Ectoparasites of the European wildcat () in Germany.

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 () 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 and 36.6% (48/131) with /. 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 confirmed on 12.2% (16/131) and on 1.5% (2/131) animals, followed by (5.3% [7/131]), (3.8% [5/131]), spp. (3.1% [4/131]) (2/131 and 1/131 ), (1.5% [2/131]), (1.5% [2/131]) and (0.8% [1/131]). Further, 23.7% (31/131) of the wildcats harboured mites, identified as in 12.2% (16/131) and in 4.8% (6/124) of cases. The only louse species detected was 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  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 () and humans posed by the wildcats' ectoparasites, appears to be low but present.