Fecal samples from the hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus (15 samples) and E. roumanicus (44 samples)
collected in the Poznań region of Poland were examined. Endoparasites were isolated using Sheather’s flotation
technique. The prevalence of parasitic infections in all hedgehogs examined was 74.6% (E. europaeus – 73.3%;
E. roumanicus – 75.0%). Two species of parasites occurred in both species of hosts: Aonchotheca erinacei (60% and
80%) and Eucoleus aerophilus (6.7% and 15.9%). Brachylaima erinacei was found only in E. europaeus (33.3%) while
Physaloptera sp. (13.6%) and Crenosoma striatum (4.6%) only in E. roumanicus. The intensity of infection varied from
1 to 371 eggs/1g of feces in E. europaeus and from 1 to 194 eggs/1g of feces in E. roumanicus. In both sexes the
majority of infections were of low intensity, high intensity infections occurring only sporadically. No zoonotic species
of endoparasites were recorded in these samples

Dziemian, Sylwia

Jarosz, Wojciech

Mizgajska-Wiktor, Hanna

Piłacińska, Barbara

Repozytorium Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza (AMUR)

Helminths of hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus and E.roumanicus from Poznań region, Poland- coprological study

Name not available

Adam Mickiewicz University Repository

IntroductionTwo species of hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeusand E. roumanicus occur in Poland and Poznań issituated within the geographical range of these twospecies. These mammals are quite common insynanthropic environments (for example in gardens,cemetries, city parks and city backyards) and someare even kept as pets. Usually, they forage within aradius of 200–300 m around their nests, and this istheir home range, but sometimes they cover distanceof several kilometers. Many of them are killed byvehicles or perish in other unnatural way [1–3].Being high in the food chain, hedgehogs play animportant role in natural ecosystems and this is oneof the reason why they are on the protected specieslist.Global information about the parasitofauna ofhedgehogs is scarce [4–6] and moreover in Poland,the most recent data on the subject originates fromas long ago as the 1960s [7]. So, when acomprehensive ecological study of hedgehogs wasinitiated in the Poznań agglomeration, we took theopportunity to carry out parasitological examinationof their feces. Our purpose was to identify theendoparasites found in these two species ofhedgehogs in the region and to determine whetherthey disseminate zoonotic helminths in examinedsynanthropic environments in Poland.Material and methodsBetween May 2009 and July 2010, 59 samples offeces were collected from 17 stands in differentparts of the region. Samples, each about 2–5 g, weretaken from hedgehogs caught and kept temporarilyfor sampling. Fifteen individuals of E. europaeusand 44 individuals of E. roumanicus were exa mi -Wiadomoœci Parazytologiczne 2010, 56(4), 329–332 Copyright© 2010 Polskie Towarzystwo Parazytologiczne Helminths of hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus andE. roumanicus from Poznań region, Poland – coprologicalstudyHanna Mizgajska-Wiktor1, Wojciech Jarosz1, Barbara Piłacińska2, Sylwia Dziemian21Department of Biology and Environmental Protection, Eugeniusz Piasecki University School of Physical Education,Poznań, Poland2Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, PolandCorresponding author: Hanna Mizgajska-Wiktor; E-mail: mizgajska@awf.poznan.plABSTRACT. Fecal samples from the hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus (15 samples) and E. roumanicus (44 samples)collected in the Poznań region of Poland were examined. Endoparasites were isolated using Sheather’s flotationtechnique. The prevalence of parasitic infections in all hedgehogs examined was 74.6% (E. europaeus – 73.3%;E. roumanicus – 75.0%). Two species of parasites occurred in both species of hosts: Aonchotheca erinacei (60% and80%) and Eucoleus aerophilus (6.7% and 15.9%). Brachylaima erinacei was found only in E. europaeus (33.3%) whilePhysaloptera sp. (13.6%) and Crenosoma striatum (4.6%) only in E. roumanicus. The intensity of infection varied