Natural life cycle and molecular characterization of Taenia talicei Dollfus, 1960 (Cestoda: Taeniidae) from northwestern Patagonia, Argentina

BAGNATO, ESTEFANÍA; LAUTHIER, JUAN JOSÉ; BROOK, FEDERICO; MARTIN, GABRIEL MARIO; DIGIANI, MARÍA CELINA

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

Australian Society for Parasitology

Año: 2025 vol. 26

2213-2244

Through morphological and molecular studies, the natural life cycle of Taenia talicei Dollfus, 1960 (Cestoda:Taeniidae) from Argentine Patagonia is elucidated, involving subterranean rodents (Ctenomyidae) as interme­diate hosts, and the Andean fox Lycalopex culpaeus (Canidae) as definitive host. Metacestodes (mono- and pol­ycephalic fimbriocerci) were found mainly in the peritoneal cavity of Ctenomys terraplen, and the strobilate adultin the intestine of L. culpaeus. Correspondence between metacestodes and strobilate adults was based primarilyon number, size and shape of rostellar hooks: 45–53 hooks alternated in two rows, small hooks 88–180 μm longand large hooks 230–280 μm long, with the characteristic shape described in the two main description of thespecies, both that of the metacestode (original description) and that of the strobilate adult (obtained experi­mentally). Further genetic analysis (cox1 gene mtDNA) corroborated the conspecificity between the metacest­odes and the strobilate adults found in the Andean fox in the same study area. Genetic analysis also revealedconspecificity of the taxon found in Patagonia with the species registered in GenBank as T. talicei, obtained fromdifferent intermediate and definitive hosts from Peru and Argentina. Taenia talicei was previously reported fromArgentina in the form of metacestodes naturally infecting two other species of Ctenomys. However, the strobilateadult was only described from the experimental infection of a domestic dog. Hence, this is the first report of thenatural life cycle of T. talicei and of a species of Taenia endemic from South America.