Epidemiology and Integrative Taxonomy of Helminths of Invasive Wild Boars, Brazil.

Wild boars () are a significant invasive species in Brazil. We evaluated the helminth diversity of 96 wild boars in São Paulo state. Helminth infection descriptors were calculated, the species were identified and their 18S, 28S rDNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions were amplified for phylogenetic analyses. , , , , , , , and and were identified. had the highest prevalence and mean abundance, and most animals had mixed infections with three parasite species. There was no association between parasite intensity and prevalence and host sex and body condition index ( > 0.05). Novel DNA sequences were obtained from , and . This is the first study on the helmint diversity of non-captive wild boars in Brazil, and the first report of the occurrence of , and in Brazilian wild boars. Non-captive wild boars of São Paulo State did not act as capture hosts for native helminth species but maintained their typical parasites, common to domestic pigs. They may act as parasite dispersers for low-tech subsistence pig farming and for native Tayassuidae.