Effect of schistosomiasis on captive elephants in Madhya Pradesh, India

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8132.17.9.27540-27543

Keywords:

Array, Array, Array, Array, Array, Array

Abstract

Schistosomes are parasitic flukes that reside in blood vessels and various host organs. Health monitoring of 51 captive elephants in tiger reserves of Madhya Pradesh revealed a 35% overall incidence of blood flukes. The highest levels of Bivitellobilharzia nairi eggs were recorded in elephants in Satpura (67%), Kanha (47%), Bandhavgarh (33%), Pench (25%), and the lowest in Panna Tiger Reserve (14%). Infected animals showed decreased haemoglobin (7.5–11.8 g/dl), and elevated aspartate aminotransferase (65–102 U/L), alanine aminotransferase (85–105 U/L), and blood urea nitrogen (46–65 mg/dl). They also showed symptoms that included dullness/depression and emaciated body condition, which were especially evident in elephants with high B. nairi egg counts > 1200–2300 eggs/g.

Author Biographies

  • Onkar Anchal, Kuno National Park, Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh 476337, India.

    .

  • K.P. Singh, School for Wildlife Forensic and Health, Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh 482001, India.

    .

References

Agrawal, M.C. & H.L. Shah (1998). A review on Schistosoma incognitum Chandler, 1926. Helminthological Abstract Series A58: 230–251.

Benjamin, M.M. (1978). Outline of Veterinary Clinical Pathology. III Ed. Iowa State University Press, Ames, 175–264 pp.

Bhoyar R., B.S. Pradeep, S. Kulkarni, V.R. Kasaralikar & N.A. Patil (2014). Schistosomiasis in Asian Elephants. Gajah 40: 35–38.

Brant S.V., K. Pomajbikova, D. Modry, K.J. Petzelkova, A. Todd & E.S. Loker (2013). Molecular phylogenetics of the elephant schistosome Bivitellobilharzia loxodontae (Trematoda, Schistosomatidae) from the Central African Republic. Journal of Helminthology 87(1): 102–107.

Dorsey, C.H., C.E. Cousin, F.A. Lewis & M.A. Strirewalt (2002). Ultrastructure of the Schistosoma mansoni cercariae. Micron 33(3): 279–323.

Islam, S. (1994). Occurrence of Bivitellobilharzia nairi in captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) from Kajiranga National Park and Assam State Zoo, Guwahati. Zoo’s Print 9: 10–11.

Jain, N.C. (1986). Material and Methods for the study of the blood, pp. 8–15. In: Lea & Febiger (ed.). Veterinary Haematology, 3rd Edition. Philadelphia, 807 pp.

Kalapesi, R.M. & B.L. Purohit (1957). Histopathological observations of some lesions due to schistosome infection in an Indian elephant. Bombay Veterinary College Magazine 6: 8–11.

Shrivasav, A.B. & K.P. Singh (2017). Big Cats. Health Management of Big Cats. INTECH Publication, Croatia, 142 pp. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.72049

Singh, K.P. & M.C. Agrawal (2000). Kanha National Park becomes a new nidus for elephant schistosomiasis. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 93(3): 420–422.

Soulsby, E.J.L. (1982). Helminths. Arthropods and Protozoa of Domestic Animals, 7th Edition. Elsevier, Bailliere Tindall, 159–160 pp.

Vimalraj P.G., M.G. Jayathangaraj, R. Sridhar, T.M.A. Senthilumar & A. Latchumikanthan (2012). Elephant schistosome (Bivitellobilharzia nairi) in free-ranging Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) of Sathyamangalam forest division of Tamil Nadu State. Journal of Veterinary Parasitology 26(1): 80–81.

Downloads

Published

26-09-2025

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 9 (2025)

Section

Short Communications

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Onkar Anchal, K.P. Singh

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors own the copyright to the articles published in JoTT.  This is indicated explicitly in each publication. The authors grant permission to the publisher Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society to publish the article in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. The authors recognize WILD as the original publisher, and to sell hard copies of the Journal and article to any buyer. JoTT is registered under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY), which allows authors to retain copyright ownership.  Under this license the authors allow anyone to download, cite, use the data, modify, reprint, copy and distribute provided the authors and source of publication are credited through appropriate citations (e.g., Son et al. (2016). Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the southeastern Truong Son Mountains, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(7): 8953–8969. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2785.8.7.8953-8969). Users of the data do not require specific permission from the authors or the publisher.