Assesment of Hypoderma infestation in a wild population of Cervus elaphus from mountains Atlantic ecosystems in southwestern Europe (Spain)

AbstractHypodermosis inCervus elaphus was studied in the Ria ño Regional Hunting Reserve, Province of León, north-western Spain. One hundred and ten red deer were examined for the presence of warble fly larvae. They were analyzed by PCR analysis of the COI region of mt-DNA and identified asHypoderma actaeon. The prevalence of larvae was 42.7% with a mean intensity of 12.5  ± 18 (range 1–80) warbles/deer infested. The distribution of larvae in the infested animals showed an aggregated/overdispersed pattern (aggregation index = 25.84), where the larvae are not randomly or uniformly distributed, but strongly aggregated among their hosts. Larvae were found in all three states. First and second-instars were observed mainly in the autumn until the end of winter (November-March) and third-instars in late winter until mid-spring (March–May). The adult animals and the males had a higher prevalence than the young and the females, finding statistically signif icant differences only according to the sex of the animals. Seasonal variations were observed in the prevalence with the highest number of infested animals in winter and autumn, but not in terms of the mean intensity of parasites. Additionally, we assessed the presence of anti-Hypoderma antibodies in serum by means of indirect ELISA tests, using a crude larval extract (CLE) and a purified fraction the hypodermin C (HyC) obtained from first instars of Spanish isolates ofHypoderma lineatum (cattle). These findings conf...
Source: Veterinary Research Communications - Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research