Junker Kerstin, de Klerk-Lorist Lin-Mari
Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors Programme, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Private Bag X05, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa.
State Veterinary Office and Laboratory, Kruger National Park, PO Box X12, Skukuza 1350, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa.
Parasitol Int. 2020 Jun;76:102029. doi: 10.1016/j.parint.2019.102029. Epub 2019 Nov 21.
The necropsy of an adult male leopard, Panthera pardus, shot in the Kruger National Park, revealed the presence of large numbers of Armillifer armillatus nymphs in the intestine, liver, spleen, mesentery, peritoneal fold, mediastinum and lungs. The animal had been observed to be blind in the right eye and severely debilitated. The infection with A. armillatus clearly contributed to its emaciation and anaemia. Armillifer armillatus is a parasite of snakes, using mammals that form part of the snakes' prey as intermediate hosts. It is also one of the pentastomids with the highest zoonotic potential in Africa. It is unclear if the leopard's partial blindness and injuries of its extremities forced it to forego larger prey items for easier prey, such as snakes, and this in turn led to exposure to this unusual parasite, or if he had simply developed a preference for snakes. The incidental finding of A. armillatus in a large carnivore emphasises the importance of necropsies in expanding our knowledge on wildlife diseases.
