THE FIRST REPORT OFINTESTINAL MICROSPORIDIA FROM WILD MAMMALS IN EGYPT 1- LIGHT MICROSCOPY

The first report about intestinal microsporidia from wild mammals in Egypt is herein present. A total of 134 fecal samples were separately collected from seven different mammalian species located in fifteen different localities,represented Western Desert, Nile Valley and Delta and Eastern Desert of Egypt. Microsporidian spores were obtained from the collected samples usingflotation technique and finally stained with modified trichrome (MT). Intestinal microsporidia were detected in 72.39% (97/134) of wild mammals. Moreover, rate of infection with intestinal microsporidia was 72.84% (59/81) in males and 73.08% (38/52) in females.The infection rates of intestinal microsporidia were 91.1%, 73.9%, 73.6%, 70%, 55.6% and 48.1% in red foxVulpes vulpes, the lesser Egyptian gerbilGerbillus gerbillus,the house mouseMus musculus, Sundevall's jirdMeriones crassus, Mackilligin's gerbilDipodillus mackilliginiand the Cairo spiny mouseAcomys cahirinus, respectively. The results also showed that the highest percentage of microsporidia was recorded in two mammalian species closely related to human habitats: red fox V. vulpes and G. gerbillus. In conclusion, the wild mammalian species which live in association with humans and fed on their contaminated diets were more susceptible to be infected with several microsporidian species than the other species that live in natural habitats away from humans.