A comprehensive study on the occurrence rate and morphology characteristics of the acanthocephalan parasite in Javan spitting cobra (Naja sputatrix) in Sidoarjo, Indonesia

RYANKA EDILA (Master Student of Disease Science and Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Airlangga. Jl. Mulyorejo, Kampus C Unair, Surabaya 60115, East Java, Indonesia)
MUSTOFA HELMI EFFENDI (Division of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Airlangga. Jl. Mulyorejo, Kampus C Unair, Surabaya 60115, East Java, Indonesia)
LUCIA TRI SUWANTI (Division of Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Airlangga. Jl. Mulyorejo, Kampus C Unair, Surabaya 60115, East Java, Indonesia)
HYUCK-KEUN KWON (College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University. 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea)
ADITYA YUDHANA (Veterinary Medicine Study Program, Department of Health and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences, Universitas Airlangga. Jl. Wijaya Kusuma 113, Banyuwangi 68425, East Java, Indonesia)
APRIL HARI WARDHANA (Research Center for Veterinary Science, The National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia. Jl. Raya Bogor KM 46, Bogor 16911, West Java, Indonesia)
ANISA ALHADA (Laboratory Assistant Health Promotion, Politeknik Kesehatan Kementerian Kesehatan Padang. Jl. Raya Siteba, Padang 25146, West Sumatera, Indonesia)

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity
Vol. 25 No. 2 (2024)

Abstract. Edila R, Effendi MH, Suwanti LT, Kwon H-K, Yudhana A, Wardhana AH, Alhada A. 2024. A comprehensive study on the occurrence rate and morphology characteristics of the acanthocephalan parasite in Javan spitting cobra (Naja sputatrix) in Sidoarjo, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 25: 516-521. Javan spitting cobra (Naja sputatrix) are increasingly popular as pets worldwide and are often consumed by several communities in Indonesia. This trend needs attention from a public health perspective because it can potentially cause zoonotic diseases, including parasitic diseases. There is no comprehensive report on the prevalence of acanthocephalan parasite infection in Naja sputatrix. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence rate of acanthocephalan infection and provide a detailed description of the morphology and morphometry in N. sputatrix from Indonesia. Ethical approval was obtained, and a total of 51 living wild-caught Javan spitting cobra was collected from local sellers. All samples were euthanized and observed for the presence of acanthocephalan. The total prevalence was recorded at 47.05%. A total of 56 acanthocephalans were collected, which were divided into 11 (19.6%) infecting muscles, 28 (50%) in viscera, and 17 (30.3%) located in subcutaneous tissues. The body length and diameter were 25-41 mm and 1.31-1.5 mm, respectively, with a proboscis diameter of 0.61-0.74 mm with 3 anterior hooks and 5-6 posterior rootless spines. This study represents the first detailed exploration of acanthocephalan's prevalence, morphological features, and morphometry in snakes in Indonesia.