Occurrence and prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in herbivores in Dampa Tiger Reserve, Mizoram, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10230.18.5.28886-28893Keywords:
Cestodes, faecal pellet, footprint, herbivores, nematodes, parasites, protozoa, terei forest range, trematodes, zoonoticAbstract
Gastrointestinal parasite (GI) infection causes serious illnesses, reproductive impairment, and fitness problems in animals. Animals in the wilderness are not given prophylactic measures against parasites. A study was undertaken to recognize the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in herbivores at Dampa Tiger Reserve. Different species of herbivores belonging to the families Cercopithecidae, Sciuridae, Elephantidae, Cervidae, and Bovidae were considered for this study. Fresh faecal samples were collected from individuals in the field during January–March 2019, processed to isolate various stages of GI parasites, and examined for the presence of parasite categories and stages. A total of 70 samples were collected and analyzed, 59 samples found positive for gastrointestinal parasite ova. The overall prevalence level was 84.29% of the positive samples. Thirteen parasite species were found, which belong to four groups of parasites, namely, Nematodes, Trematodes, Protozoa, and Cestodes. Ascaris sp. had the highest prevalence, followed by Strongyle and Dicrocelium sp. exhibited the lowest prevalence. The prevalence of Ascaris sp. and Strongyle were 47.68% and 30.23%, respectively. The overall prevalence level was highest in family Cervidae (54.65%), followed by Cercopithecidae (43.02%), and Sciuridae (31.39%). The family Cervidae showed a high prevalence of Ascaris sp., whereas the family Cercopithecidae exhibited a high prevalence of Strongyle compared with other families.
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