Occurrence of nematodes, Equinurbia sipunculiformis and Quilonia renniei in a wild male elephant: A case report

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Rajesh Kumar, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3230054/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 04 Sep, 2024 Read the published version in Journal of Parasitic Diseases → Version 1 posted 6 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The occurrence of the nematodes, Equinurbia sipunculiformis and Quilonia renniei in the intestinal tract of a six-year-old, free ranging male elephant ( Elephas maximus ) observed during necropsy is reported. The worms were collected in 10% formalin and processed. E. sipunculiformis worms were stout, males were shorter than females. A total of 65 worms were recovered out of which 45 were male worms and 20 were female worms. They had a characteristic head with a cuticular prominence and a sub globular cup shaped buccal capsule without teeth. The external leaf crown was characteristic projecting above the anterior end of the worm. The oesophagus was enlarged immediately behind the buccal capsule, then cylindrical, and gradually enlarged. Male worms had a well-developed bursa at the posterior end with equal, alate and ornamentated spicules with elongated lateral bursal lobes. Female worms had a tapered tail with a conical prominence and a vulval opening at its summit. Uterus was filled with thin shelled eggs. Q. renniei male worms were shorter in length than female worms. A total of 150 worms were recovered out of which 110 were male worms and 40 were female worms. Cuticular striations were observed. Mouth collar and buccal capsule were present. The external leaf crown projected beyond the surface of the head. Male worms had a well-developed bursa and spicules. The dorsal ray of the bursa was comparatively short. The lateral and ventral rays were slender. Female worms had a pointed tail. The vulva was situated at a distance from the tip of the tail. Uterus was filled with oval thin shelled eggs. Pathological findings included pale mucous membrane, anaemia and haemorrhagic enteritis. The present observations on the occurrence of nematode infection with E. sipunculiformis and Q. renniei will be important to map the status of nematodiasis in elephants in wild and to frame strategies for control of intestinal nematodiasis in wild elephants. Elephant necropsy Equinurbia sipunculiformis Quilonia renniei Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 12 INTRODUCTION Elephants are the largest land mammals. The Asian Elephant Elephas maximus is an ‘Endangered’ species as per the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Williams et al. 2020). Infectious diseases especially those of parasitic origin are common in free-living wild elephants. Though parasitic infections are well tolerated by elephants, morbidity occurs mostly in stressed animals due to physiological or nutritional etiology (Gaur et al. 1979; Fowler & Mikota 2006). Nematodes commonly occur in elephants and some of the notable gastrointestinal nematodes affecting elephants in Asia include Murshidia murshidia, Quilonia renniei, Equinurbia sipunculiformis, Decrusia aditicta, Amira pileata (Seneviratna 1955 ; Fernando & Fernando 1961 ; Sundaram et al. 1971 ), Choniangium epistomum (Datta et al. 1972 ), Bathmostomum sangeri (Sathianesan et al. 1979 ), Grammocephalus hybridatus (Islam and Talukdar 2014 , Kavitha et al. 2022 ). Among these nematodes, strongyles are frequently encountered in both African (Scott and Dobson 1989 ) and wild Asian Elephants (Watve 1995 ; Vidya and Sukumar 2002 ; Dharmarajan et al. 2005 ; Nishanth et al. 2012 ; Abeysekara et al. 2018 ). When helminthic infections are severe, it may result in morbidity and mortality in wild elephants especially when animals are under stressful conditions. Recording the incidence of parasites in captive and wild elephants assist in health monitoring and to advocate necessary control measures whenever needed. The present paper reports the occurrence of the nematodes, Equinurbia sipunculiformis and Quilonia renniei in the intestinal tract of a free ranging male elephant ( Elephas maximus ) observed during necropsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS On 09.11.2021, the death of an approximately 6 years old wild male elephant was reported at Periyanayakan Palayam forest range of Coimbatore forest division, Tamil Nadu, India. Necropsy was carried out by the Forest Veterinary Assistant Surgeon and large number of nematodes collected from the large intestine and small intestine (Fig. 1 ) were sent in 10% formalin to the Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Madras Veterinary College for further processing and species identification. Processing of the worms The worms were counted and male and female worms were separated. Worms were then examined for gross morphological features and then processed by dehydrating in ascending grades of alcohol and cleared using carbolic acid. Cleared specimens were mounted in DPX and examined under light microscope and morphological characteristics were recorded. RESULTS In the present study, the round worms recovered from the wild elephant were identified as Equinurbia sipunculiformis and Quilonia renniei based on morphological characteristics. Out of the total 215 worms recovered, 65 (30.23%) were identified as Equinurbia sipunculiformis and 150 (69.76%) were identified as Quilonia renniei morphologically. Equinurbia sipunculiformis A total of 65 E. sipunculiformis worms were recovered out of which 45 (69.23%) were male worms and 20 (30.76%) were female worms. The worms were stout and male worms were shorter in length compared to female worms (Fig. 2 ). Male worms measured in the range of 2.1 to 3 cm length and 1-1.5 mm wide whereas female worms measured in the range of 3.5 to 4 cm length and 1-1.5 