Metastrongylus asymmetricus [Noda, 1973] - nicień płucny po raz pierwszy notowany u dzika w Polsce

A total of 17 wild boars (Sus scrofa) shot in the Miechów hunting area (southern Poland) during two consecutive winters of 2008, were surveyed for the presence of lung nematodes of the genus Metastrongylus. The animals were necropsied, their lungs removed, divided into smaller parts and examined along the bronchial tubes. The parasites found were identified based on their morphologic characters. The prevalence of the lungworms reached 76.5%, and all of the 13 infected animals harboured two (one boar) or more parasite species. The mean number of parasites in an individual boar was 58.7, ranging from 6 to 250 specimens. Out of 250 identified lungworms, 48.8% was identified as M. pudendotectus, 32.8% were M. elongatus, and 14.0% belonged to M. salmi, whereas 4.4% (i.e. 10 females and 2 males) were M. asymmetricus. Until recently, only four Metastrongylus species have been recorded from Poland, namely M. elongatus, M. pudendotectus, M. salmi and M. confusus. The presently reported finding of M. asymmetricus constitutes the first record of this species in Poland.