Epizootic and zoonotic helminths of the bobcat (Lynx rufus) in Illinois and a comparison of its helminth component communities across the American Midwest
نویسندگان
چکیده
A total of 6257 helminths of 19 taxa were recovered from the digestive tract and lungs of 67 bobcats in Illinois. Infections caused by Alaria mustelae, Diphyllobothrium latum, and Macracanthorhynchus ingens are reported for the first time in bobcats. From all the taxa recovered, only three species occurred in high prevalence and caused intense infections: Taenia rileyi, Alaria marcianae, and Toxocara cati, with prevalence and mean intensity of 70% and 6; 42% and 193, and 25% and 14 individuals, respectively. Prevalence lower than 15% of 14 helminth species suggests bobcats are not continuously exposed to infective stages of a single parasite, and may be exposed to a large variety of generalists during their lifespan. No significant difference in parasite species according to host sex or age was detected, except for Diphyllobothrium spp., which were found more frequently in females and in trapped bobcats, and the hookworm, Ancylostoma caninum, which infected juveniles more frequently. Average species richness per infracommunity was 2.4 (±1.2), and the parasite component community showed low qualitative similarity with neighbor communities. The taxa A. caninum, Alaria spp., Diphyllobothrium spp., Paragonimus kellicotti, and T. cati are etiological agents of epizootic and zoonotic diseases.
منابع مشابه
Modelling potential presence of metazoan endoparasites of bobcats (Lynx rufus) using verified records.
Helminth parasites of wild and domestic felines pose a direct or potential threat to human health. Since helminths depend on multiple environmental factors that make their transmission possible, it is imperative to predict the areas where these parasites may complete the transmission to potential hosts. Bobcats, Lynx rufus (Schreberer), are the most abundant and widely-distributed wild felid sp...
متن کاملEvidence for large-scale effects of competition: niche displacement in Canada lynx and bobcat.
Determining the patterns, causes and consequences of character displacement is central to our understanding of competition in ecological communities. However, the majority of competition research has occurred over small spatial extents or focused on fine-scale differences in morphology or behaviour. The effects of competition on broad-scale distribution and niche characteristics of species rema...
متن کاملIn Vitro Ovicidal Activity of Nematophagous Fungus Paecilomyces lilacinus on the Eggs of Parasitic Helminths
Introduction: The nematophagus fungi have been suggested as an alternative way to eliminate the zoonotic helminths eggs from the environment. In the present study, we evaluated the ovicidal activity of a fungus, Paecilomyces lilacinus, recovered from a compost soil, on the eggs of parasitic helminths under in vitro condition. Methods: Water suspension of the soil samples collected from differen...
متن کاملPatterns and processes of spatial genetic structure in a mobile and continuously distributed species, the bobcat (Lynx rufus)
............................................................................................................................ ix CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................
متن کامل