AUTHOR=Albrechtová Martina , Kašparová Eva Štefková , Langrová Iva , Hart Vlastimil , Neuhaus Birger , Jankovská Ivana , Petrtýl Miroslav , Magdálek Jan , Špakulová Marta 

TITLE=A revision of the trichostrongylid nematode Cooperia Ransom, 1907, from deer game: recent integrative research confirms the existence of the ancient host-specific species Cooperia ventricosa (Rudolphi, 1809)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1346417

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2024.1346417

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p>The trichostrongylid roundworms of the genus <italic>Cooperia</italic>, which are important in veterinary medicine, currently comprise 19 valid species that parasitize the small intestine of both free-living and domestic ruminants. Only four <italic>Cooperia</italic> spp. have been reported in Europe, namely <italic>C. oncophora, C. punctata, C. curticei</italic> and <italic>C. pectinata</italic>. In 2018–2022, 25 red deer (<italic>Cervus elaphus</italic>) and 30 sika deer (<italic>Cervus nippon</italic>) of both sexes and various ages from several remote locations in the Czech Republic were parasitologically examined. Intestinal nematodes of the genus <italic>Cooperia</italic> were found only in two northern regions. Using the globally recognized key book on trichostrongylid nematodes, they were preliminarily identified as <italic>C. pectinata</italic>. However, a molecular analysis of <italic>cox</italic>2 and ITS rDNA gene sequences revealed that <italic>Cooperia</italic> sp. parasitizing Czech deer is a separate taxon that is more closely related to <italic>C. oncophora</italic> than to <italic>C. pectinata</italic>. A subsequent morphological analysis and literature survey confirmed the independence of deer <italic>Cooperia</italic> sp., which is similar but not identical to bovid <italic>C. pectinata</italic>. Previous long-term correct identifications of bovid <italic>C. pectinata</italic> and misidentifications of deer <italic>Cooperia</italic> species were caused by a fundamental error in the key book mentioned above. Interestingly, the ancient trichostrongylid nematode <italic>Strongylus ventricosus</italic> from the type host red deer (<italic>Cervus elaphus</italic>) shot near Greifswald (Germany) was described by Rudolphi in 1809. Rudolphi's type material (one male and four females) was deposited in the Museum für Naturkunde (Berlin). Later, the ancient species <italic>S. ventricosus</italic> was taken as a synonym for various <italic>Cooperia</italic> spp. Our current re-examination of the type male indicated that there is a relatively good agreement with our new material from Czech deer regarding the most important characteristics of <italic>S. ventricosus</italic> (i.e., the shape and size of the male spicules); however, Rudolphi's type material is in rather poor condition. The suggested resurrection of the deer <italic>Cooperia</italic> sp. in this study as <italic>Cooperia ventricosa</italic> (Rudolphi, 1809) requires verification by collecting and analyzing new nematode material from the type locality near Greifswald.</p>