Maharjan Babita, Jain Payal, Koju Narayan Prasad
Amrit Campus, Tribhuvan University, Thamel, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal.
Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl. 2025 Jan 19;26:101041. doi: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2025.101041. eCollection 2025 Apr.
Gastrointestinal parasites (GIPs) pose a significant threat to wildlife health and biodiversity, impacting reproductive activities, behavior, survival, and population dynamics. Identifying parasitic infections in wild animals can help to mitigate extinction risk and support conservation efforts. This study investigates the prevalence, diversity, and zoonotic risks of GIPs in six large wild mammals in Chitwan National Park, Nepal. Fresh fecal samples were collected between December 2022 and April 2023 and examined using direct wet mount and concentration methods. By analyzing 63 fecal samples: Royal Bengal Tiger () (n = 7), Asian elephant () (n = 9), One-horned rhinoceros () (n = 10), Sloth bear () (n = 9), Spotted deer () (n = 25), and Rhesus Monkey () (n = 3), we identified 19 GIP types: 3 protozoan species ( spp. and coccidia) and 16 helminth species, revealing an 85.7% infection rate. Helminths had a higher prevalence (85.7%) than protozoans (22%). Among helminths, nematodes were the most prevalent (69.8%) followed by trematodes (38.0%) and cestodes (17.4%). Eleven types of nematodes, three types of cestodes, and two types of trematodes were recorded. Multiple infections were more common than single infections. The high prevalence of GIPs indicates a major health issue that could affect species survival and conservation efforts in Chitwan National Park, highlighting the need for proactive conservation and health monitoring strategies for conservation.
胃肠道寄生虫（GIPs）对野生动物健康和生物多样性构成重大威胁，影响繁殖活动、行为、生存及种群动态。识别野生动物中的寄生虫感染有助于降低灭绝风险并支持保护工作。本研究调查了尼泊尔奇旺国家公园六种大型野生哺乳动物中GIPs的流行情况、多样性及人畜共患病风险。于2022年12月至2023年4月期间收集新鲜粪便样本，并采用直接涂片法和浓缩法进行检查。通过分析63份粪便样本：孟加拉虎（）（n = 7）、亚洲象（）（n = 9）、独角犀（）（n = 10）、懒熊（）（n = 9）、梅花鹿（）（n = 25）和恒河猴（）（n = 3），我们识别出19种GIP类型：3种原生动物物种（ spp.和球虫）和16种蠕虫物种，感染率达85.7%。蠕虫的流行率（85.7%）高于原生动物（22%）。在蠕虫中，线虫最为普遍（69.8%），其次是吸虫（38.0%）和绦虫（17.4%）。记录到11种线虫、3种绦虫和2种吸虫。多重感染比单一感染更为常见。GIPs的高流行率表明这是一个可能影响奇旺国家公园物种生存和保护工作的重大健康问题，凸显了采取积极保护和健康监测策略以进行保护的必要性。
