García Brenda Solórzano, de León Gerardo Pérez Ponce
Laboratorio de Parasitología y Medicina de la Conservación, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Mérida (ENES-Mérida, UNAM), Yucatán, México.
Parasitol Res. 2025 Jun 30;124(7):72. doi: 10.1007/s00436-025-08518-9.
Three species of deer can be found in southeastern Mexico, the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginanus), the red brocket deer (Mazama temama), and the Yucatan brocket deer (O. pandora). Here, we applied a combination of non-invasive sampling, necropsy examinations, and molecular diagnostics to assess the endoparasite infections fauna of in wild and captive populations of these three deer species. We analyzed a total of 140 samples and found eleven taxa parasitizing these hosts, including two trematodes (Paramphistomum sp., an unidentified trematode), one anoplocephalid cestode, six nematodes (Strongyloides sp., two morphotypes of strongylid eggs, Mammomonogamus sp., Setaria sp. and an unidentified ascarid), and two protozoans (Giardia intestinalis and unidentified ciliates). The Yucatan brocket deer showed the highest percentage of infected samples (39.2%), followed by the white-tailed deer (38.7%). For the red brocket deer, only two samples were positive to two parasite taxa (20%). Captive populations showed the lowest parasite richness and percentage of infection. Some of the parasites reported here can pose potential risk for the health of deer populations, and along with habitat loss and poaching, could jeopardize the persistence of deer in the area. This study adds to the knowledge gap on the parasitic fauna in wild populations of these culturally and ecologically important species, particularly for the Yucatan brocket deer for which parasitological information is very scarce, and highlights the necessity to keep monitoring the health status of deer in this area.
在墨西哥东南部可发现三种鹿，即白尾鹿（弗吉尼亚鹿）、红短角鹿和尤卡坦短角鹿。在此，我们采用非侵入性采样、尸检和分子诊断相结合的方法，评估这三种鹿野生和圈养种群的体内寄生虫感染情况。我们共分析了140个样本，发现有11个类群寄生于这些宿主，包括两种吸虫（双口吸虫属、一种未鉴定的吸虫）、一种裸头绦虫、六种线虫（类圆线虫属、两种圆线虫卵形态型、孟氏尖旋线虫、腹腔丝虫属和一种未鉴定的蛔虫）以及两种原生动物（肠贾第虫和未鉴定的纤毛虫）。尤卡坦短角鹿的感染样本百分比最高（39.2%），其次是白尾鹿（38.7%）。红短角鹿只有两个样本对两种寄生虫类群呈阳性（20%）。圈养种群的寄生虫丰富度和感染百分比最低。这里报告的一些寄生虫可能对鹿群健康构成潜在风险，再加上栖息地丧失和偷猎，可能会危及该地区鹿的生存。这项研究填补了这些具有文化和生态重要性的物种野生种群寄生虫区系方面的知识空白，特别是对于寄生虫学信息非常稀缺的尤卡坦短角鹿，并强调了持续监测该地区鹿健康状况的必要性。
