Nemabiome metabarcoding shows a high prevalence of Haemonchus contortus and predominance of Camelostrongylus mentulatus in alpaca herds in the northern UK.
Parasitol Res
; 123(5): 201, 2024 May 03.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38698272
ABSTRACT
Gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) are a common threat faced by pastoral livestock. Since their major introduction to the UK in the early 1990s, South American camelids have been cograzed with sheep, horses, and other livestock, allowing exposure to a range of GIN species. However, there have been no molecular-based studies to investigate the GIN populations present in these camelids. In the current study, we sampled nine alpaca herds from northern England and southern Scotland and used high-throughput metabarcoded sequencing to describe their GIN species composition. A total of 71 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were identified representing eight known GIN species. Haemonchus contortus was the most prevalent species found in almost all herds in significant proportions. The identification of H. contortus in other livestock species is unusual in the northern UK, implying that alpacas may be suitable hosts and potential reservoirs for infection in other hosts. In addition, the camelid-adapted GIN species Camelostrongylus mentulatus was identified predominantly in herds with higher faecal egg counts. These findings highlight the value of applying advanced molecular methods, such as nemabiome metabarcoding to describe the dynamics of gastrointestinal nematode infections in novel situations. The results provide a strong base for further studies involving cograzing animals to confirm the potential role of alpacas in transmitting GIN species between hosts.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Camelídeos Americanos
/
Hemoncose
/
Haemonchus
Limite:
Animals
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Parasitol Res
Assunto da revista:
PARASITOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Reino Unido