Gastrointestinal nematode community of spiny mice (Acomys dimidiatus) from St. Katherine, South Sinai, Egypt.

The objective of this work was to study gastrointestinal nematode community infecting Acomys dimidiatus in different wadis of St. Katherine, South Sinai, Egypt. Fieldwork was conducted in three Wadis over a 4 weeks period during April-May, 2003 in St. Katherine, South Sinai, Egypt. Faecal samples from 47 spiny mice were analysed for gastrointestinal nematode community. The nematodes community consisted of four genera Dentostomella spp., Syphacia spp., Aspicularis spp. and Spirurids species. The overall prevalence of infection was 55.3 %. A significant difference in prevalence was found per wadis. Wadi Toffaha showed the highest diversity when compared to other Wadis. Mean species richness was higher in Wadi Tlah (0.87) when compared to other Wadis. Syphacia spp. was frequently found coexisting with other nematodes. A significant interaction was found between both site and co-infection for Aspicularis spp. The spatial stability of nematode community was discussed compared to other related studies. In terms of similarity, the nematode community from Wadi Toffaha was closest to Wadi Tlah. In conclusion, this study showed that there is spatial variation in the distribution of nematode community. Possible factors affecting the stability of parasite community were discussed and further studies are needed.