First report of Oswaldofilaria chlamydosauri, Breinl, 1912 (Nematoda: Onchocercidae) from a new host Paralaudakia caucasia, Eichwald, 1831 (Squamata: Agamidae) and its prevalence and intensity in Mashhad, Northeastern Iran

Paralaudakia caucasia, a Caucasian Agama, plays an important role as a transport and reservoir host for different kinds of parasites, especially nematodes. We sampled 98 specimens of this lizard between March 2010 to July 2011 at Mashhad, northeastern Iran. Parasites specimens were collected and morphological studies related to their host, the Caucasian Agama were carried out. Results showed a first report of nematodes, Oswaldofilaria chlamydorauri, with high prevalence of infection (95.3%). The prevalence of infections was 97.6 and 94.1% in male and female hosts, respectively. The highest parasite intensity was in subcutaneous tissue of the pectoral and pelvic girdle. Variations in prevalence and mean intensity of the parasite were influenced by period (month) of sampling (p lt;0.05). The highest prevalence and mean intensity was observed in June.