INFECTION OF THE MONGOLIAN RACERUNNER WITH TETRATHYRIDIA MESOCESTOIDES LINEATUS IN INDUSTRIAL SETTLEMENT OF ULAN-UDE CITY

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to identify the infection of the Mongolian racerunner Eremias argus Peters, 1869 with tetrathyridia Mesocestoides lineatus (Goeze, 1782) in Ulan-Ude and the adjacent territory. A complete parasitological study of freshly caught specimens of the Mongolian racerunner was carried out according to generally accepted methods. Mongolian racerunners were caught at 4 sites: 1) Silicatny industrial settlement in Ulan-Ude; 2) a village on the southwestern perimeter of Ulan-Ude; 3) a village 22 km south of Ulan-Ude; and 4) steppe agricultural land 28 km southwest of Ulan-Ude. Tetrathyridia M. lineatus was recorded in the Mongolian racerunner at one of these four sites, in the Silicatny settlement of UlanUde (the prevalence was 11.1%; the abundance was 6.28 spec.). Cestodes of the genus Mesocestoides have a complex three-host life cycle. The first intermediate hosts of the genus are arthropods (insects, ticks). The second intermediate hosts are amphibians, reptiles, birds and small mammals. The definitive hosts of the Mesocestoides are carnivorous mammals, mainly foxes, dogs and cats. M. lineatus is circulating in the industrial village on the outskirts of Ulan-Ude and is the causative agent of mesocestoidiasis of carnivores, with the participation of the Mongolian racerunner, that performs the functions of the second intermediate host of this cestode. The detection of the cestode M. lineatus in urban areas only is due to the fact that animals accompanying humans participate in the life cycle of this helminth.