Abstract
Abstract This study examined the gastrointestinal parasitological status of three endangered Sub-Saharan antelope species (Addax nasomaculatus, Oryx dammah, Gazella dorcas) hosted at Souss-Massa National Park in Morocco. A total of 254 faecal samples (80 samples from the addax population, 81 from the oryx population and 93 from the dorcas population) were analysed to determine the prevalence and the intensity of the parasites in host faeces (expressed as the mean EPG: egg per gram), using microscopic methods (Flotation and McMaster) and the molecular identification of parasites using PCR and sequencing of the second internal transcribed spacer region of the rDNA (ITS-2). The prevalence results in the addax, oryx and dorcas gazelle were 43.7%, 2.4%, and 61.3%, respectively, for Nematodirus spp.; 21.2%, 12.3%, and 16.13%, respectively, for Trichuris spp.; and 36.2%, 39.5%, and 53.7%, respectively, for other, undistinguished strongylids. The means of EPG values for parasites in addax, oryx and dorcas gazelle were 8.9, 2.4, and 61.3, respectively, for Nematodirus spp.; 4.3, 2.4, and 4.8, respectively, for Trichuris spp.; and 18.1, 16.6, and 50.1, respectively, for other undistinguished strongylids. Sequencing of the ITS-2 rDNA region of the isolated parasites allowed the identification of Camelostrongylus mentulatus and Nematodirus spathiger in these three antelope species. We can conclude that the studied antelopes are infected at tolerating levels with the first record of Camelostrongylus mentulatus and Nematodirus spathiger in those antelopes in Morocco.
Highlights
Morocco is one of the Mediterranean countries with the highest diversity of wild mammals [1]
The current study examined three threatened species of Sahelo-Saharan
The presented results clearly and accurately demonstrate through molecular tools, that all three antelope species are infected by C. mentulatus and N. spathiger, in addition to other Trichostrongylus spp. isolates detected in oryx and gazelles
Summary
Morocco is one of the Mediterranean countries with the highest diversity of wild mammals [1]. Acta Veterinaria-Beograd 2021, 71 (1), 47-60 antelopes: Addax nasomacculatus (De Blainville, 1816), Oryx dammah (Cretzschmar, 1826) and Gazella dorcas (Linnaeus, 1788). Before their disappearance from nature, these species inhabited the desert areas of southern Morocco [2]. For the purpose of conserving its fauna, Morocco was among the African countries that ratified the agreement for the conservation of sub-Saharan antelopes in the Agadir declaration [7]. In this context, several parks and reserves have been set up to accommodate various endangered species throughout the country. Animals kept in such conditions of semi-captivity require the control of health management, especially in relation to infectious and parasitic diseases [8,9]
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