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Simple Summary: The Lusitanian pine vole is an endemic rodent of the Iberian Peninsula, which has a burrowing behaviour and prefers to live underground. It feeds on bark and roots causing severe damage to trees. In Asturias (NW Spain), this species is considered a pest causing economic losses in apple orchards, damaging the tree, and sometimes even causing its death. With the aim to shed light on the helminth community of this rodent pest species and to elucidate which intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect its helminth species, a faunistic-ecological study was carried out. For this purpose, our own collection of 710 voles from several orchards of various locations in Asturias was used. The results of the ecological study revealed the influence of climate variables, the year and season of capture, as well as the host age, on the diversity of the helminth community and the infection parameters of helminth species, underlining the importance of their life cycles. Our findings on the helminth community of the Lusitanian pine vole in Asturias could be used to improve the biological methods applied to control the population of this rodent pest. The Lusitanian pine vole, Microtus lusitanicus, an endemic fossorial rodent of the Iberian Peninsula, has a burrowing behaviour and prefers to live underground. It feeds on bark and roots causing severe damage to trees. In Asturias (NW Spain), where M. lusitanicus is considered a pest in several orchards, a faunistic-ecological study was carried out to describe the helminth community of this species and the main factors that could influence its helminth component species. For this purpose, our own collection of 710 voles from several orchards of various locations in Asturias was used. Eight helminth species, four cestodes and four nematodes, were found. Statistical non-parametric tests were used to analyse the effects of extrinsic and intrinsic factors on the diversity of the helminth community and species prevalence and abundance. The results show the influence of climate variables, the year and season of capture, as well as host age, on the diversity of the helminth community and the infection parameters of some helminth species, underlining the importance of their life cycles. In addition to shedding light on the helminth community of this rodent in Asturias, the results obtained could be used to improve the biological methods applied to fight the M. lusitanicus pest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We determined the prevalence of skin mites in the hair follicles of the abdomen and caudal areas of 94 wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) from seven Canary Islands (Spain). We detected and identified mites through real-time qPCR by comparing nuclear 18S rRNA gene sequences and, for the first time, sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. Three and one specimens from Fuerteventura and Tenerife, respectively, were positive for mites by qPCR. Demodex musculi was identified in all positive individuals. This result constitutes the first record regarding this species in the archipelago. The prevalence of mites within mice tested was of 4%, which was lower than that reported for other mammals such as dogs, cats, marmots and bats. This value was also lower than the percentages obtained in immunocompromised laboratory individuals or Robertsonian wild mice, but was similar to the value determined for wild standard specimens (2n = 40). Our results seem to indicate that skin mites are uncommon inhabitants of the Canary mice. Moreover, since the Canary mice harbour only one of the two species of skin mites that commonly infest mice, D. musculi and Myobia musculi may be restricted by the host species depending on the habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species of the Metastrongylus genus, the lung nematodes of pigs that require an intermediate host (earthworm) to complete their cycle, pose a potential risk to both livestock and humans. This parasite which can result in lung pathology and mixed infections with other pathogens (e.g. viruses) can be fatal to pigs. Although this genus is distributed worldwide, there are no classification keys for identifying this common parasite species. In this work, we take advantage of parasitological surveys of wild boar ( Sus scrofa) in northern and central Spain and southern Poland to develop a morphological identification key for the five most common Metastrongylus species ( Metastrongylus apri, Metastrongylus pudendotectus, Metastrongylus salmi, Metastrongylus confusus and Metastrongylus asymetricus). In addition, we provide the first record of M. confusus in Spain, probably unidentified until now due to the lack of appropriate identification keys. We hope that this user-friendly identification key will enable parasitologists and veterinary practitioners to avoid further misclassifications of Metastrongylus species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]