mm wide. The worms had a characteristic head with sub globular cup shaped buccal capsule. The dorsal gutter was long without teeth and cuticular prominence. The external leaf crown was characteristic projecting above the anterior end of the worm and had numerous elements, two short elements placed in between each pair of long elements. The oesophagus immediately behind the buccal capsule was enlarged, which was then cylindrical, with gradual enlargement (Fig. 3 ). Morphology of male E. sipunculiformis A well-developed bursa was observed at the posterior end of male E. sipunculiformis worms. The spicules were equal in length. The spicules were stout, wavy, contained a dark core and were alate with ornamentations. Their tips were pointed and placed together. The lateral lobe was elongated when compared to the dorsal lobe. The bursal rays were relatively short and the lateral rays were quite stout. In the dorsal lobe, the external-dorsal rays were elongated (Fig. 4 ). Morphology of female E. sipunculiformis The caudal end of the female E. sipunculiformis tapered to the posterior extremity ending in a slight knob-like structure. There was a marked caudad-projecting conical prominence, on the summit of which the vulva opened. Uterus was filled with thin shelled eggs (Fig. 5 ). Quilonia renniei A total of 150 Q. renniei worms were recovered out of which 110 (73.33%) were male worms and 40 (26.66%) were female worms. Male worms were comparatively shorter in length than female worms (Fig. 6 ). The male worms measured in the range of 1.8 to 2.2 cm length and were 0.5 mm wide whereas female worms measured in the range of 2.3 to 2.5 cm length and were 1 mm wide. Marked cuticular striations were observed. Mouth collar and buccal capsule were present. The external leaf crown projected beyond the surface of the head (Fig. 7 ). Morphology of male Q. renniei Male Q. renniei worms had a well-developed bursa (Fig. 8 ) and spicules (Fig. 9 ). The dorsal ray of the bursa was comparatively short. The lateral and ventral rays were slender. Morphology of female Q. renniei Female Q. renniei worms had a pointed tail. The vulva was situated at a distance from the tip of the tail (Fig. 10 ). Uterus was filled with oval thin shelled eggs. Pathological observations The elephant was observed to be anaemic with pale mucous membranes (Fig. 11 ) and haemorrhagic enteritis as evidenced by bloody intestinal mucosa (Fig. 12 ). DISCUSSION Gastrointestinal nematodes are common in elephants and they are usually found in large numbers. Gastrointestinal parasites in elephants commonly cause a protein-losing gastroenteropathy leading to enteritis, anaemia and even mortality in young animals (Fowler, 2006 ). Nematodes such as Murshidia, Quilonia, Khalilia and Equinurbia have been recorded from captive and zoo Asian elephant populations. The present paper records the occurrence of two nematodes E. sipunculiformis and Q. renniei recovered from the intestine of a six-year-old male elephant and the specific morphological features assisted in the identification of the worms. Frank Ware ( 1924 ) observed two bursate nematodes from an Indian elephant which were morphologically identified as Equinurbia sp. Bhalerao ( 1935 ) described the morphological features of Equinurbia sp. of elephants from The Andaman and Burma. Fernando and Fernando ( 1961 ) recorded Equinurbia sp. from elephants in Malaya and described the morphological features in detail. Morphological features of both male and female E. sipunculiformis worms observed in the present study were in accordance with the descriptions given by the above authors. Carreno and Kinsella ( 2008 ) recovered adult female worms from the colon of an African forest elephant and identified them as Equinurbia blakei based on the features of the external and internal leaf crowns. They concluded that E. blakei is the species in African elephant and morphometrically it slightly differed from its counterpart in Asian elephant E. sipunculiformis. Muraleedharan ( 2016 ) reviewed on elephant parasites of Karnataka state and reported on the occurrence of E. sipunculiformis. In the present observation, a total of 65 E. sipunculiformis worms were recovered from the elephant out of which 45 (69.23%) were male worms and 20 (30.76%) were female worms indicating a high infection with these worms. Quilonia sp. is another common nematode affecting elephant. Gupta and Trivedi ( 1984 ), McLean et al. ( 2012 ), Prahardani et al. ( 2019 ) and Zhang and Xie ( 1992 ) have reported the occurrence of Quilonia sp. in elephants and have given detailed morphological descriptions which are similar to the observations made in the present study. Compared to Echinurbia (65 worms), a much higher number of Quilonia (150) worms were recovered indicating a heavy infection with these worms. The elephant in the present observation was suspected of hypoproteinemia and presence of E. sipunculiformis and Q. renniei worms in large numbers could be one of the attributing factors for the ill health of the animal. Gastrointestinal parasites can have a negative impact on the health of wild elephants, especially during scarcity of available resources. Climatic factors have a strong impact on the larval stages of these nematodes, wherein, extreme temperatures could be detrimental to the survival of larvae. On the other hand, presence of sufficient moisture helps in larval development and transition of the larvae from soil to vegetation. Elephants during foraging on the vegetation containing these infective larvae, ingest them along with the vegetation and get the infection. In the wild, rainfall and vegetation are two factors which determine nematode infections in elephants. These factors strongly influence the pattern of occurrence of nematode infections in elephant populations distributed in different geographical locations. A strong positive correlation