The taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis) and the red brocket deer (Mazama americana) as intermediate hosts of Taenia hydatigena in Peru, morphological and molecular evidence

•Original data supporting the first molecular detection of the Taenia hydatigena metacestodes in the taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis) and the red brocket deer (Mazama americana)•We give a brief morphological description of the T. hydatigena metacestodes recovered at necropsy from taruca and red brocket deer.•It evaluated the molecular characterization of the T. hydatigena metacestodes from taruca and red brocket deer compared.

In the present report metacestodes were collected from the mesentery of a taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis) and from the omentum of a red brocket deer (Mazama americana) in Peru. Various metacestodes parameters, including rostellar hook characteristics, were measured. Molecular analysis was performed to amplify the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene from metacestode isolates. Metacestodes were identified as T. hydatigena by morphology and molecular methods. This constitutes the first molecular detection of T. hydatigena metacestodes in the taruca and the red brocket deer and demonstrates that these animal species are natural intermediate hosts for this parasite.

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