Detection of Stephanurus dentatus in wild boar urine using different parasitological techniques

Abstract

Stephanurus dentatus is a nematode that parasitizes the urinary tract of domestic and wild Suidae, especially in tropical areas. However, there is a lack of information about stephanurosis in wild boar ( Sus scrofa ), thus making it necessary to develop sensitive techniques with which to diagnose this pathogen in order to carry out further research. In Spain, the high prevalence of this nematode has been evidenced in Doñana National Park (DNP). The objective of the present work is twofold. The first is to compare the efficacy of three parasitological techniques to detect S. dentatus eggs in the urine of infected wild boar: (i) gravity sedimentation, (ii) sedimentation by centrifugation, and (iii) flotation techniques, while the second is to determine whether the quantification of eggs can serve as an indicative value of the host's parasite intensity. In order to accomplish these purposes, 27 wild boars from DNP were necropsied, and the urinary system of each animal was examined in order to determine parasite intensity. While all the aforementioned techniques can be used to detect eggs in urine, the most effective in terms of egg quantification are sedimentation by gravity and by centrifugation, as they allow a greater number of S. dentatus eggs to be detected. However, none of the results obtained with these techniques significantly correlated with the number of adult nematodes parasitizing the host, signifying that counts in urine can provide guidance on only the parasite intensity of wild boar.

Epizootiological and Clinical Significance of Stephanurus Dentatus Nematode in Swine

“…Gravitational deposition technique -sedimentation (at a room temperature lasting for an hour) and centrifugal deposition technique (at 800 rmp for 5 minutes) allow detection of a larger number of S. dentatus eggs and are more reliable for a quantifi cation of infection (determining the number of eggs in urine). However, the determined number of parasite eggs in urine does not correspond to a number of adult nematodes parasitizing in the same host (Fernández-Vizcaíno et al, 2021).…”

“…Stephanurus dentatus nematode parasitizes in the urinary tract of domestic pigs and wild boars, mostly causing the disease in tropical and subtropical areas (Gherman, 2013), and in pigs bred in traditional outdoor production systems (Fernández-Vizcaíno et al, 2021).…”

“…So far, stephanuriosis has been diagnosed in Africa, east and west India, Brazil, Hawaii, Th e Philippines, Th e United States of America and Australia (Constable et al, 2017). Th ere is no relevant data on the presence of parasites in wild boars on the European continent, therefore additional research is necessary in order to defi ne the role of wild boars as a potential natural reservoir of S. dentatus for domestic pigs (Fernández-Vizcaíno et al, 2021).…”

A Review of Non-Invasive Sampling in Wildlife Disease and Health Research: What’s New?

“…Urine has been used to detect helminths, for example, the eggs of the nematode Stephanurus dentatus that parasitize the urinary tract of wild boars (Sus scrofa, [102]) and the antigens of Taenia serialis in the urine of gelada monkeys (Theropitecus gelada, [103]). Bacterial pathogens with a tropism for kidneys such as zoonotic Leptospira spp.…”