Genetic diversity and population genetics of large lungworms (Dictyocaulus, Nematoda) in wild deer in Hungary.

Correspondence has appeared in the literature concerning the relationships between red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), fallow deer (Dama dama) and some other species, such as Japanese deer (Cervus nippon), which are feral in the British Isles. Competition, described as antipathy or antagonism by various writers, appears to be the most widely accepted mechanism whereby relative abundance of one deer species is often correlated with relative scarcity of others. Other explanations involve geographical limits of distribution, two examples being the relative abundance of fallow deer in the south of England, and of roe deer in the Lake District (Delap 1955, Carne 1955). Carne (1954) has stated that Japanese (syn. sika) and fallow deer are, having been introduced into Britain, a powerful deterrent to the roe; he claims support for this contention from historical records which he considers show that as fallow deer have increased in an area, roe deer have decreased, often to extinction. Having observed in the Lake District of England that fallow deer have never established themselves in forests occupied by roe deer, Carne confirmed (1955) a statement by Delap (1955) that there is antipathy between them. Delap also stated that roe deer and red deer or red deer and fallow deer can 'associate happily', but that antagonism exists between roe deer and fallow deer. However, even co-existence of red deer and roe deer does not appear to be a constant feature; Wildash (1951) records that roe deer are seldom found where red deer are present in any numbers in Austria, that the red deer is a 'natural enemy' of the roe, and also that Austrian foresters could not give any reason for this antipathy. The purpose of this paper is to examine these ideas in the light of further evidence. It will be shown that roe, red and fallow deer are characteristically most numerous at different stages in the development of several British forests; when two or more of these three species are present in the same forest area, the number of each of them increases and decreases in a successional manner, which is related to development of the forest habitat towards a climax of mature trees. Such successional changes of the deer fauna are considered to be similar in nature to the marked changes which were shown to occur to the species composition of the bird fauna when a heathland area in East Anglia was afforested (Lack & Lack 1951).

Screening of wild roe deer populations in Sweden 2016-2022 for SARS-CoV-2.

Gastrointestinal (GI) nematodes are among the most important causes of production loss in farmed ruminants, and anthelmintic resistance is emerging globally. We hypothesized that wild deer could potentially act as reservoirs of anthelmintic-resistant GI nematodes between livestock farms. Adult abomasal nematodes and faecal samples were collected from fallow (n = 24), red (n = 14) and roe deer (n = 10) from venison farms and areas of extensive or intensive livestock farming. Principal components analysis of abomasal nematode species composition revealed differences between wild roe deer grazing in the areas of intensive livestock farming, and fallow and red deer in all environments. Alleles for benzimidazole (BZ) resistance were identified in β-tubulin of Haemonchus contortus of roe deer and phenotypic resistance confirmed in vitro by an egg hatch test (EC50 = 0.149 µg ml−1 ± 0.13 µg ml−1) on H. contortus eggs from experimentally infected sheep. This BZ-resistant H. contortus isolate also infected a calf experimentally. We present the first account of in vitro BZ resistance in wild roe deer, but further experiments should firmly establish the presence of phenotypic BZ resistance in vivo. Comprehensive in-field studies should assess whether nematode cross-transmission between deer and livestock occurs and contributes, in any way, to the development of resistance on livestock farms.

Cryptosporidium spp. in German wildlife: Detection, regional occurrence and diversity in wild boar, roe, red and fallow deer

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of lungworms and gastrointestinal parasites in wild roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) and red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) from Strzałowo Forest Inspectorate (Puszcza Piska) in different study periods and in animals of different ages. Fecal samples were collected during autumn and winter hunting (2011-2013). A total of 173 fecal samples were analyzed by coproscopic techniques: 47 from roe deer and 126 from red deer. First-stage larvae (L1) of pulmonary nematodes were found in 4 samples from roe deer and in 86 samples from red deer. The prevalence of the Eimeria genus was 19.2 % in roe deer and 25.4 % in red deer. The prevalence of the Moniezia genus in red deer was 1.6 %, whereas no Moniezia eggs were found in roe deer. No fluke eggs were detected in either red deer or roe deer. The prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites was 53.2 % in roe deer and 58.7 % in red deer. Coinvasion by endoparasites was detected in 69.8 % of red deer and in 57.4 % of roe deer. There were no significant differences between the prevalence of parasites in wild deer (Cervidae) in different study periods. This may suggest that the prevalence of endoparasites among roe deer and red deer in Strzałowo Forest Inspectorate remains stable.]