between rainfall and occurrence of nematode infections in elephants has been reported. In addition, due to social dynamics and greater mobility in combination with a wide range of foraging activity, it has been reported that male wild elephants may be more prone for these parasitic infections compared to females. The present locality of the male elephant was at Periyanayakan Palayam forest range in Coimbatore forest division of Tamil Nadu which is a buffer zone between forest and human dwellings with good vegetation and frequent rainfall especially during the monsoon season from November to December months. The particular elephant is known to forage in the forest areas as well as near the human settlements adjacent to the forest area. The rainfall and vegetation in the area could have attributed to acquisition of nematode infections and quite large numbers of worms have been recorded. Though the pathogenesis of these nematodes in elephants has not been well reported, they appear to be well tolerated by the animals even in large numbers. However, it has been reported that the infected animals show symptoms of gradual emaciation, disinclination to feed, loss of condition and enteritis. In the present case, the elephant was highly anaemic evidenced by pale mucous membranes and haemorrhagic enteritis was observed and this could be due to the presence of these nematodes. The present findings on the occurrence of nematode infection with E. sipunculiformis and Q. renniei will be important to map the status of nematodiasis in elephants in wild and to frame strategies for control of intestinal nematodiasis in wild elephants. References Abeysekara N, Rajapkse RPVJ, Rajakaruna RS (2018) Comparative cross-sectional survey on gastrointestinal parasites of captive, semi-captive, and wild elephants of Sri Lanka. J Threat Taxa 10(5): 11583–11594 Bhalerao GD (1935) Helminth parasites of the domesticated animals in India. Scientific Monograph No. 6. Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. Carreno RA, Kinsella JM (2008) Equinurbia blakei sp. (Nematoda: Strongyloidea: Strongylidae) from the African Forest Elephant, Loxodonta cyclotis. Comp. Parasitol 75(2): 196-199 Datta B, Chakravarthy AK, Raquib A (1972) A successful treatment of Choniangium epistomum and Cobboldia elephantis larvae infection in elephants with tetramisole (Nilverm). Indian Vet J 49: 1158–1159 Dharmarajan G, Raman M, John MC (2005) Effect of season on helminth loads of wild herbivores and cattle in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, southern India. Zoos’ Print 20: 1766–1769 Fernando A, Fernando CH (1961) Report on the helminth parasites of an Asian Elephant which died in Singapore. Ceylon Vet J 9(4): 99–106 Fowler ME (2006) Parasitology. In: Fowler M, Mikota SK, editors. Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of Elephants . Blackwell Publishing; Oxford: p. 449. Frank Ware (1924) Two Bursate Nematodes from the Indian Elephant. 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Kerala J Vet Sci 2(1): 55–58 Vidya TNC, Sukumar R (2002) The effect of some ecological factors on the intestinal parasite loads of the Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ) in southern India. J Biosci 27: 521–528 Watve MG (1995) Helminth parasites of elephants . Ecological aspects, pp. 289–295. In: Daniel, J.C. & H. Datye (eds.). A Week with Elephants. Oxford University Press, Bombay Natural History Society, New Delhi. Zhang L, Xie QP (1992) A new species of parasitic nematodes from Indian elephant (Strongylata: Trichonematidae) Acta Zootaxonomica Sin:151–155 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 04 Sep, 2024 Read the published version in Journal of Parasitic Diseases → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Accept as is 24 Aug, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Jun, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 11 Jun, 2024 Editor invited by journal 10 Jun, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 26 Oct, 2023 First submitted to journal 25 Oct, 2023 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3230054","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":312939844,"identity":"4ddd83ee-2666-4737-a728-1804619d6109","order_by":0,"name":"Bino Sundar","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA20lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZhBhIyFjAGJ8AGI2dqK0pEnwgLQwzgBpYSbKqjQGHgOQdh64IXiAbjvzsw8fEix4zNl5Dz62+bVNno+ZgfHDxxzcWswOsxnPnJEgwWPZzJdsnNt327CNmYFZcuY2fFp4mJl5fwD9cpjHTDq35zYjUAsbMy8hLTwJUC2WPbftSdTC8ON2IhFa2IwZIX7hMTbsbbid3MbM2IzfL+cPP2b4kFAnZ85/xvDBjz+3bee3Nx/88BGPFlTA2AYmG4hVDwJ/SFE8CkbBKBgFIwUAABFiQr3W/CkjAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"VCRI Theni","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bino","middleName":"","lastName":"Sundar","suffix":""},{"id":312939845,"identity":"d694befc-91d9-4ff0-a218-2336fa4854e0","order_by":1,"name":"Bino Sundar","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"VCRI Theni","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bino","middleName":"","lastName":"Sundar","suffix":""},{"id":312939846,"identity":"0b918c31-9569-4c71-8342-7e147db55905","order_by":2,"name":"Thirunagari Ramanujadas","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Madras Veterinary College","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Thirunagari","middleName":"","lastName":"Ramanujadas","suffix":""},{"id":312939847,"identity":"44cc07e6-b4a1-437f-bcad-01d0ff55b235","order_by":3,"name":"K. 