CHINESE JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY AND PARASITIC DISEASES >

2025 , Vol. 43 >Issue 6: 835 - 842

DOI: https://doi.org/10.12140/j.issn.1000-7423.2025.06.013

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Morphological and molecular identification of a new record species of Heterakis from Rattus norvegicus in China

  • Jü Huidong ,
  • LI Yang ,
  • JIAN Rui ,
  • DU Xin ,
  • SUN Jing ,
  • YAN Zihan ,
  • MENG Jiaxuan ,
  • LIU Shanshan ,
  • ZHAI Shiyong
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  • 1 Department of Agriculture and Food Science, Shijiazhuang University, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei, China
    2 Hebei Key Laboratory of Intractable Pathogens, Shijiazhuang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei, China
    3 The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei, China
    4 College of Basic Medicine, Chengde Medical University, Chengde 067000, Hebei, China
    5 College of Marine Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Qinhuangdao 066003, Hebei, China
    6 Shijiazhuang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shijiazhuang 050035, Hebei, China

Received date: 2025-08-25

  Revised date: 2025-10-11

  Online published: 2025-12-29

Supported by

Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province(D2025204008)

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Abstract

Objective To characterize the nematode specimens collected from large intestines of wild Rattus norvegicus in Shijiazhuang City by means of morphological and molecular biological techniques assays. Methdos Nematodes were sampled from large intestines of wild R. norvegicus in Gaocheng District, Shijiazhuang City, Hubei Province, and the morphological characteristics of nematodes were examined using light and scanning electron microscop to identify the nematode species. A female worm and a male worm were sampled for extraction of genomic DNA, and internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS-1) and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) genes were amplified. Following sequencing of amplification products, phylogenetic trees were created using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods. Results A total of 35 nematodes were identified, including 16 males and 19 females. The worms were small and cylindrical, tapered at both ends. The thin cuticles exhibited fine and transverse striations and lateral alae, with the latter originating from the pharyngeal region. The head featured three well-developed lips, including a dorsal lip with two papillae and two ventrolateral lips, each with one papilla. The anterior esophagus was narrow and cylindrical, expanding posteriorly into a bulb. The body length was 7.083 mm to 9.708 mm in males and 9.541 mm to 12.208 mm in females. Males were further characterized by two spicules of approximately equal length (0.250 mm to 0.310 mm) and nine pairs of caudal papillae. The vulva of female worms was situated in the posterior body region, surrounded by 3 to 5 cuticular folds. The tail terminated in a slender point adorned with a pair of terminal papillae and the distance from the anus to the tail tip measured 0.916 mm to 1.083 mm. The nematode eggs were elliptical in shape, with a length measuring 0.050 mm to 0.058 mm and a width measuring 0.033 mm to 0.041 mm. Sequencing revealed that the sequence of the ITS-1 gene was 430 bp in length (GenBank accession No. PX622390), and shared 99.91% similarity with Heterakis dahomensis (GenBank accession No. JX845277) and 82.4% to 90.3% similarity with other 6 Heterakis species. The sequence of the cox1 gene was 345 bp in length (GenBank accession No. PX622389), and shared 82.0% to 96.7% similarity with other 7 Heterakis species. Phylogenetic analysis based on the cox1 sequence of Heterakis revealed that nematode obtained from this study was closely related to H. spumosa but independent of each other, and was distantly related to other species of Heterakis. Phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS-1 gene sequence showed that the nematode sampled from this study was most closely related to H. dahomensis, and was clustered with Heterakis spumosa into a clade, but was distantly to other species of Heterakis. Conclusion Based on morphological characteristics, gene sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis, the nematode obtained from this study was identified as H. dahomensis, which is a newly recorded species in China.

Key words： Heterakis; Rattus norvegicus; Morphological identification; Molecular identification; Phylogenetic tree

Cite this article

Jü Huidong , LI Yang , JIAN Rui , DU Xin , SUN Jing , YAN Zihan , MENG Jiaxuan , LIU Shanshan , ZHAI Shiyong . Morphological and molecular identification of a new record species of Heterakis from Rattus norvegicus in China[J]. CHINESE JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY AND PARASITIC DISEASES, 2025 , 43(6) : 835 -842 . DOI: 10.12140/j.issn.1000-7423.2025.06.013

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