Parasitic Helminths in Wild Boars ( Sus scrofa ) in Mazandaran Province, Northern Iran

Wild boars ( ) are distributed worldwide and found in many parts of Iran. Although is reservoirs for many parasites, there is little data on helminthic prevalence in them. We aimed to survey the status of helminthic infections in in the Mazandaran Province of northern Iran. Twenty-one wild boars were captured and examined for helminth infection during Dec 2012-Mar 2014. Adult worms such as were identified by helminth size and shape, and the arrangement of the proboscis hooks. The sedimentation and flotation techniques were used to detect parasite eggs and larvae in faecal samples. Muscle samples were also surveyed for larvae by artificial digestion method. Of the 21 samples, 13 (61.9%) were infected with one or more helminth species. Seven helminth types were identified in the alimentary track, comprising 5 nematodes, 1 trematode, and 1 acanthocephalan, with prevalence rates of (57.14%) spp. (33.33%) (19.04), (14.28%), (14.28%), (4.76%), and (4.76%). Wild boars might be involved in transmitting zoonotic parasites to humans. The abundance of these animals near human habitation creates favorable conditions for infection. So the risk of parasitic helminth diseases increases in other animals and humans.