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(5X)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3230054/v1/495475fc573f8b46f4e72b6e.png"},{"id":59525221,"identity":"4a8f2d99-fedf-4fef-a1b7-627ff40b8be7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-02 20:51:12","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":114202,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eGross \u003cem\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c/strong\u003eworms (Male worm-Right, Female worm-Left)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3230054/v1/636d66bbb96a28c216ec2509.png"},{"id":59525224,"identity":"d02e3038-5293-4d5c-b333-796c8d292b19","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-02 20:51:12","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1066806,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eHead end of \u003cem\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c/strong\u003eshowing buccal capsule, mouth collar, oesophagus, external leaf crown and cuticular striations (5X)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage7.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3230054/v1/2a58f5e225ab79527f3aa861.png"},{"id":59524017,"identity":"fb9d3c46-594f-4782-b821-4a0e97d991da","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-02 20:43:12","extension":"png","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":269550,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTail end of male \u003cem\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c/strong\u003eshowing bursa and bursal rays (5X)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage8.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3230054/v1/5ccbfc0a15cf945e2110ff38.png"},{"id":59525226,"identity":"390e2949-249d-41e3-a712-d845544951e5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-02 20:51:12","extension":"png","order_by":9,"title":"Figure 9","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":263571,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTail end of male \u003cem\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c/strong\u003eshowing spicules (5X)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage9.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3230054/v1/3b6c9a4beb2e109d861c1567.png"},{"id":59525225,"identity":"d761e7d8-3e0b-4935-a77b-1b1dcac46f42","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-02 20:51:12","extension":"png","order_by":10,"title":"Figure 10","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":61932,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTail end of female \u003cem\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c/strong\u003eshowing pointed tail and uterus filled with eggs (5X)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage10.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3230054/v1/4b3b34a5ba3b025c02d803ee.png"},{"id":59524015,"identity":"d5443d7e-04da-46db-b849-25b183ca5d7d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-02 20:43:12","extension":"png","order_by":11,"title":"Figure 11","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":680158,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePale ocular mucous membrane observed in the wild male elephant\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage11.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3230054/v1/93eee1d04331d3095a0594d6.png"},{"id":59524018,"identity":"9fe54ea0-18cf-4b0a-b8bd-480210a33fdb","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-02 20:43:12","extension":"png","order_by":12,"title":"Figure 12","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":2672889,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eHaemorrhagic enteritis with bloody mucous membranes observed in the wild male elephant\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage12.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3230054/v1/4a14626bc0ac74b70f441c82.png"},{"id":64185995,"identity":"21fe5d09-753e-4e82-a26e-89abd0e02261","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-09-09 16:23:33","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":14595854,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3230054/v1/a17fedf9-4861-4430-90c9-12ab96ce7293.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Occurrence of nematodes, Equinurbia sipunculiformis and Quilonia renniei in a wild male elephant: A case report","fulltext":[{"header":"INTRODUCTION","content":"\u003cp\u003eElephants are the largest land mammals. The Asian Elephant \u003cem\u003eElephas maximus\u003c/em\u003e is an \u0026lsquo;Endangered\u0026rsquo; species as per the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (Williams et al. 2020). Infectious diseases especially those of parasitic origin are common in free-living wild elephants. Though parasitic infections are well tolerated by elephants, morbidity occurs mostly in stressed animals due to physiological or nutritional etiology (Gaur et al. 1979; Fowler \u0026amp; Mikota 2006). Nematodes commonly occur in elephants and some of the notable gastrointestinal nematodes affecting elephants in Asia include \u003cem\u003eMurshidia murshidia, Quilonia renniei, Equinurbia sipunculiformis, Decrusia aditicta, Amira pileata\u003c/em\u003e (Seneviratna \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1955\u003c/span\u003e; Fernando \u0026amp; Fernando \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1961\u003c/span\u003e; Sundaram et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1971\u003c/span\u003e), \u003cem\u003eChoniangium epistomum\u003c/em\u003e (Datta et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1972\u003c/span\u003e), \u003cem\u003eBathmostomum sangeri\u003c/em\u003e (Sathianesan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1979\u003c/span\u003e), Grammocephalus \u003cem\u003ehybridatus\u003c/em\u003e (Islam and Talukdar \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e, Kavitha et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Among these nematodes, strongyles are frequently encountered in both African (Scott and Dobson \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1989\u003c/span\u003e) and wild Asian Elephants (Watve \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1995\u003c/span\u003e; Vidya and Sukumar \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e; Dharmarajan et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e; Nishanth et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; Abeysekara et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). When helminthic infections are severe, it may result in morbidity and mortality in wild elephants especially when animals are under stressful conditions. Recording the incidence of parasites in captive and wild elephants assist in health monitoring and to advocate necessary control measures whenever needed. The present paper reports the occurrence of the nematodes, \u003cem\u003eEquinurbia sipunculiformis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eQuilonia renniei\u003c/em\u003e in the intestinal tract of a free ranging male elephant (\u003cem\u003eElephas maximus\u003c/em\u003e) observed during necropsy.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"MATERIALS AND METHODS","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOn 09.11.2021, the death of an approximately 6 years old wild male elephant was reported at Periyanayakan Palayam forest range of Coimbatore forest division, Tamil Nadu, India. Necropsy was carried out by the Forest Veterinary Assistant Surgeon and large number of nematodes collected from the large intestine and small intestine (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) were sent in 10% formalin to the Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Madras Veterinary College for further processing and species identification.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eProcessing of the worms\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe worms were counted and male and female worms were separated. Worms were then examined for gross morphological features and then processed by dehydrating in ascending grades of alcohol and cleared using carbolic acid. Cleared specimens were mounted in DPX and examined under light microscope and morphological characteristics were recorded.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"RESULTS","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the present study, the round worms recovered from the wild elephant were identified as \u003cem\u003eEquinurbia sipunculiformis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eQuilonia renniei\u003c/em\u003e based on morphological characteristics. Out of the total 215 worms recovered, 65 (30.23%) were identified as \u003cem\u003eEquinurbia sipunculiformis\u003c/em\u003e and 150 (69.76%) were identified as \u003cem\u003eQuilonia renniei\u003c/em\u003e morphologically.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eEquinurbia sipunculiformis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 65 \u003cem\u003eE. sipunculiformis\u003c/em\u003e worms were recovered out of which 45 (69.23%) were male worms and 20 (30.76%) were female worms. The worms were stout and male worms were shorter in length compared to female worms (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). Male worms measured in the range of 2.1 to 3 cm length and 1-1.5 mm wide whereas female worms measured in the range of 3.5 to 4 cm length and 1-1.5 mm wide. The worms had a characteristic head with sub globular cup shaped buccal capsule. The dorsal gutter was long without teeth and cuticular prominence. The external leaf crown was characteristic projecting above the anterior end of the worm and had numerous elements, two short elements placed in between each pair of long elements. The oesophagus immediately behind the buccal capsule was enlarged, which was then cylindrical, with gradual enlargement (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eMorphology of male\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eE. sipunculiformis\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA well-developed bursa was observed at the posterior end of male \u003cem\u003eE. sipunculiformis\u003c/em\u003e worms. The spicules were equal in length. The spicules were stout, wavy, contained a dark core and were alate with ornamentations. Their tips were pointed and placed together. The lateral lobe was elongated when compared to the dorsal lobe. The bursal rays were relatively short and the lateral rays were quite stout. In the dorsal lobe, the external-dorsal rays were elongated (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eMorphology of female\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eE. sipunculiformis\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe caudal end of the female \u003cem\u003eE. sipunculiformis\u003c/em\u003e tapered to the posterior extremity ending in a slight knob-like structure. There was a marked caudad-projecting conical prominence, on the summit of which the vulva opened. Uterus was filled with thin shelled eggs (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eQuilonia renniei\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 150 \u003cem\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/em\u003e worms were recovered out of which 110 (73.33%) were male worms and 40 (26.66%) were female worms. Male worms were comparatively shorter in length than female worms (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e). The male worms measured in the range of 1.8 to 2.2 cm length and were 0.5 mm wide whereas female worms measured in the range of 2.3 to 2.5 cm length and were 1 mm wide. Marked cuticular striations were observed. Mouth collar and buccal capsule were present. The external leaf crown projected beyond the surface of the head (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eMorphology of male\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale \u003cem\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/em\u003e worms had a well-developed bursa (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e) and spicules (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e). The dorsal ray of the bursa was comparatively short. The lateral and ventral rays were slender.