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Helminth parasites in the endangered Ethiopian wolf, Canis simensis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2014

F. van Kesteren ,
K.J. Piggott ,
T. Bengui ,
S.B. Kubri ,
A. Mastin ,
C. Sillero-Zubiri ,
M. Paris ,
R.P. Millar ,
D.W. Macdonald  and
F. Shiferaw
...Show all authors
F. van Kesteren*
Affiliation:
Cestode Zoonoses Research Group, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, M5 4WT, Salford, UK
K.J. Piggott
Affiliation:
Cestode Zoonoses Research Group, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, M5 4WT, Salford, UK
T. Bengui
Affiliation:
Cestode Zoonoses Research Group, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, M5 4WT, Salford, UK
S.B. Kubri
Affiliation:
Cestode Zoonoses Research Group, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, M5 4WT, Salford, UK
A. Mastin
Affiliation:
Cestode Zoonoses Research Group, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, M5 4WT, Salford, UK
C. Sillero-Zubiri
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, TubneyOX13 5QL, UK Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme, PO Box 215, Robe, Bale, Ethiopia
M. Paris
Affiliation:
Institute for Breeding Rare and Endangered African Mammals (IBREAM), Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria0028, South Africa School of Animal Biology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, CrawleyWA6009, Australia
R.P. Millar
Affiliation:
Institute for Breeding Rare and Endangered African Mammals (IBREAM), Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria0028, South Africa Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria0028, South Africa UCT/MRC Receptor Biology Unit, University of Cape Town, Observatory7925, South Africa
D.W. Macdonald
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, TubneyOX13 5QL, UK
F. Shiferaw
Affiliation:
Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority, PO Box 386, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Zoological Society of London, Conservation Programmes, King Khalid Wildlife Research Centre, POB 61681, Riyadh11575, Saudi Arabia
P.S. Craig
Affiliation:
Cestode Zoonoses Research Group, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, M5 4WT, Salford, UK
*
*E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Ethiopian wolves, Canis simensis, are an endangered carnivore endemic to the Ethiopian highlands. Although previous studies have focused on aspects of Ethiopian wolf biology, including diet, territoriality, reproduction and infectious diseases such as rabies, little is known of their helminth parasites. In the current study, faecal samples were collected from 94 wild Ethiopian wolves in the Bale Mountains of southern Ethiopia, between August 2008 and February 2010, and were screened for the presence of helminth eggs using a semi-quantitative volumetric dilution method with microscopy. We found that 66 of the 94 faecal samples (70.2%) contained eggs from at least one group of helminths, including Capillaria, Toxocara, Trichuris, ancylostomatids, Hymenolepis and taeniids. Eggs of Capillaria sp. were found most commonly, followed by Trichuris sp., ancylostomatid species and Toxocara species. Three samples contained Hymenolepis sp. eggs, which were likely artefacts from ingested prey species. Four samples contained taeniid eggs, one of which was copro-polymerase chain reaction (copro-PCR) and sequence positive for Echinococcus granulosus, suggesting a spillover from a domestic parasite cycle into this wildlife species. Associations between presence/absence of Capillaria, Toxocara and Trichuris eggs were found; and egg burdens of Toxocara and ancylostomatids were found to be associated with geographical location and sampling season.

Type
Research Papers
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 89 , Issue 4 , July 2015 , pp. 487 - 495
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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