First Molecular Data of Gongylonema pulchrum (Rhabditida: Gongylonematidae) in European Fallow Deer Dama dama from Romania

Due to its adaptive versatility to numerous types of habitats, extremely diverse both in terms of composition and specificity, developed in various areas of the Western Plains of Romania, the European fallow deer ( ) is a species with high ecological plasticity. In this area, the interacts with other species of wild fauna but also with numerous domestic animals, an important aspect in terms of the sanitary-veterinary status of animal populations, as well as the existence of a potential risk of infection with various species of parasites that can cause the specimens to obtain certain diseases and even zoonoses. A total of 133 esophagi from have been examined for helminths. Of the 133 esophagus samples from , nematodes of the genus were identified in 25 (18.80%). Sequencing revealed that the nematode identified in the samples was 99% similar to the sequence of (GenBank no. LC026018.1, LC388754.1, AB646061). The present research is the first report of the nematode from in Romania.