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eMorphology of female\u003c/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale \u003cem\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/em\u003e worms had a pointed tail. The vulva was situated at a distance from the tip of the tail (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e). Uterus was filled with oval thin shelled eggs.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003ePathological observations\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe elephant was observed to be anaemic with pale mucous membranes (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig11\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e) and haemorrhagic enteritis as evidenced by bloody intestinal mucosa (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig12\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"DISCUSSION","content":"\u003cp\u003eGastrointestinal nematodes are common in elephants and they are usually found in large numbers. Gastrointestinal parasites in elephants commonly cause a protein-losing gastroenteropathy leading to enteritis, anaemia and even mortality in young animals (Fowler, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). Nematodes such as \u003cem\u003eMurshidia, Quilonia, Khalilia\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eEquinurbia\u003c/em\u003e have been recorded from captive and zoo Asian elephant populations. The present paper records the occurrence of two nematodes \u003cem\u003eE. sipunculiformis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/em\u003e recovered from the intestine of a six-year-old male elephant and the specific morphological features assisted in the identification of the worms. Frank Ware (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1924\u003c/span\u003e) observed two bursate nematodes from an Indian elephant which were morphologically identified as \u003cem\u003eEquinurbia\u003c/em\u003e sp. Bhalerao (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1935\u003c/span\u003e) described the morphological features of \u003cem\u003eEquinurbia\u003c/em\u003e sp. of elephants from The Andaman and Burma. Fernando and Fernando (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1961\u003c/span\u003e) recorded \u003cem\u003eEquinurbia\u003c/em\u003e sp. from elephants in Malaya and described the morphological features in detail. Morphological features of both male and female \u003cem\u003eE. sipunculiformis\u003c/em\u003e worms observed in the present study were in accordance with the descriptions given by the above authors. Carreno and Kinsella (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e) recovered adult female worms from the colon of an African forest elephant and identified them as \u003cem\u003eEquinurbia blakei\u003c/em\u003e based on the features of the external and internal leaf crowns. They concluded that \u003cem\u003eE. blakei\u003c/em\u003e is the species in African elephant and morphometrically it slightly differed from its counterpart in Asian elephant \u003cem\u003eE. sipunculiformis.\u003c/em\u003e Muraleedharan (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e) reviewed on elephant parasites of Karnataka state and reported on the occurrence of \u003cem\u003eE. sipunculiformis.\u003c/em\u003e In the present observation, a total of 65 \u003cem\u003eE. sipunculiformis\u003c/em\u003e worms were recovered from the elephant out of which 45 (69.23%) were male worms and 20 (30.76%) were female worms indicating a high infection with these worms.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eQuilonia\u003c/em\u003e sp. is another common nematode affecting elephant. Gupta and Trivedi (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1984\u003c/span\u003e), McLean et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), Prahardani et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) and Zhang and Xie (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1992\u003c/span\u003e) have reported the occurrence of \u003cem\u003eQuilonia\u003c/em\u003e sp. in elephants and have given detailed morphological descriptions which are similar to the observations made in the present study. Compared to \u003cem\u003eEchinurbia\u003c/em\u003e (65 worms), a much higher number of \u003cem\u003eQuilonia\u003c/em\u003e (150) worms were recovered indicating a heavy infection with these worms.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe elephant in the present observation was suspected of hypoproteinemia and presence of \u003cem\u003eE. sipunculiformis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/em\u003e worms in large numbers could be one of the attributing factors for the ill health of the animal. Gastrointestinal parasites can have a negative impact on the health of wild elephants, especially during scarcity of available resources. Climatic factors have a strong impact on the larval stages of these nematodes, wherein, extreme temperatures could be detrimental to the survival of larvae. On the other hand, presence of sufficient moisture helps in larval development and transition of the larvae from soil to vegetation. Elephants during foraging on the vegetation containing these infective larvae, ingest them along with the vegetation and get the infection. In the wild, rainfall and vegetation are two factors which determine nematode infections in elephants. These factors strongly influence the pattern of occurrence of nematode infections in elephant populations distributed in different geographical locations. A strong positive correlation between rainfall and occurrence of nematode infections in elephants has been reported. In