First report of Ancylostoma tubaeforme in Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor)

Abstract

Ancylostoma tubaeforme was originally described as a separate species parasitizing the cat. The adults of A. tubaeforme are 7 to 12 mm long. A. tubaeforme can be differentiated from the adults of A. braziliense and A. ceylanicum by the presence of three teeth. Here we describe the first report of A. tubaeforme in a Persian young female leopard, 2–3 years old, with head and trunk length 120 centimeters, length of tail 98 centimeters and body weight 35 kilograms.

Introduction

Ancylostoma tubaeforme as a separate species parasitizing the cat was originally described by Zeder in 1800(1). It was finally given a firm position as a separate species within the genus by Burrows (1962), who compared the adults of A. ubaeforme with those of A. caninum. This worm is found throughout the world, wherever there are domestic cats (2).

The adults of A. tubaeforme are 7 to 12 mm long. To distinguish the adult specimens of hookworms in cat, the differentiation should be based on the buccal capsule shape. First, members of the genus Ancylostoma can be separated from those of Uncinaria by determining whether there are ventral teeth in the buccal capsule. Specimens of Ancylostoma have large teeth within the buccal capsule, while specimens of Uncinaria are recognized by the presence of cutting plates.

The adults of A. tubaeforme can be differentiated from the adults of A. braziliense and A. ceylanicum by the presence of three teeth on either side of the ventral midline (A. brazileinse and A. ceylanicum each possess two such teeth) (3, 4). The adults of A. braziliense are 4 to 10.5 mm long. The adults of A. braziliense and A. ceylanicum possess only two teeth on the ventral aspect of the buccal cavity, with the lateral tooth being large and the median tooth quite small. The adults of A. tubaeforme have three teeth on each side of the buccal capsule. A. braziliense can be differentiated from A. ceylanicum by careful examination of the teeth within the buccal cavity. The medial teeth are smaller in A. braziliense than they are in A. ceylanicum (1). Another means of separating these two species is by careful examination of the copulatory bursa of the male. The lateral lobes of the bursa are relatively shorter in A. ceylanicum than they are in A. braziliense, and the branching of the externo-dorsal rays occurs more posteriad in A. ceylanicum than it does in A. brazileinse (5).

In the present study, we describe the detection of A. tubaeforme in a leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) in Iran, which is the first report of such infected leopard in Iran.

Case Report

The Persian leopard is said to be one of the largest of all the subspecies of leopards in the world. The leopard is the smallest of the great cats (lion, tiger, and jaguar). Males are up to 50% larger than the females. A young female leopard 2–3 years was shot accidentally by villagers in Ahovan County around of Damghan City (Latitude 36.083, longitude 58.967 and elevation1238 meters, East Semnan province). Three days after death, its carcass was frozen and transferred to the Department of Veterinary Parasitology of the Tehran University, Iran. We examined the digestive tract for endoparasits by sceening (Mesh 70). The specimens were fixed and preserved in 70 % ethanol. They were cleared in lacto phenol and studied in temporary mounts. Confirming the identification, samples were sent for researcher of Veterinary Parasitology museum, Tehran University. Five nematode helminthes, which were obtained, identified as A. tubaeforme. All samples were female and measured about 6.7±0.2 millimeters. The eggs of A. tubaeforme have been measured to be 55–76 by 34–45 µm with means of 61 by 40 µm.

Fig. 1.

Head of Ancylostoma tubaeforme derived from (Panthera pardus saxicolor) in Iran