Eimeria Species (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) Infecting Eliomys quercinus in an Alpine Habitat

Abstract

Coccidian parasites were detected in an Alpine population of the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus), and 55-82% of the fecal samples collected during a two-year study (2000 and 2002) contained one or two eimerian species. We report the presence of Eimeria myoxi and confirm for the first time the presence of Eimeria melanuri in the garden dormouse. These Eimeria species can be considered common parasites of the garden dormouse and the Asian garden dormouse. The high prevalence might be due to group hibernation by the dormice.

Third lineage of rodent eimerians: morphology, phylogeny and re-description of Eimeria myoxi (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from Eliomys quercinus (Rodentia: Gliridae)

“…For the 12 samples analysed by molecular methods, conspecifity was further verified by a high degree of sequence similarity in both the 18S rRNA and ORF 470 genes (the variability did not exceed 0·5% and 0·4%, respectively). The oocyst size and shape correspond to the original description of E. myoxi by Galli-Valerio (1940) and also to the report of Bertolino and Canestri-Trotti (2005). Since no other criteria are provided in the original description, we consider this coccidium to be E. myoxi .…”

“…Moreover, the presence of an “indistinct micropyle” is reported in Pellérdy's description, while we did not observe this structure in our samples. Other ambiguous observations are the supposedly mixed infections by the two species, E. myoxi and E. melanuri , in a single host, as reported by Golemansky and Darwish (1993) from Eliomys melanurus , and Bertolino and Canestri-Trotti (2005) from Eliomys quercinus . Unfortunately, these reports do not provide sufficient morphological details and they base the species distinction merely on difference in the oocyst size.…”

“…This species was described and named by Galli-Valerio in 1940 but the description consisted of only the oocyst shape, length and width. This had made it difficult for later researchers to relate eimerians from other closely related hosts to E. myoxi as well as to one another (Pellérdy, 1974; Golemansky and Darwish, 1993; Bertolino and Canestri-Trotti, 2005). Since no molecular data are available for any of these studies and the descriptions given are quite vague, it is impossible to judge on the species identity and various traits (strict host specificity vs broader host specificity, oocyst variability vs uniformity) of the observed parasites.…”

“…Re-description of Eimeria myoxiGalli-Valerio, 1940 (Figs 1 and 2) Type host: Eliomys quercinus (Linnaeus, 1766), garden dormouse (Rodentia: Gliridae) Type locality: Switzerland(Galli-Valerio, 1940) Other localities: Italy (Champdepraz Valley, northwestern Alps;Bertolino and Canestri-Trotti, 2005), Czech Republic (Bohemian Forest, 49°N, 013°E, 600-1240 m a.s.l. ; Český Les Mountains, 49°45´N, 012°27´E, 770 m a.s.l.…”

Ultrastructural Study of Host-Parasite Relationship and Pathogenicity of Eimeria Sp. Infecting Libyan Jird (Meriones Libycus) (Lichtenstein, 1828)

“…Parasite develop-ment, theinvasion, and the infection course depended upon this reciprocal relationship that influences the defense system of the host and pathogenesis (Bertolino and Canestri-Trotti, 2005). The pathological effects and pathoge-nicity of coccidian led to great loss among domestic animals (Hein, 1976;Mesfin et al, 1978;Ernst, 1987;Danforth et al, 1992;Toulah et al, 2010).…”