In contrast to the depth of knowledge on the pathological effects of parasitism in domestic animals, the impact of the vast majority of parasites on wildlife hosts is poorly understood and, besides, information from domestics is rarely usable to disclose the parasites' impact on free-ranging populations' dynamics. Here we use Toxoplasmosis as a study model since, until now, the infection proces...

Schmallenberg virus infection is emerging in European domestic and wild ruminants. We investigated the serologic status of 9 red deer populations to describe virus spread from September 2010 through March 2012 among wildlife in France. Deer in 7 populations exhibited seropositivity, with an average seroprevalence of 20%.

Red deer (R) are the predominant species of farmed deer in New Zealand. There is considerable interest in hybridisation with other deer species to improve growth rate and possibly alter the breeding season of the progeny. Analysis of gestation lengths indicates that the progeny of Canadian wapiti (CW) or CW x R deer have gestation lengths intermediate between the parental strains but the progen...

Pasture is the primary feed source for NZ deer production with the greatest proportion grazed in situ. The quantity and quality of the pastures available to grazing deer varies markedly as a result of environmental factors and feed planning decisions by deer farmers. The grazing behaviour of deer responds to changes in pasture height and mass and the effect of pasture variables (height, pre -an...

Two species of demodectic mites were described in the red deer Cervus elaphus, including Demodex kutzeri, which had also been found in other species of the Cervidae family in Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland and North America. Whereas the other species, D. acutipes, had been previously known from only one finding in the Czech Republic. The present research included skin samples taken in...

BACKGROUND: Inbreeding is one of the major problems of small size herds of red deer in refuge wildlife parks. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to use estrus synchronization technique in red deer (Cervus elaphus) based on natural mating to control the dominancy and social rank of stags and inbreeding. METHODS: In this study, hinds (n=6) were captured and caged at breeding season (ear...

To investigate bluetongue virus serotype 8 infection in Belgium, we conducted a virologic and serologic survey on 2,416 free-ranging cervids during 2005-2008. Infection emerged in 2006 and spread over the study area in red deer, but not in roe deer.

Free-living animals are an important environmental reservoir of pathogens dangerous for other animal species and humans. One of those is Yersinia (Y.) enterocolitica, the causative agent of yersiniosis--foodborne, enzootic disease, significant for public health. The purpose of the study was to identify bioserotypes and virulence markers of Y enterocolitica strains isolated from roe deer (Capreo...

Red deer, Cervus elaphus, like other temperate-zone animals, show a large seasonal fluctuation in energy intake and expenditure. Many seasonal phenotypic adjustments are coordinated by endogenous signals entrained to the photoperiod. The cues determining variation in the resting metabolism of ungulates remain equivocal, however, largely because of the confounding effects of food intake and thus...