (6/62) in wolves, red foxes, and corsac foxes, while the prevalence of Mesocestoides sp.-2 was 4.4% (6/136), 1.8% (3/167), 3.2% (2/62), and 10.0% (4/40) in wolves, red foxes, corsac foxes, and snow leopards, respectively. T. hydatigena was found throughout all ecological regions, while Mesocestoides sp.-1 was in the mountain taiga, forest-steppe, steppe, desert-steppe, and desert, and Mesocestoides sp.-2 in the alpine, forest-steppe, steppe, and desert-steppe ecoregions. This study revealed the prevalence and distribution of cyclophyllidean tapeworms in wild carnivores in Mongolia; while also confirming that wolves, red foxes, corsac foxes, and snow leopards serve as definitive hosts for unidentified Mesocestoides species.

Highlights

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Taenia hydatigena and two Mesocestoides species were first identified by copro-DNA analysis in wild carnivores in Mongolia.
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The persistent infections by T. hydatigena and Mesocestoides species in these animals were shown.
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T. hydatigena was detected in all ecoregions in Mongolia.
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Mesocestoides sp.-1 was found in wild carnivores inhabiting in all ecoregion unless in the alpine, and Mesocestoides sp.-2 in the alpine, forest-steppe, steppe, and desert-steppe ecoregions.
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Wolf, red fox, corsac fox, and snow leopard were confirmed as definitive hosts for Mesocestoides species.

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Most cited references 44

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1. Populations of white-footed mice Peromyscus leucopus and deer mice Peromyscus maniculatus increase dramatically in response to food availability from oak acorn masts. These populations subsequently decline following this resource pulse, but these crashes cannot be explained solely by resource depletion, as food resources are still available as population crashes begin. 2. We hypothesized that intestinal parasites contribute to these post-mast crashes; Peromyscus are infected by many intestinal parasites that are often transmitted by density-dependent contact and can cause harm to their hosts. To test our hypothesis, we conducted a factorial experiment in natural populations by supplementing food to mimic a mast and by removal of intestinal nematodes with the drug, ivermectin. 3. Both food supplementation and the removal of intestinal nematodes lessened the rate and magnitude of the seasonal population declines as compared with control populations. However, the combination of food supplementation and removal of intestinal nematodes prevented seasonal population crashes entirely. 4. We also showed a direct effect on the condition of individuals. Faecal corticosterone levels, an indicator of the stress response, were significantly reduced in populations receiving both food supplementation and removal of intestinal nematodes. This effect was observed in autumn, before the overwinter crash observed in control populations, which may indicate that stress caused by the combination of food limitation and parasite infection is a physiological signal that predicts low winter survival and reproduction. 5. This study is one of the few to demonstrate that the interaction between resource availability and infectious disease is important for shaping host population dynamics and emphasizes that multiple factors may drive oscillations in wild animal populations.

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Prey Preference of Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) in South Gobi, Mongolia

Wasim Shehzad, Thomas Michael McCarthy, François Pompanon … (2012)

Accurate information about the diet of large carnivores that are elusive and inhabit inaccessible terrain, is required to properly design conservation strategies. Predation on livestock and retaliatory killing of predators have become serious issues throughout the range of the snow leopard. Several feeding ecology studies of snow leopards have been conducted using classical approaches. These techniques have inherent limitations in their ability to properly identify both snow leopard feces and prey taxa. To examine the frequency of livestock prey and nearly-threatened argali in the diet of the snow leopard, we employed the recently developed DNA-based diet approach to study a snow leopard population located in the Tost Mountains, South Gobi, Mongolia. After DNA was extracted from the feces, a region of ∼100 bp long from mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene was amplified, making use of universal primers for vertebrates and a blocking oligonucleotide specific to snow leopard DNA. The amplicons were then sequenced using a next-generation sequencing platform. We observed a total of five different prey items from 81 fecal samples. Siberian ibex predominated the diet (in 70.4% of the feces), followed by domestic goat (17.3%) and argali sheep (8.6%). The major part of the diet was comprised of large ungulates (in 98.8% of the feces) including wild ungulates (79%) and domestic livestock (19.7%). The findings of the present study will help to understand the feeding ecology of the snow leopard, as well as to address the conservation and management issues pertaining to this wild cat.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Myadagsuren Narankhajid

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl

Title: International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

Publisher: Elsevier

ISSN (Electronic): 2213-2244

Publication date PMC-release: 17 December 2019

Publication date Collection: April 2020

Publication date (Electronic): 17 December 2019

Volume: 11

Pages: 72-82

Affiliations

[a ]Department of Laboratory, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

[b ]Department of Pharmacology, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

[c ]Department of Biology, National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

[d ]National Center for Zoonotic Disease, Mongolia

[e ]Directorate of Postgraduate, Sari Mutiara Indonesia University, Medan, Indonesia

[f ]Department of Parasitology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan

[g ]Department of Biology, Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Author notes

[∗ ]Corresponding author. Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences, S. Zorig Street 3, 14210, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. narankhajid@ 123456mnums.edu.mn

[1]

These authors worked equally for the preparation of the MS.

Article

Publisher ID: S2213-2244(19)30246-9

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2019.12.004

PMC ID: 6956752

PubMed ID: 31956480

SO-VID: 87829e7b-6b4c-4bf8-b4c1-15761addafba

License:

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

History

Date received : 9 October 2019

Date revision received : 10 December 2019

Date accepted : 11 December 2019

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Molecular identification of Taenia hydatigena and Mesocestoides species based on copro-DNA analysis of wild carnivores in Mongolia

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Highlights

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Paleontology of Mongolia

Most cited references 44

The interaction of parasites and resources cause crashes in a wild mouse population.

Empirical evaluation of preservation methods for faecal DNA.

Prey Preference of Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) in South Gobi, Mongolia

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Cited by 4

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