from1 to 371 eggs/1g of feces in E. europaeus and from 1 to 194 eggs/1g of feces in E. roumanicus. In both sexes themajority of infections were of low intensity, high intensity infections occurring only sporadically. No zoonotic speciesof endoparasites were recorded in these samples.Key words: helminths, hedgehogs, Erinaceus, coprological examination, Poznań, Poland330 H. Mizgajska-Wiktor et al.ned. Thirty-two of the specimens were males and 27were females. From each sample collected a 1 gportion was analyzed by Sheather’s flotation (insaturated sugar dilution). The eggs of parasites wereidentified on the basis of their size and shape undera light microscope using 10×40 magnification. Themeasurements were taken with the aid of amicroscope with a computer software (MoticImages Plus).The intensity of infection of each hedgehogexamined was evaluated by counting the eggs. Oneto nine eggs in 1 g of feces sample were regarded asa low intensity (+), 10–99 eggs/1g as a mediumintensity (++) and more than 100 eggs/1g as a highintensity (+++).Results and discussionThe parasitological study of hedgehogs in thePoznań area where two species, E. europaeus andE. roumanicus coexist, was undertaken to obtainbasic information that might be useful in a moredetailed study of the subject. Out of 59 fecessamples examined collected from 17 stands, 44(74.6%) samples from 13 (76.5%) stands werepositive for parasite eggs and in 15 samples (25.4%)more than one species of parasite were present(Table 1). Only minor differences were observed inthe overall prevalence of the helminth parasites inboth species of hedgehogs (E. europaeus – 73.3%and E. roumanicus – 75.0%). A similar prevalenceof helminth infection under the coprological test hasbeen reported earlier for E. europaeus in GreatBritain (69% positive samples) [5] and in Germany(74% positive samples) [8]. Our coprological testsof E. roumanicus revealed the same parasites tothose reported from post-mortem examination ofhedgehogs in Turkey [6] but the prevalence of theTable 1. The prevalence of helminth eggs in hedgehog feces Table 2. The prevalence of helminths in hedgehogs as recorded by different authors based on fecal and post-mortem(*) examinations Genus/species E. europaeus n=15E. roumanicusn=44E. europaeusE. roumanicus n=59Stands with infectedhedgehogsAonchotheca erinacei 9   60.0% 36   81.8% 45   76.3% 13/17   76.5%Eucoleus aerophilus 1    6.7% 7    15.9% 8   13.6% 4/17   23.5%Physaloptera sp. – 6   13.6% 6   12.2% 2/17    11.8%Brachylaima erinacei 5   33.3% – 5    8.5% 4/17    23.5%Crenosoma striatum – 2    4.6% 2    3.4% 2/17   11.8%Total 11   73.3% 33   75.0% 44   74.6% 13/17   76.5%Species ofhedgehogsAonchotheca(=Capillaria)erinaceiEucoleus(=Capillaria)aerophilusBrachylaimaerinaceiPhysalo-pthera sp.CrenosomastriatumOther helminthsCountry ReferencesE. roumanicus(n=44)82% 16% – 14% 5% – Poland Our study*E. concolor(n=18)56% 22% – 72% 56%NephridiorynchusmajorTurkey [6]E. europaeus(n=15)60% 7% 33% – – – Poland Our studyE. europaeus(n=74)Capillaria sp. 62% 55% – 71%Oligantho- rhynchus erinacei UK [5]Erinaceus sp.(n=1175)Capillaria sp. 49% 2% – 36% – Germany [11]Erinaceus sp.(n=106)Capillaria sp. 33% – – 27% – Germany [12]E. europaeus(n=754)72–74% 15–40% 1% – 21-23% – Germany [8]Helminths of hedgehogs 331individual species of helminths in these two studiesdiffer (Table 2). In our study and those reportedearlier, the intensity of helminth infections inhedgehogs was high and this indicates that they arerather tolerant for parasite infection. In both species, E. europaeus and E. rouma ni -cus, the eggs of Capillaria sp. were found mostoften (71.2%) and were recorded in each of thepositive samples. In agreement with other authorswe found that Aonchotheca (=Capillaria) erinaceiis much more prevalent (60% and 82%) then thelung worm Eucoleus aerophilus (7% and 16%)[6,8]. The eggs of 2 species of parasites, A. erinaceiand E. aerophilus, occurred in both species of hosts;Brachylaima erinacei was found only inE. europaeus (33.3%) while Physaloptera sp. andCrenosoma striatum only in E. roumanicus (13.6%and 4.6% respectively). The species distribution andproportion of endoparasites found in