Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus: the most common helminthic infection of wild boars in southwestern Iran.

A pathological and epidemiological study on Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus infection on 25 wild boars Sus scrofa in southwestern Iran was done. Overall 24 helminthes (18 female and 6 male) were collected from the intestine of 13 infected wild boars. Thus, the prevalence of acanthocephalans among the 25 examined boars was 52 %. Pathological evaluation revealed damages caused by the acanthocephalans penetrated in the small intestine tissue. Helminthes caused severe necrosis with ulcer and inflammation in tunica sub mucosa layer. High prevalence of this helminthic infection may cause severe hazard for farmers, residents and also wild life animals.