Department of Veterinary and Capture Services, Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya.
Parasitology. 2012 Oct;139(12):1587-95. doi: 10.1017/S0031182012000935. Epub 2012 Jul 19.
The sanitary control of threatened wild animals is of pivotal interest for their conservation. This task, however, is highly complex in wildlife/livestock systems. In this paper we report findings from a 2-year cross-sectional study of the epidemiology and attempted control of a Sarcoptes mite infestation in the threatened cheetah population in Masai Mara (Kenya), and discuss its interaction with sympatric wild (lion, wildebeest and Thomson's gazelle) and domestic (dog, cattle and sheep) animals. Sarcoptes scabiei was isolated from cheetahs, Thomson's gazelles, wildebeests, lions, cattle, goats and dogs; Psoroptes ovis, on the other hand, was only isolated from sheep. The prevalence study revealed 12·77% infection rates in cheetahs, 4·7% in dogs, 0·8% in Thomson's gazelles, 0·8% in sheep, 0·09% in cattle, and 0·09% in goats, while it opportunistically affected lions and wildebeest. Our study revealed that prevalence of Sarcoptes mite in cheetah population was not associated with the studied geographical blocks, animal sex or the presence of affected domestic animals. Cheetah infection with S. scabiei was associated with the climatic conditions (dry more than wet season) and the balancing between the total number of Thomson's gazelles and the prevalence of infected individuals. Apparently the high prevalence of mangy gazelles has a negative effect on cheetah; this negative effect was reduced when the number of healthy gazelles was increased. Treatment with injectable ivermectin of the clinically affected wild and domestic animals during the first year of this study was associated with much lower incidence of sarcoptic mange during the second year.
受威胁野生动物的卫生控制对其保护至关重要。然而，在野生动物/牲畜系统中，这项任务非常复杂。本文报告了一项为期两年的横断研究的结果，该研究调查了马赛马拉（肯尼亚）受威胁的猎豹种群中疥螨感染的流行病学和尝试控制情况，并讨论了其与共生野生动物（狮子、角马和汤姆森瞪羚）和家畜（狗、牛和羊）的相互作用。从猎豹、汤姆森瞪羚、角马、狮子、牛、山羊和狗中分离出了疥螨；另一方面，仅从绵羊中分离出了痒螨。患病率研究显示，猎豹的感染率为 12.77%，狗为 4.7%，汤姆森瞪羚为 0.8%，绵羊为 0.8%，牛为 0.09%，山羊为 0.09%，而狮子和角马则偶然受到影响。我们的研究表明，猎豹种群中疥螨的患病率与研究的地理区域、动物性别或受影响的家畜的存在无关。猎豹感染 S. scabiei 与气候条件（干燥季节多于潮湿季节）以及汤姆森瞪羚的总数和感染个体的患病率之间的平衡有关。显然，大量患有癞病的瞪羚对猎豹有负面影响；当健康瞪羚的数量增加时，这种负面影响会降低。在本研究的第一年，对临床受感染的野生和家畜动物进行伊维菌素注射治疗，第二年的疥螨感染发病率明显降低。