the hedgehogsexamined were comparable to those reported earlier(Table 2).No significant differences were found in theprevalence of infection among E. roumanicus andE. europaeus (p>0.05) and similar frequencies ofinfected individuals were noticed among both maleand female hedgehogs (Table 1). Helminth infec -tions seemed to have little influence on competitionbetween these two species of hedgehogs livingsympatrically in Poland. The intensity of infection, evaluated as thenumber of eggs recovered in 1 g feces, in E. euro -paeus varied from 1 to 371 and for E. roumanicusfrom 1 to 194. In both species of hedgehogs thenumber of eggs recovered was low (<10 eggs/1g) inmost individuals (46%) and high (>99 eggs/1g) inonly 7% (Table 3). But it should be underlined thatthere is low or no correlation between adult wormburden and the density of the correspondingimmature parasite stages in feces [5]. Although some authors [9,10] havedemonstrated that hedgehogs can be passive carriersor reservoir host for specified zoonotic helminths orprotozoa the present coprological study does notconfirm the phenomenon. References[1] Keymer I.F., Gibson E.A., Reynolds D.J. 1991.Zoonoses and other findings in hedgehogs (Erinaceuseuropaeus): a survey of mortality and review of theliterature. The Veterinary Record 128: 245-249.[2] Piłacińska M., Piłacińska B. 2008. Rowy od wad -niające – śmiertelną pułapką dla jeży Erinaceus spp.w Poznaniu. In: Fauna Miast. Ochronić różno rod -ność biotyczną w miastach. (Red. P. Indykiewicz,T. Jerzak, T. Barczak). SAR „Pomorze”, Bydgoszcz:347-355.[3] Skuballa J., Taraschewski H., Petney T.N., PfäffleM., Smales L.R. 2010. The avian acanthocephalanPlagiorhynchus cylindraceus (Palaeacanthocephala)parasitizing the European hedgehog (Erinaceuseuropaeus) in Europe and New Zealand. ParasitologyResearch 106: 431-437.[4] Riley P.Y., Chomel B.B. 2005. Hedgehog zoonoses.Emerging Infectious Diseases 11: 1-5.[5] Gaglio G., Allen S., Bowden L., Bryant M., MorganE.R. 2010. Parasites of european hedgehogs(Erinaceus europaeus) in Britain: epidemiologicalstudy and coprological test evaluation. EuropeanJournal of Wildlife Research. Online publication date:30-Mar-2010. DOI 10.1007/s10344-010-0381-1[6] Cirak V.Y., Senlik B., Aydogdu A., Selver M., AkyolV. 2010. Helminth parasites found in hedgehogs(Erinaceus concolor) from Turkey. PreventiveVeterinary Medicine 97: 64-66. [7] Pojmańska T. 1998. Katalog pasożytniczej faunyPolski. Pasożyty ssaków. Tom 5, cz. 1. Polskie To wa -rzys two Parazytologiczne, Warszawa.[8] Barutzki D., Laubmeier E., Forstner M.J. 1987.Endoparasitic infestation of wild hedgehogs andhedgehogs in human care with a contribution totherapy. Tierärztliche Praxis 15: 325-331.[9] Visser M., Rehbein S., Wiedemann C. 2001. Speciesof flea (Siphonaptera) infesting pets and hedgehogs inGermany. Journal of Veterinary Medicine. B,Infectious Diseases and Veterinary Public Health 48:197-202.Table 3. Intensity of helminth infections in hedgehogs as assessed by the number of eggs in fecal samples+ low (>10 eggs/1g); ++ medium (10–99 eggs/1g); +++ high (>99 eggs/1g)Intensity E. europaeus E. roumanicus E. europaeus and E. roumanicusn=15 n=44 male n=32 female n=27 total n=59+ 6      40.0% 21   47.7% 14  43.8% 13    48.2% 27     45.8%++ 4      26.7% 7     15.9% 8   25.0% 3      11.1% 11       1.7%+++ 3      20.0% 1       2.3% 3     9.4% 1      37.0% 4         6.8%Total 13    86.7% 29    65.9% 25  78.1% 17    63.0% 42     71.2%[10] Poglayen G., Giannetto S., Scala A., Garippa G.,Capelli G., Scaravelli D., Brianti E., Reeve N.J. 2003.Helminths found in hedgehogs (Erinaceuseuropaeus) in three areas of Italy. The VeterinaryRecord 152: 22-24.[11] Epe C., Ising-Volmer S., Stoye M.1993.Parasitological fecal studies of equids, dogs, cats andhedgehogs during the years 1984-1991. DeutscheTierärztliche Wochenschrift 100: 426-428.[12] Epe C., Coati N., Schnieder T. 2004. Results ofparasitological examinations of faecal samples fromhorses, ruminants, pigs, dogs, cats, hedgehogs andrabbits between 1998 and 2002. DeutscheTierärztliche Wochenschrift 111: 243-247.Wpłynęło 17 listopada 2010Zaakceptowano 5 grudnia 2010332 H. Mizgajska-Wiktor et al.

