Nematode infestation with Heligmosomoides polygyrus in captive common dormice (Muscardinus avellanarius)

Monitoring Campaign over an Edible Dormouse Population (Glis glis; Rodentia: Gliridae) in Sicily: First Report of Mesocestodiasis

“…The ecology of the dormouse, a rodent sharing its nest with many other animals, is likely to facilitate the exchange of parasites and other pathogens. This is the probable reason why dormice in the EU have been found to host 29 different species of fleas-only a few are specific to the species, with many other parasites coming from other hosts [1]: some species of Hymenolepididae (Cestoda) [23]; other species belonging to Nematoda phylum, such as Pseudophysaloptera kahmanni, Gongylonema pithyusensis, and Heligmosomoides polygrus [24][25][26]; and zoonotic microbial diseases, such as tularemia [27] or hantaviruses, which may present a potential risk for human diseases by direct contact [10]. Sections from the portions of tissue presenting suspected nodules/bodies within the liver parenchyma were sampled and fixed in 10% neutral-buffered formalin.…”