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First evidence of Brachylaima sp. (Diplostomida; Brachylaimidae) infesting the Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus) in Iran

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Abstract

Of the eleven species of shrews described in Iran, the Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus), the smallest known extant mammal by mass, is recorded in northern and southern provinces. During rodent control programs, a female S. etruscus was trapped and found naturally infected with a trematode which was morphologically identified as Brachylaima sp. This finding represents the first report of trematodiasis in this host species.

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Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article. The original datasets are available upon request to the corresponding author.

Materials availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article. The original datasets are available upon request to the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

The authors express profound gratitude to the late Professor Iraj Mobedi for his invaluable collaboration in writing this finding, without which the identification of our samples would not have been possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Faezeh Najafi, Gholamreza Mowlavi & Sina Mohtasebi

  2. Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran (CREPI), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Gholamreza Mowlavi

  3. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    Sina Mohtasebi

  4. Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Valencia, 46100, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain

    Santiago Mas-Coma

  5. Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Bari, Italy

    Domenico Otranto

Authors
  1. Faezeh Najafi
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  2. Gholamreza Mowlavi
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  3. Sina Mohtasebi
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  4. Santiago Mas-Coma
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  5. Domenico Otranto
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Contributions

FN drafted the manuscript and performed the parasitological techniques. SM carried out the dissection, morphological and taxonomical identification, and figure illustration. GM performed sample collection, preservation, and descriptive issues. DO, GM, and SMC conceived and designed the study and reviewed the final manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Sina Mohtasebi or Domenico Otranto.

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Ethics approval

This sample was captured accidentally during an authorized rodent pest control program that was done under the Ahvaz City municipality regulations in the late 1990s. Due to the delayed trap collection, we confronted the dead carcass.

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Not applicable.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Najafi, F., Mowlavi, G., Mohtasebi, S. et al. First evidence of Brachylaima sp. (Diplostomida; Brachylaimidae) infesting the Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus) in Iran. Parasitol Res 121, 3597–3601 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-022-07684-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-022-07684-4

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