Abstract
The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is one of the most endangered felid species in the world. Conservation efforts have increased its population size and distribution and reinforced their genetic diversity through captive breeding and reintroduction programmes. Among several threats that the Iberian lynx faces, infectious and parasitic diseases have underlined effects on the health of their newly reintroduced populations, being essential to identify the primary sources of these agents and assess populations health status. To achieve this, 79 fresh faecal samples from Iberian lynx and sympatric mesocarnivores were collected in the reintroduction area of Extremadura, Spain. Samples were submitted to copromicroscopic analyses to assess parasite diversity, prevalence, and mean intensity of parasite burden. Overall, 19 (24.1%, ±15.1–35.0) samples were positive for at least one enteric parasite species. Parasite diversity and prevalence were higher in the Iberian lynx (43.8%) compared with the others mesocarnivores under study (e.g., the red fox Vulpes vulpes and the Egyptian mongoose Herpestes ichneumon). Ancylostomatidae and Toxocara cati were the most prevalent (15.6%) parasites. Obtained results revealed that Iberian lynx role as predator control might have reduced parasite cross-transmission between this felid and mesocarnivores due to their decreasing abundances. Surveillance programs must include regular monitoring of this endangered felid, comprising mesocarnivores, but also domestic/feral and wild cat communities.
Highlights
The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), an endemic species of the Iberian Peninsula, is considered one of the most threatened Felidae species in the world, listed as “endangered” by the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species [1]
Considering that our study is only based on morphological identification, we cannot exclude the possibility of Trichuris sp. in Iberian lynx as a pseudoparasitism event, acquired from the ingestion of an infected host, despite the high eggs per gram (EPG) found in one of the samples (200 EPG)
Previous studies recorded a higher prevalence of Ancylostoma sp. (22.2% Rodríguez and Carbonell [14], 24.2% Acosta et al [18], and 57.8% Vicente et al [16]), comparatively, with the one we found in the Iberian lynx
Summary
The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), an endemic species of the Iberian Peninsula, is considered one of the most threatened Felidae species in the world, listed as “endangered” by the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species [1]. Despite the conservation efforts carried out to prevent the extinction of this species, the continuous effects of habitat destruction and fragmentation, road kills, illegal trapping/hunting, low densities of its main prey—the European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)—and infectious diseases are still threatening the survival and thrive of this species [3,4,5,6]. Infectious diseases have been in the spotlight in recent decades, either due to the decrease in the European wild rabbit populations affected by the myxomatosis and the rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) or by their direct effects on the health of Iberian lynx populations; e.g., feline leukaemia virus (FeLV), Aujeszky’s disease, sarcoptic mange, tuberculosis, and feline parvovirus infections [5,7,8,9,10,11] are among the main reported diseases. Considering its potential impact on host physical condition and population stability, the study of parasite burdens is utterly essential for management and conservation purposes of Iberian lynx populations [14,16,18]
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