Purpose

Obeliscoides cuniculi is a common parasite in American lagomorphs, while it has never been reported in the European rabbit. The exotic parasite has been introduced in Italy by the eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), an invasive alien lagomorph introduced to Europe for hunting purpose. Considering that S. floridanus shares the same areas with the European rabbit, the aim of this work is to document the first report of this parasite in an autochtonous lagomorph.

Methods

O.cuniculi, isolated from one adult European rabbit found dead, was identified considering the morphological features and reproductive organs of the adult stage (length and thickness of the body, spicules structure and size).

Results

The present study represents the first record of the gastric nematode O. cuniculi (Trichostrongilidae) in a population of European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Italy.

Conclusion

Since Graphidium strigosum is the most common parasite infecting the European rabbit stomach, this study considers and discusses different scenarios about helminth co-infection effect. Further studies should be carried out to understand the long-term effect of this introduction on wild rabbit population.

中文翻译：

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欧洲兔（Oryctolagus cuniculus）中的方尖碑的首次报道。

目的

在美国的兔形象中，方尖碑是一种常见的寄生虫，而在欧洲的兔子中从未有过报道。外来寄生虫已在意大利由东部棉尾（Sylvilagus floridanus）引入，后者是一种传入欧洲以捕猎为目的的入侵外来兔形目。考虑到弗氏链球菌与欧洲兔子共有相同的区域，因此这项工作的目的是在自发的兔形体内记录该寄生虫的首次报道。

方法

考虑到成年阶段的形态特征和生殖器官（身体的长度和厚度，针状结构和大小），鉴定了从一只死去的成年欧洲兔子中分离出的O.cuniculi。

结果

本研究代表了在意大利的欧洲兔子（Coryculolagus cuniculus）种群中的胃线虫O.cuniculi（Trichostrongilidae）的第一个记录。

结论

由于Strigosum Graphidium strigosum是感染欧洲兔胃的最常见寄生虫，因此本研究考虑并讨论了有关蠕虫共感染效果的不同情况。应该进行进一步的研究，以了解这种引入对野兔种群的长期影响。