Distribution of Lesions in Red and Fallow Deer Naturally Infected with Mycobacterium bovis

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in fallow deer and wild boar in Spain

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a human pathogen that is primarily transmitted by the fecal-oral route and causes a usually self-limiting acute viral hepatitis. The virus is endemic in developing countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America and is responsible for sporadic cases in industrialized countries. In western Europe, an increasing number of autochthonous cases have been associated with zoonotic transmissions of HEV from domestic and wild animals. In Germany, animal reservoirs for HEV have been mainly assigned to domestic pigs and wild boars. To investigate the potential role of deer as a reservoir of HEV, we surveyed HEV-specific antibodies and RNA in deer samples from geographic regions in Germany. We sampled red deer (Cervus elaphus) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) during active surveillance in three forest districts in northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony during 2011-12 and 2012-13, respectively. Additionally, archived samples of red, roe, and fallow deer (Dama dama), collected in 2000-01 in German national parks, were included in the study. Antibody prevalence ranged from 2-3.3% in red deer to 5.4-6.8% in roe deer. Viral RNA was detected in red deer and fallow deer at prevalences of 2.0-6.6% and 4.3%, respectively. The investigation confirmed the presence of HEV infections in three deer species in Germany. Red, roe, and fallow deer should be further monitored to assess their role as hosts and potential reservoirs of HEV in Germany.

BackgroundHunting constitutes an important industry in Europe. However, data on the prevalence of vector-borne bacteria in large game animal species are lacking from several countries. Blood or spleen samples (239 and 270, respectively) were taken from red, fallow and roe deer, as well as from water buffaloes, mouflons and wild boars in Hungary, followed by DNA extraction and molecular analyses for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, haemoplasmas and rickettsiae.ResultsBased on blood samples, the prevalence rate of A. phagocytophilum infection was significantly higher in red deer (97.9%) than in fallow deer (72.7%) and roe deer (60%), and in all these compared to mouflons (6.3%). In addition, 39.2% of the spleen samples from wild boars were PCR positive for A. phagocytophilum, but none of the buffalos. Based on blood samples, the prevalence rates of both Mycoplasma wenyonii (Mw) and ‘Candidatus M. haemobos’ (CMh) infections were significantly higher in buffaloes (Mw: 91.2%; CMh: 73.3%) than in red deer (Mw: 64.6%; CMh: 45.8%), and in both of them compared to fallow deer (Mw: 30.3%; CMh: 9.1%) and roe deer (Mw: 20%; CMh: 1.5%). The prevalence of Mw and CMh infection significantly correlated with the body sizes of these hosts. Furthermore, Mw was significantly more prevalent than CMh in buffaloes, red and roe deer. Mycoplasma ovis was detected in mouflons, M. suis in wild boars, R. helvetica in one fallow deer and one mouflon, and an unidentified Rickettsia sp. in a fallow deer.ConclusionsForest-dwelling game animal species were found to be important carriers of A. phagocytophilum. In contrast, animals grazing grassland (i.e. buffaloes) were less likely to get infected with this Ixodes ricinus-borne pathogen. Water buffaloes, deer species, mouflons and wild boars harbored haemoplasmas that may affect domestic ungulates. Evaluated animals with larger body size had significantly higher prevalence of infection with haemoplasmas compared to smaller deer species. The above host species rarely carried rickettsiae.

We conducted a series of studies in the Dobris Forest, Czech Republic, to determine whether competition between white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and sympatric cervid species could limit expansion of the white-tail population. We used grazing time among species as an indication of potential interspecific competition and predicted that grazing time on an open pasture would decrease if deer other than conspecifics were present or entered the pasture. We used 710 observational records in our analyses: 409 for white-tailed deer, 225 for fallow deer (Dama dama), 66 for red deer (Cervus elaphus), and 10 for roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). The time that white-tailed, fallow, and roe deer spent grazing was not affected by whether the pasture was harvested or whether any deer were present when the focal animal entered. We observed a strong tendency for grazing time by red deer to be directly related to the numbers of whitetails or female fallow deer visible before red deer entered the pasture, Grazing time of white-tailed and fallow deer increased if the focal deer was joined by another animal. For white-tailed and fallow deer, the anti-predatory strategy of joining a group may have been balanced by avoiding the most competitive classes of animals. Our results suggest that interspecific cooperative behavior, rather than interspecific competition, occurs among these sympatric cervids.

Frequency of gastrointestinal and pulmonary helminth infections in wild deer from western Romania.

Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis are zoonotic pathogens that cause enteric disease in humans and animals. This study aimed to identify the species/assemblages of Cryptosporidium and Giardia duodenalis in Scottish wild deer populations. Faecal samples (n = 990) were collected from across mainland Scotland from red deer, roe deer, sika deer and fallow deer. The oocysts/cysts were concentrated, DNA was extracted and then analysed by PCR (Cryptosporidium SSU-rRNA and Giardia duodenalis β-giardin, glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh), triosephosphate isomerase (tpi) DNA). All positive PCR amplicons were sequenced to determine Cryptosporidium species and Giardia assemblage. Overall, 12.3 % (122/990) of samples were positive for Cryptosporidium and identified C. ryanae (77/122), C. parvum (22/122) and C. ubiquitum (13/122). Rates of Cryptosporidium infection varied significantly (P = 0.009) between the deer species. Cryptosporidium was also significantly (P = 0.001) more likely to be detected in male deer compared to females and in seasons with high rainfall (P = 0.002). Giardia was detected in 7.9 % (76/962) samples, and sequencing identified assemblage A (62/76), assemblage B (4/76), assemblage D (2/76) and assemblage E (5/76). The assemblages of 3/76 positive samples were unidentifiable. Detection of Giardia was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in roe deer than the other deer species. During this study we also demonstrate that deer calves had significantly higher rates of infection for both Cryptosporidium (P = 0.001) and Giardia (P < 0.001), than other age groups. Co-infection with both pathogens was rare (14/962 samples). These findings confirm that wild Scottish deer harbour both Cryptosporidium and Giardia; however, their role in transmission to humans or livestock remains unclear.

The wild population of fallow deer in Central Europe has grown considerably over the last decade. However, information on feeding habits of this alien species in relation to the indigenous red deer or roe deer, in areas of their co-occurrence, is scarce. A prevailing view maintains that their food-niches are distinct, although direct comparative studies have not been carried out. Therefore, the aim of the research was to compare the diets of fallow, red, and roe deer feeding in the same habitat. Research was based on the rumen contents of 242 animals hunted in the autumn-winter season in the forests of Southern Poland. The analyses demonstrated that fallow deer are moderate grazers in such conditions and eat more graminoids in comparison to red or roe deer (36.4% vs. 16.1% or 5.5%, respectively). On the other hand, it feeds on less browse (17.2% vs. 41.4%) or dwarf shrubs (8.4% vs. 19.0%) than red deer, and on less bramble (10.9% vs. 34.6%) or forbs (4.0% vs. 7.6%) in comparison to roe deer (P=0.05). Although the diets of the three deer species differ in terms of the proportion of each food type in their diet, overlapping of their food-niches is high (52.6%).

Occurrence and limited zoonotic potential of Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Balantioides coli infections in free-ranging and farmed wild ungulates in Spain

Simple SummaryFallow and roe deer are both game species, and therefore it is crucial to monitor their population locally and on a country scale. The method of pellet group count is commonly used for estimating population trends of ungulates; however, in the case of the two species, the misidentification rate can be high due to their similar body size. Our aim was to determine a metrical threshold between pellet groups of roe deer (native species) and fallow deer (alien species) to be applied during fieldwork. We measured the number of feces in the group, the length and width of five randomly selected feces from each pellet group and the length/width ratio. Roe deer pellets were shorter, narrower and less elongated than those of fallow deer; yet, length was found to be the best discriminant. The most accurate threshold was 1.2 cm. The mean number of pellets in a group was lower for roe deer than for fallow deer. A value of 50–52 pellets best differentiated between the two species. We therefore concluded that, on the basis of morphometric measurement, it is possible to distinguish roe and fallow deer feces.The method of pellet group count is commonly used for estimating population trends of ungulates; however, in the case of species of similar body size, the misidentification rate can be high. Our aim was to find a metrical threshold between pellet groups of roe deer (native species) and fallow deer (alien species) to be applied during fieldwork. The study was conducted in spring 2020 and 2021 in central Poland (lowlands) in areas were only roe or fallow deer occurred. We measured the number of feces in the group, the length and width of five randomly selected feces from each pellet group and the length/width ratio. Roe deer pellets were shorter, narrower and less elongated than those of fallow deer; yet, length was found to be the best discriminant. The most accurate threshold was 1.2 cm, i.e., 12–15% of pellets were over/below this value. The mean number of pellets in a group was lower for roe deer (39.6, SE = 1.6) than for fallow deer (64.5, SE = 1.5). A value of 50–52 pellets best differentiated between the two species. To conclude, combining these two measurements could be an objective method to distinguish between pellet groups of the two species.