addition, due to social dynamics and greater mobility in combination with a wide range of foraging activity, it has been reported that male wild elephants may be more prone for these parasitic infections compared to females. The present locality of the male elephant was at Periyanayakan Palayam forest range in Coimbatore forest division of Tamil Nadu which is a buffer zone between forest and human dwellings with good vegetation and frequent rainfall especially during the monsoon season from November to December months. The particular elephant is known to forage in the forest areas as well as near the human settlements adjacent to the forest area. The rainfall and vegetation in the area could have attributed to acquisition of nematode infections and quite large numbers of worms have been recorded. Though the pathogenesis of these nematodes in elephants has not been well reported, they appear to be well tolerated by the animals even in large numbers. However, it has been reported that the infected animals show symptoms of gradual emaciation, disinclination to feed, loss of condition and enteritis. In the present case, the elephant was highly anaemic evidenced by pale mucous membranes and haemorrhagic enteritis was observed and this could be due to the presence of these nematodes. The present findings on the occurrence of nematode infection with \u003cem\u003eE. sipunculiformis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/em\u003e will be important to map the status of nematodiasis in elephants in wild and to frame strategies for control of intestinal nematodiasis in wild elephants.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbeysekara N, Rajapkse RPVJ, Rajakaruna RS (2018) Comparative cross-sectional survey on gastrointestinal parasites of captive, semi-captive, and wild elephants of Sri Lanka. J Threat Taxa\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003e10(5): 11583\u0026ndash;11594 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBhalerao GD (1935) Helminth parasites of the domesticated animals in India. Scientific Monograph No. 6. Imperial Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCarreno RA, Kinsella JM (2008) \u003cem\u003eEquinurbia blakei\u003c/em\u003e sp. (Nematoda: Strongyloidea: Strongylidae) from the African Forest Elephant, \u003cem\u003eLoxodonta cyclotis. \u003c/em\u003eComp. Parasitol 75(2): 196-199\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDatta B, Chakravarthy AK, Raquib A (1972) A successful treatment of \u003cem\u003eChoniangium\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e epistomum \u003c/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eCobboldia\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e elephantis \u003c/em\u003elarvae infection in elephants with tetramisole (Nilverm).\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003eIndian Vet J\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003e49: 1158\u0026ndash;1159\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDharmarajan G, Raman M, John MC (2005) Effect of season on helminth loads of wild herbivores and cattle in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, southern India. Zoos\u0026rsquo; Print 20: 1766\u0026ndash;1769\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFernando A, Fernando CH (1961) Report on the helminth parasites of an Asian Elephant which died in Singapore. Ceylon Vet J\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003e9(4): 99\u0026ndash;106\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFowler ME (2006) Parasitology. In: Fowler M, Mikota SK, editors. Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of Elephants\u003cem\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e Blackwell Publishing; Oxford: p. 449. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFrank Ware (1924) Two Bursate Nematodes from the Indian Elephant. J Comp Pathol Ther 37: 278-286\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGupta SP, Trivedi KK (1984) Nematode parasites of vertebrate IV. A new nematode parasite \u003cem\u003eQuilonia simhai\u003c/em\u003e sp. nov. (Strongylidea: Cyathostomidae) from an Indian elephant. Indian J Helminthol 36:61\u0026ndash;67 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIslam S, Talukdar A (2014). \u003cem\u003eGrammocephalus\u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e hybridatus \u003c/em\u003einfection in a free ranging Asian Elephant from Assam. J Vet Parasitol\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003e28(1): 37\u0026ndash;39\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKavitha KT, Sreekumar C, Latha BR (2022) Case report of hook worm \u003cem\u003eGrammocephalus hybridatus\u003c/em\u003e and stomach bot \u003cem\u003eCobboldia elephantis\u003c/em\u003e infections in a free-ranging Asian Elephant \u003cem\u003eElephas maximus\u003c/em\u003e in Tamil Nadu, India. J Threat Taxa 14(4): 20915-20920\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMcLean ER, Kinsella JM, Chiyo P, Obanda V, Moss C, Archie EA (2012) Genetic identification of five strongyle nematode parasites in wild African elephants (\u003cem\u003eLoxodonta africana\u003c/em\u003e). J Wildl Dis 48:707\u0026ndash;716 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMuraleedharan K (2016) Endoparasites of Wildlife (Herbivores, Primates and Reptiles) of Karnataka State, India - An Overview. Vet Res Int 4(3): 89-98\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNishanth B, Srinivasan SR, Jayathangaraj MG, Sridhar R (2012). 