Abstract
Native foxes face serious threats related to anthropic activities and the uncontrolled pets. However, the transmission of several pathogens such as parasites by domestic dogs is an important conservation issue with limited attention in Chile. The lack of a proper identification of the helminths of wild canids in the country, based mostly in coprological studies, limited our knowledge in potential interspecific transmission. Thus, the aim of the present survey was to identify the parasitic fauna of two native canids, the Andean fox (Lycalopex culpaeus) (n=49) and Chilla (Lycalopex griseus) (n=17), from several localities in Chile through a complete parasitological survey. Sixteen different species were identified, 9 of which are new host records for Andean fox and two for Chilla fox in South America, and three are recorded for first time in Chile. Also, five of them are of zoonotic concern and six are known to use domestic dogs as their principal hosts. These findings have implications for public health and the conservation of canids whose interspecific transmission of parasites with domestic dogs is confirmed through these findings. The need for an exhaustive surveillance of wild carnivores is emphasized considering these hosts as important sources of micro- and macroparasites.
Highlights
Wild carnivores are considered as relevant sources of zoonotic pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites (Aguirre, 2009; Rubio et al, 2013)
All 16 species were found in L. culpaeus, only 5 of them were recorded for L. griseus
The high prevalence of parasitic infection was similar to previous studies in wild canids from Europe (Shimalov & Shimalov, 2002, 2003; Bružinskaitė-Schmidhalter et al, 2011; Al-Sabi et al, 2013) and South America (Ruas et al, 2008; Moleón et al, 2015)
Summary
Wild carnivores are considered as relevant sources of zoonotic pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites (Aguirre, 2009; Rubio et al, 2013). In Chile there are three species of wild canids, Andean fox or Culpeo fox (Lycalopex culpaeus), Chilla fox (Lycalopex griseus) and Darwin’s fox (Lycalopex fulvipes), which faces several threats related to hunting by farmers, fragmentation of habitat, competition and transmission of diseases by domestic canids (Jiménez & Novaro, 2004). Surveys for endoparasites through necropsies in wild foxes are rare (Wolffhügel, 1949; Alvarez, 1960, 1961; Medel & Jaksic, 1988). The scarce number of studies for endoparasites could be a consequence of the difficulties imposed by the acquisition of carcasses of these animals because of their protection by the State Law of Hunting, with the exception of Chilla fox from Tierra del Fuego Island, Chilean Patagonia, where is considered as a harmful species (Chile, 2017). Chile lacks a centralized wildlife diseases surveillance program, what further difficult the collection of carcasses
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