New insights into Gongylonema infections in exotic mammals: description of G. (G.) primatum sp. nov. and detection of zoonotic G. pulchrum.

Authors

Ondřej Máca, David González-Solís

Published in

Frontiers in veterinary science. Volume 13. Pages 1862920. Epub Jul 08, 2026.

Abstract

This study aimed to identify nematodes of the genus Gongylonema using morphological and molecular methods and to determine their occurrence in a group of non-human primates and anteaters. A single female nematode collected from Macaca sylvanus, together with carcasses of 29 non-human primates (belonging to 13 species) and two anteaters (representing one species) from Czech zoological gardens and private collections, were submitted between 2019 and 2025 to the State Veterinary Institute Prague for necropsies. Smears from the buccal cavity and tongue, as well as fecal samples, were collected by veterinarians at each facility and transported to the laboratory in tubes containing saline solution or in plastic bags, respectively. The samples were genetically characterized using the nuclear 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA genes, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox1). Four non-human primates (two Pithecia pithecia, one Saguinus labiatus, and one S. midas) and two anteaters (Tamandua tetradactyla), from the same zoological garden, were positive for Gongylonema (G.) primatum sp. nov. The single female specimen from M. sylvanus was identified as G. pulchrum. The new species morphologically differed from its congeners in the body length of adult males, the left spicule length, the gubernaculum length, the protruded vulvar lips, and the number of precloacal papillae. Molecularly, the 18S and 28S rRNA genes were 99.88-100% similar to those of G. nepalensis and G. pulchrum, whereas the ITS and cox1 sequences showed lower similarity to those of both Gongylonema species. Gongylonema primatum sp. nov. was morphologically and molecularly different from its congeners and therefore represents a new species. This is the first record of the zoonotic G. pulchrum in M. sylvanus. Although G. pulchrum is zoonotic, the new species may also have zoonotic potential.

PMID:
42488907
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 23 Jul 2026.

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