Abstract
This study describes two female wapitis (Cervus canadensis) with neurological signs associated with an Elaphostrongylus cervi (E. cervi) infection. The original host of the nematode parasite is the Eurasian red deer (Cervus elaphus), although other cervids and small ruminants may also be affected. The two wapitis imported from Canada were kept in an enclosure with the Slovenian red deer herd. After developing debilitating neurological signs, the wapitis were euthanized and examined for possible causes. A histopathological examination of the brain of the first wapiti revealed severe diffuse perivascular meningoencephalitis with chronic vasculitis, and some cross-sections of nematodes were found in the leptomeninges. A necropsy of the second wapiti revealed severe pachymeningitis and leptomeningitis, where several adult nematode parasites were found. E. cervi was confirmed by molecular methods. The prevalence of E. cervi in the European red deer population is high, but no study has been conducted to assess its prevalence in Slovenia. This was the first confirmation of E. cervi in Slovenia and the first infection with this parasite described in Europe in a wapiti. Elaphostrongylus cervi should also be considered as a differential diagnosis in Europe for all ruminants grazing on pastures frequented by red deer and showing neurological clinical signs.
Highlights
IntroductionAn infection with E. cervi usually occurs incidentally in late summer when a deer ingests a terrestrial snail containing the infective third-stage larvae (L3) [14]
This study describes the first two cases of an E. cervi infection detected in Slovenia in two captive wapitis (Cervus canadensis) imported from Canada
The 8-year-old female wapiti tested negative for chronic wasting disease (CWD), rabies, and listeriosis
Summary
An infection with E. cervi usually occurs incidentally in late summer when a deer ingests a terrestrial snail containing the infective third-stage larvae (L3) [14]. Native cervid species coevolved with the parasite rarely show clinical signs, but non-native deer species and domesticated small ruminants grazing in the same area as red deer can develop severe neurological disease [8,10,16,17,18]. No neurological case in domestic or wild ruminants has been diagnosed in Slovenia due to E. cervi. This study describes the first two cases of an E. cervi infection detected in Slovenia in two captive wapitis (Cervus canadensis) imported from Canada
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