Correlates of parasites and pseudoparasites in wolves (Canis lupus) across continents: A comparison among yellowstone (USA), Abruzzo (IT) and Mercantour (FR) national parks

Publication date: Available online 12 September 2019Source: International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and WildlifeAuthor(s): Barbara Molnar, Paolo Ciucci, Gianluca Mastrantonio, Bruno BetschartAbstractLittle is known about the impact of infectious diseases on large carnivores. We investigated factors structuring the helminth and protozoan infections of wolves (Canis lupus) by using coprological analyses. Faecal samples (n = 342)were analysed from 11 wolf packs belonging to three different geographical and ecological settings in Italy (Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise National Park, PNALM: 4 packs, 88 samples), in France (Mercantour National Park, PNM: 4 packs, 68 samples) and in the U.S.A. (Yellowstone National Park, YNP: 3 packs, 186 samples). Parasites were found in 29.4%–88.6% of the samples and parasite taxa ranged from four to ten in each study area. Taeniidae (Taenia/Echinococcus), Sarcocystis spp. and Toxascaris leonina were most common in faecal samples from YNP, whereas Capillaria spp., Taeniidae and Uncinaria stenocephala were predominant in PNALM. We used generalised linear mixed models to assess the relationship between parasite infection or the number of parasite taxa and selected ecological drivers across study areas. Significant effects illustrated the importance of the ecological factors such as occurrence of free-ranging dogs, diet composition and wolf density, as well as the ancestry of the wolf populations, in shaping parasite-wolf communities. Additio...
Source: International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife - Category: Parasitology Source Type: research