Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) as an intermediate host of Taenia lynciscapreoli in Kazakhstan: molecular evidence

Taenia lynciscapreoli was recently reported from Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ) in northern Kazakhstan, but its intermediate host in the country remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate, using molecular methods, whether Siberian roe deer ( Capreolus pygargus ) serve as intermediate hosts of T.lynciscapreoli in Kazakhstan. Fifteen Siberian roe deer were legally harvested in three hunting grounds in north-central and eastern Kazakhstan between September 2024 and December 2025. Taenia metacestodes were detected exclusively in the lungs of four animals, all from a single hunting ground. BLASTn analysis of partial mitochondrial nad1 sequences revealed 100% identity with reference sequences of T. lynciscapreoli , confirming the molecular identificationof all metacestode isolates as T. lynciscapreoli . Despite the limited number of animals examined and the restricted geographical coverage, these findings–together with the earlier detection of the adult parasite in a Eurasian lynx from the same area–provide molecular evidence that C. pygargus serves as an intermediate host for T. lynciscapreoli in Kazakhstan.This study extends the known geographic range of the species and contributes to a better understanding of its transmission ecology in Central Asia.