Seltmann Anne, Webster Fay, Martins Ferreira Susana Carolina, Czirják Gábor Árpád, Wachter Bettina
Department of Wildlife Diseases / Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.
Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.
Parasitol Res. 2019 Mar;118(3):851-859. doi: 10.1007/s00436-018-6190-2. Epub 2019 Jan 31.
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus Brookes 1828) is classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Threats to cheetah populations are a decrease of suitable habitats, an increase of conflicts with livestock farmers and potentially pathogens. While there is some information on the viral and bacterial pathogens circulating in cheetah populations, information on gastrointestinal parasites is scarce. Here, we investigate the gastrointestinal parasites in 39 free-ranging cheetahs in east-central Namibia using a coproscopical parasitological method. Most cheetahs (82%) shed eggs from Ancylostoma which comprised the majority of the total eggs in feces. Eggs and oocysts from Toxascaris (21% of cheetahs), Coccidia (13%), Physaloptera (8%), Taeniidae (5%), Dipylidium (3%), and Diphyllobothriidae (3%) were present at a lower prevalence. Parasite richness and Ancylostoma egg load were higher in juveniles and adults compared to cubs, but were not associated with sex. To our knowledge, this is the first study that assessed gastrointestinal parasites in free-ranging cheetahs and is a key starting point for future studies on the effect of parasites in this threatened species.
猎豹（Acinonyx jubatus Brookes 1828）被国际自然保护联盟（IUCN）列为“易危”物种。猎豹种群面临的威胁包括适宜栖息地的减少、与牧民冲突的增加以及潜在的病原体。虽然有一些关于猎豹种群中传播的病毒和细菌病原体的信息，但关于胃肠道寄生虫的信息却很少。在此，我们采用粪便显微镜寄生虫学方法，对纳米比亚中东部39只自由放养的猎豹的胃肠道寄生虫进行了调查。大多数猎豹（82%）排出钩虫属的虫卵，这些虫卵占粪便中总虫卵数的大部分。弓首蛔虫（21%的猎豹）、球虫（13%）、泡翼线虫（8%）、带科绦虫（5%）、复孔绦虫（3%）和裂头绦虫（3%）的虫卵和卵囊的检出率较低。与幼崽相比，幼年和成年猎豹的寄生虫丰富度和钩虫属虫卵负荷更高，但与性别无关。据我们所知，这是第一项评估自由放养猎豹胃肠道寄生虫的研究，也是未来关于这种濒危物种寄生虫影响研究的关键起点。
