Intestinal helminths in Iberian wolves (Canis lupus signatus) from Northwest Spain

Sara Muñoz,Pedro Luis Ramos,Alicia Diosdado,Rodrigo Morchón,Elena Carretón,Fernando Simón,Javier González-Miguel

doi:10.2174/1874421401806010106

Abstract

Background: We present a study about helminth parasites in wolf (Canis lupus signatus) from Sierra de la Culebra, a protected area in the Northwest of Spain, where is the largest population of wolves of the Spanish territory and one of the largest in Western Europe. Materials and Methods: To this aim, 93 fecal samples were collected during May and June of 2013 using 33% zinc sulphate flotation technique and classified based on their morphology, color, structure and size. Results: Parasites were present in 66.67% of the samples and classified as Eucoleus aerophilus (50.54%), Strongyloides sp. (27%), Ancylostomidae gen. sp. (19.35%), Toxocara Canis (10.75%), Taeniidae gen. sp. (9.68%), Trichuris vulpis (9.68%) and Toxascaris leonina (2.15%). Their distributions were very heterogeneous with the highest prevalence being in Northwest Spain. These differences found can be attributed to local environmental factors (ambient temperature, humidity) as well as animal feeding and social behavior. Conclusion: A wide helminthofauna is observed in the studied wolves, similar to other studies carried out in Europe (Estonia, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden). In addition, this study constitutes the first description of the presence of Strongyloides sp. in Iberian wolf in Spain.

Highlights

The wolf (Canis lupus) is a predatory species which presents a wide distribution range throughout many countries in1874-4214/18 2018 Bentham OpenIntestinal helminths in Iberian Wolves from SpainThe Open Parasitology Journal, 2018, Volume 6 107North America, Europe and Asia
We present a study about helminth parasites in wolf (Canis lupus signatus) from Sierra de la Culebra, a protected area in the Northwest of Spain, where is the largest population of wolves of the Spanish territory and one of the largest in Western Europe
Parasites were present in 66.67% of the samples and classified as Eucoleus aerophilus (50.54%), Strongyloides sp. (27%), Ancylostomidae gen. sp. (19.35%), Toxocara Canis (10.75%), Taeniidae gen. sp. (9.68%), Trichuris vulpis (9.68%) and Toxascaris leonina (2.15%)

Summary

Introduction

The wolf (Canis lupus) is a predatory species which presents a wide distribution range throughout many countries in1874-4214/18 2018 Bentham OpenIntestinal helminths in Iberian Wolves from SpainThe Open Parasitology Journal, 2018, Volume 6 107North America, Europe and Asia. Canis lupus signatus is the subspecies living in the Iberian Peninsula. Studies on the helminth fauna of the wolf in Europe are relatively scarce. In these studies, different prevalences are presented on the presence of parasites in wolves, mainly in feces (Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Poland and Sweden) [3 - 9]. Furthemore, sporadically, studies have been carried out in Spain [1, 10 - 12] and in Portugal [10] where they have shown a significant heterogeneity of the parasitic helminth fauna in the different populations of wolves studied. We present a study about helminth parasites in wolf (Canis lupus signatus) from Sierra de la Culebra, a protected area in the Northwest of Spain, where is the largest population of wolves of the Spanish territory and one of the largest in Western Europe

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