Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Dr., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada.
Parasitology. 2012 May;139(6):781-90. doi: 10.1017/S0031182011002319. Epub 2012 Feb 6.
Parasites are increasingly recognized for their profound influences on individual, population and ecosystem health. We provide the first report of gastrointestinal parasites in gray wolves from the central and north coasts of British Columbia, Canada. Across 60 000 km(2), wolf feces were collected from 34 packs in 2005-2008. At a smaller spatial scale (3300 km(2)), 8 packs were sampled in spring and autumn. Parasite eggs, larvae, and cysts were identified using standard flotation techniques and morphology. A subset of samples was analysed by PCR and sequencing to identify tapeworm eggs (n=9) and Giardia cysts (n=14). We detected ≥14 parasite taxa in 1558 fecal samples. Sarcocystis sporocysts occurred most frequently in feces (43·7%), followed by taeniid eggs (23·9%), Diphyllobothrium eggs (9·1%), Giardia cysts (6·8%), Toxocara canis eggs (2·1%), and Cryptosporidium oocysts (1·7%). Other parasites occurred in ≤1% of feces. Genetic analyses revealed Echinococcus canadensis strains G8 and G10, Taenia ovis krabbei, Diphyllobothrium nehonkaiense, and Giardia duodenalis assemblages A and B. Parasite prevalence differed between seasons and island/mainland sites. Patterns in parasite prevalence reflect seasonal and spatial resource use by wolves and wolf-salmon associations. These data provide a unique, extensive and solid baseline for monitoring parasite community structure in relation to environmental change.
寄生虫对个体、种群和生态系统健康的深远影响正日益受到关注。我们首次报道了加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省中北部沿海地区灰狼的胃肠道寄生虫。在 6 万平方千米的范围内，我们于 2005 年至 2008 年从 34 个狼群中收集了狼粪便。在较小的空间尺度（3300 平方千米）上，我们在春季和秋季对 8 个狼群进行了采样。我们使用标准的浮选技术和形态学方法鉴定寄生虫卵、幼虫和包囊。对一部分样本进行了 PCR 和测序分析，以鉴定绦虫卵（n=9）和贾第虫包囊（n=14）。我们在 1558 份粪便样本中检测到了≥14 种寄生虫。在粪便中最常发现的是肉孢子虫包囊（43·7%），其次是带绦虫卵（23·9%）、双口吸虫卵（9·1%）、贾第虫包囊（6·8%）、犬弓首蛔虫卵（2·1%）和隐孢子虫卵（1·7%）。其他寄生虫在≤1%的粪便中出现。基因分析显示，存在棘球蚴加拿大株 G8 和 G10、绵羊带绦虫 krabbei、日本分体吸虫和贾第虫 A 和 B 组合。寄生虫的流行率在季节和岛屿/大陆地点之间存在差异。寄生虫流行率的模式反映了狼季节性和空间资源利用以及狼-鲑鱼关联。这些数据为监测寄生虫群落结构与环境变化的关系提供了一个独特、广泛和可靠的基线。
