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Molecular identification of Physaloptera sp. from wild northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) in the Rolling Plains ecoregion of Texas

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Abstract

Physaloptera spp. are common nematodes found in the stomach and muscles of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds. Physaloptera spp. have a complicated life cycle with multiple definitive hosts, arthropod intermediate hosts, aberrant infections, and possible second intermediate hosts or paratenic hosts. For example, Physaloptera sp. larvae have been found within the tissues of wild northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus), and it is suspected that quail may serve as paratenic or secondary hosts of these parasites. However, because it is not known what role quail play in the life cycle of Physaloptera spp. and descriptions of Physaloptera spp. larvae are limited, molecular tools may be beneficial when identifying these helminths. In this study, we generated primers using universal nematode primers and obtained a partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (COX 1) sequence. Morphological identification of Physaloptera sp. in bobwhite was confirmed via polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and a phylogenetic tree was constructed using the maximum likelihood method. BLAST analysis revealed a strong identity to other Physaloptera spp. and the phylogenetic tree placed all Physaloptera spp. in the same cluster. We also documented a marked increase in Physaloptera infections in bobwhite from 2017 to 2018, and the similarity of these parasites to Onchocerca volvulus and Wuchereria bancrofti may give insight into the increased prevalence we observed. This study demonstrates the usefulness of molecular techniques to confirm the identity of species that may lack adequate descriptions and provides new insight for the diagnosis and potentially overlooked significance of Physaloptera sp. infections of bobwhite in the Rolling Plains ecoregion of Texas.

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Acknowledgements

We extend our gratitude to the owners and employees at our study ranch for their continued hospitality and for granting us ranch access. We also thank all the Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory (WTL) personnel for their laboratory and field assistance. Finally, we appreciate the dedication and help of the hunters that donate bobwhite to the WTL; their continued involvement is instrumental in advancing this research.

Funding

This research received funding and support from Park Cities Quail and the Rolling Plains Quail Research Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory, The Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Texas Tech University, Box 43290, Lubbock, TX, 79409-3290, USA

    Aravindan Kalyanasundaram, Cassandra Henry, Matthew Z. Brym & Ronald J. Kendall

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  1. Aravindan Kalyanasundaram
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  2. Cassandra Henry
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  3. Matthew Z. Brym
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  4. Ronald J. Kendall
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Correspondence to Ronald J. Kendall.

Ethics declarations

All bobwhite were handled according to Texas Parks and Wildlife Research Permit No. SPR-0715-095 and Texas Tech Animal Care and Use Committee protocol 16071-08.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Kalyanasundaram, A., Henry, C., Brym, M.Z. et al. Molecular identification of Physaloptera sp. from wild northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) in the Rolling Plains ecoregion of Texas. Parasitol Res 117, 2963–2969 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-018-5993-5

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