Ectoparasites of the European wildcat ( Felis silvestris ) in Germany.

Autor:	Bisterfeld K; Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Buenteweg 17, 30559 Hanover, Germany.; Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstrasse 6, 25761 Buesum, Germany., Raulf MK; Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Buenteweg 17, 30559 Hanover, Germany., Springer A; Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Buenteweg 17, 30559 Hanover, Germany., Lang J; Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Frankfurter Strasse 114, 35392 Giessen, Germany., Lierz M; Clinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Frankfurter Strasse 114, 35392 Giessen, Germany., Strube C; Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Buenteweg 17, 30559 Hanover, Germany., Siebert U; Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstrasse 6, 25761 Buesum, Germany.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife [Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl] 2024 Aug 24; Vol. 25, pp. 100977. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Aug 24 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI:	10.1016/j.ijppaw.2024.100977
Abstrakt:	Understanding the impact of parasites on wildlife populations is an important aspect of conservation management. However, research on ectoparasites in wildlife can be difficult, as examinations of live animals which are not habituated to human handling are often impossible. The European wildcat ( Felis silvestris ) is a strictly protected wildlife species whose population has been recovering in Germany in recent decades. Several studies from different European countries have investigated the parasitological status of European wildcat populations. However, most of these studies assessed endoparasite infections, whereas ectoparasite infestations have often been neglected. To fill this knowledge gap for wildcats in Germany, 131 dead found specimens were examined for ectoparasites by macroscopic and microscopic examination of the fur and the ear canals. Infestation with ectoparasites was present in 84.0% (110/131) of the wildcats. Ticks showed the highest prevalence with 72.5% (95/131) of wildcats infested, with 49.6% (65/131) infested with Ixodes ricinus and 36.6% (48/131) with Ixodes hexagonus / canisuga . A total of 27.5% (36/131) of the wildcats were positive for at least one flea species. Of the nine different flea species identified by morphology and/or molecular analyses, Ceratophyllidae were most common (16.8% [22/131]), with Ceratophyllus sciurorum confirmed on 12.2% (16/131) and Nosopsyllus fasciatus on 1.5% (2/131) animals, followed by Pulex irritans (5.3% [7/131]), Spilopsyllus cuniculi (3.8% [5/131]), Chaetopsylla spp. (3.1% [4/131]) (2/131 Chaetopsylla trichosa and 1/131 Chaetopsylla globiceps ), Ctenocephalides felis (1.5% [2/131]), Archaeopsylla erinacei (1.5% [2/131]) and Ctenophthalmus baeticus (0.8% [1/131]). Further, 23.7% (31/131) of the wildcats harboured mites, identified as Trombicula autumnalis in 12.2% (16/131) and Otodectes cynotis in 4.8% (6/124) of cases. The only louse species detected was Felicola hercynianus with a prevalence of 2.3% (3/131). Infestation intensities ranged from 1 to 86 ticks, 1-49 fleas, 1-1896 mites, and 1-92  F. hercynianus per wildcat. This study demonstrates that a variety of ectoparasites infests wildcats in Germany, but they do not seem to have a serious impact on the general health of wildcats, as judged by the hosts' mostly good or very good nutritional condition. In addition, the potential risk to domestic cats ( Felis catus ) and humans posed by the wildcats' ectoparasites, appears to be low but present. Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. (© 2024 The Authors.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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