FIRST ISOLATION OF TRICHURIS ARVICOLAE FROM MERIONES MERIDIANUS AND SPERMOPHILUS ALASCHANICUS IN THE HELAN MOUNTAINS, CHINA

Whipworms, parasitic worms found in soil, can infect multiple host species.Our research involved collecting five adult female Trichuris from a gerbil (Meriones meridianus) and eight from a ground squirrel (Spermophilus alaschanicus), captured in September 2022 on the eastern slopes of the Helan Mountains in Ningxia Province.We identified 13 whipworms from the two rodents using morphology and molecular markers.No significant egg size variation was found (P>0.05).Phylogenetic analyses, utilizing Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I (COI) and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) gene sequences, showed both Trichuris populations belonged to Trichuris arvicolae.Further analysis indicated minimal genetic divergence (Fst=0.23 for COI, 0.00 for ITS) and reproductive isolation (Nm=0.83for COI, infinite for ITS).Despite gerbils being nocturnal and ground squirrels being diurnal, leading to nonoverlapping activity times, both rodents share overlapping habitats.Consequently, the coexistence of these two rodents infected with the same species of Trichuris arvicolae is not unexpected.