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Ceylon Vet J\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003e3: 32\u0026ndash;37\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSundaram RK, Chandrasekharan K, Pillai KM (1971) Tetramisole as a anthelmintic against gastro intestinal nematodes of elephants. Kerala J Vet Sci\u003cem\u003e \u003c/em\u003e2(1): 55\u0026ndash;58\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVidya TNC, Sukumar R (2002) The effect of some ecological factors on the intestinal parasite loads of the Asian elephant (\u003cem\u003eElephas maximus\u003c/em\u003e) in southern India. J Biosci 27: 521\u0026ndash;528\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWatve MG (1995) Helminth parasites of elephants\u003cem\u003e. \u003c/em\u003eEcological aspects, pp. 289\u0026ndash;295. In: Daniel, J.C. \u0026amp; H. Datye (eds.). A Week with Elephants. Oxford University Press, Bombay Natural History Society, New Delhi.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZhang L, Xie QP (1992) A new species of parasitic nematodes from Indian elephant (Strongylata: Trichonematidae) Acta Zootaxonomica Sin:151\u0026ndash;155\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"journal-of-parasitic-diseases","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jopd","sideBox":"Learn more about [Journal of Parasitic Diseases](https://www.springer.com/journal/12639)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/jopd/default.aspx","title":"Journal of Parasitic Diseases","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Elephant, necropsy, Equinurbia sipunculiformis, Quilonia renniei","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3230054/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3230054/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe occurrence of the nematodes, \u003cem\u003eEquinurbia sipunculiformis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eQuilonia renniei\u003c/em\u003e in the intestinal tract of a six-year-old, free ranging male elephant (\u003cem\u003eElephas maximus\u003c/em\u003e) observed during necropsy is reported. The worms were collected in 10% formalin and processed. \u003cem\u003eE. sipunculiformis\u003c/em\u003e worms were stout, males were shorter than females. A total of 65 worms were recovered out of which 45 were male worms and 20 were female worms. They had a characteristic head with a cuticular prominence and a sub globular cup shaped buccal capsule without teeth. The external leaf crown was characteristic projecting above the anterior end of the worm. The oesophagus was enlarged immediately behind the buccal capsule, then cylindrical, and gradually enlarged. Male worms had a well-developed bursa at the posterior end with equal, alate and ornamentated spicules with elongated lateral bursal lobes. Female worms had a tapered tail with a conical prominence and a vulval opening at its summit. Uterus was filled with thin shelled eggs. \u003cem\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/em\u003e male worms were shorter in length than female worms. A total of 150 worms were recovered out of which 110 were male worms and 40 were female worms. Cuticular striations were observed. Mouth collar and buccal capsule were present. The external leaf crown projected beyond the surface of the head. Male worms had a well-developed bursa and spicules. The dorsal ray of the bursa was comparatively short. The lateral and ventral rays were slender. Female worms had a pointed tail. The vulva was situated at a distance from the tip of the tail. Uterus was filled with oval thin shelled eggs. Pathological findings included pale mucous membrane, anaemia and haemorrhagic enteritis. The present observations on the occurrence of nematode infection with \u003cem\u003eE. sipunculiformis\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eQ. renniei\u003c/em\u003e will be important to map the status of nematodiasis in elephants in wild and to frame strategies for control of intestinal nematodiasis in wild elephants.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Occurrence of nematodes, Equinurbia sipunculiformis and Quilonia renniei in a wild male elephant: A case report","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-07-02 20:43:07","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3230054/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Accept as is","date":"2024-08-25T01:30:47+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2024-06-11T08:50:12+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2024-06-11T05:05:13+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"Journal of Parasitic Diseases","date":"2024-06-10T11:02:58+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2023-10-26T08:35:10+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Journal of Parasitic Diseases","date":"2023-10-25T04:50:34+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"journal-of-parasitic-diseases","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jopd","sideBox":"Learn more about [Journal of Parasitic Diseases](https://www.springer.com/journal/12639)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/jopd/default.aspx","title":"Journal of Parasitic Diseases","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d0d5362c-7100-4091-8765-660834ac5b43","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 2nd, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-09-09T16:14:27+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-3230054","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-024-01733-8","journal":{"identity":"journal-of-parasitic-diseases","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Journal of Parasitic Diseases"},"publishedOn":"2024-09-04 16:05:46","publishedOnDateReadable":"September 4th, 2024"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-07-02 20:43:07","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s12639-024-01733-8","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-024-01733-8","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-3230054","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-3230054","identity":"rs-3230054","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}