Pattern of parasite egg shedding by European bison (Bison bonasus) in the Białowieża Primeval Forest, Poland

Marta Kołodziej-Sobocińska,Aleksander W Demiaszkiewicz,Anna M Pyziel,Rafał Kowalczyk,Tomasz Borowik

doi:10.1007/s13364-016-0270-4

Marta Kołodziej-Sobocińska, Aleksander W Demiaszkiewicz + Show 3 more

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13364-016-0270-4

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Abstract

We investigated the pattern of parasite egg shedding by European bison (Bison bonasus) in the Bialowieza Primeval Forest. We found several groups of parasite eggs in bison faeces including Trichostrongylidae, Nematodirus spp., Aonchotheca sp., Trichuris sp. and Moniezia spp. Trichostrongylidae eggs were expelled from bison at the highest percentage (27.8 %) but in low numbers. The prevalence (percentage of faeces with parasite eggs) of other parasites did not exceed 12 %. The number of detected eggs of the parasite species differed: The highest was in Trichuris sp. and Moniezia spp. There were no significant differences in prevalence between male and female bison, with exception of Trichuris sp. whose eggs were more often detected in female faeces. The number of eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces was significantly higher in females for Aonchotheca sp. Parasite prevalence showed seasonal variation and was significantly higher for Trichostrongylidae, Nematodirus spp., Aonchotheca sp. and Moniezia spp. parasites in winter (December–March) compared to the snow-free period (April–November). We observed a 3–14 fold higher prevalence of these parasites in winter compared with the snow-free period. We assumed that factors such as season and bison sex have an influence on the level of excreted eggs. The determination of the factors affecting the rate of parasite egg excretion into the environment is important for the management of wild animals, especially endangered species such as the European bison.

Highlights

Parasites may have significant influence on individuals and populations by changing the behaviour of individual hosts (Lefèvre et al 2009), regulating host population sizes through direct effects on birth rate and mortality (Møller 2005), mediating competitive interactions among hosts (Thomas et al 2005) or acting as ecosystem engineers (Thomas et al 1999).Studies done world-wide have shown that variations in gastrointestinal parasitic infections are mainly connected with rainfall fluctuations (Chattopadhyay and Bandyopadhyay 2013; Akturazzaman et al 2013)
We found eggs of four types of gastrointestinal nematodes from the genus Aonchotheca, Nematodirus, Trichuris, and Trichostrongylidae family and tapeworm eggs from the genus Moniezia, in bison faeces in the Białowieża Primeval Forest (BPF)
Parasite species differed in eggs per gram (EPG), which was the highest in Trichuris sp. and Moniezia spp. (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Studies done world-wide have shown that variations in gastrointestinal parasitic infections are mainly connected with rainfall fluctuations (Chattopadhyay and Bandyopadhyay 2013; Akturazzaman et al 2013). It has been shown that seasonal changes in the impact of parasites on hosts may influence immune function, for example, when connected with the breeding season (Møller et al 2003). Host condition, which is often correlated with host population density, is likely to influence parasite virulence (Donnelly et al 2012). It has been suggested that if density-dependent virulence is widespread, wildlife disease is likely to be more virulent (Donnelly et al 2012)

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