Fecal samples from the hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus (15 samples) and E. roumanicus (44 samples) collected in the Poznań region of Poland were examined. Endoparasites were isolated using Sheather’s flotation technique. The prevalence of parasitic infections in all hedgehogs examined was 74.6% (E. europaeus – 73.3%; E. roumanicus – 75.0%). Two species of parasites occurred in both species of hosts: Aonchotheca erinacei (60% and 80%) and Eucoleus aerophilus (6.7% and 15.9%). Brachylaima erinacei was found only in E. europaeus (33.3%) while Physaloptera sp. (13.6%) and Crenosoma striatum (4.6%) only in E. roumanicus. The intensity of infection varied from 1 to 371 eggs/1g of feces in E. europaeus and from 1 to 194 eggs/1g of feces in E. roumanicus. In both sexes the majority of infections were of low intensity, high intensity infections occurring only sporadically. No zoonotic species of endoparasites were recorded in these samples

Mizgajska-Wiktor, H.

Jarosz, W.

Piłacińska, B.

Dziemian, S.

Biblioteka Nauki - repozytorium artykuÅÃ³w

Helminths of hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus and E. roumanicus from Poznan region, Poland - coprological study

Pilacinska, B.

https://repozytorium.amu.edu.pl/bitstream/10593/1406/1/helminths%20of%20hedgehogs.pdf

Helminths of hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus and E.roumanicus from Poznań region, Poland- coprological study

Abstract

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Repozytorium Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza (AMUR)

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Adam Mickiewicz University Repository

Biblioteka Nauki - repozytorium artykuÅÃ³w

Biblioteka Nauki - repozytorium artykuÅÃ³w

Helminths of hedgehogs, Erinaceus europaeus and E.roumanicus from Poznań region, Poland- coprological study

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Repozytorium Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza (AMUR)

Name not available

Adam Mickiewicz University Repository

Biblioteka Nauki - repozytorium artykuÅÃ³w

Biblioteka Nauki - repozytorium artykuÅÃ³w

Biblioteka Nauki - repozytorium artykuÅÃ³w

Biblioteka Nauki - repozytorium artykuÅÃ³w