Hidden diversity of cestodes in wild African carnivores: I. Non-taeniid cyclophyllideans.

ABSTRACT: Our knowledge of parasites in wildlife remains limited, primarily due to restricted access to samples, especially of parasites from protected species. This present study contributes to the comprehension of the enigmatic world of helminths of African wild mammals and cestode biodiversity by combining both molecular and morphological analysis. Cestode samples were opportunistically collected from 77 individual definitive hosts in South Africa, Namibia and Ethiopia, encompassing 15 different species of wild African carnivores and additionally domestic cats. The analysis revealed 32 different cyclophyllidean species of which 21 (65.6 %) represent previously unknown genetic entities. They belong to the families Mesocestoididae, Hymenolepididae, Dipylidiidae and Taeniidae. Here we cover the non-

SUBMITTER: Dumendiak S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11002657 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature