Parasitic reports on the invasive Algerian hedgehog (Atelerix algirus) from Gran Canaria: Zoonoses and ecology

Abstract

Atelerix algirus caniculus is a subspecies of the Algerian hedgehog Atelerix algirus that lives in the Canary and Balearic Islands. The parasitic spectrum of this species in the Canary Islands is not sufficiently studied and more and more hedgehogs are part of our lives as exotic pets with the consequent zoonotic risk that this entails. In the present study it has been demonstrated that wild hedgehogs share parasitic fauna with cats, dogs and humans and this can cause public health problems. In this work, a parasitic study is carried out by performing necropsies and analysing faecal samples from individuals of the subspecies Atelerix algirus caniculus. The study has concluded with the detection of 4 nematodes ( Crenosoma striatum, Eucoleus aerophilus, Pterygodermatites plagiostoma and Gongylonema mucronatum), 1 acanthocephalus (Moniliformis moniliformis), 1 trematode (Brachylaima sp) and 4 ectoparasite species (Echidnophaga gallinacea, individuals of the genus Rhipicephalus spp, Lucilia sericata and Notoedres spp). Some of the parasites found in this study present a zoonotic risk (Moniliformi moniliformis, Eucoleus aerohphilus) or may act as vectors of zoonotic diseases (Echidnophaga gallinacea and Rhipicephalus spp)