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ABSTRACT: During the 2007 and 2008 hunting seasons (April-October) the skin of 367 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.), hunted in different preserves from Galicia (Northwestern Spain), were examined for ticks (Acari: Ixodidae). The overall prevalence of infestation by ticks was 83.1%. The predominant species was Ixodes ricinus (83.1%), whereas a single Dermacentor marginatus specimen appeared in one roe deer. All developmental stages of I. ricinus were found parasitizing roe deer, the adults being the most frequent (82.2%), followed by nymphs (45.6%) and larvae (27.2%). The mean intensity of infestation by I. ricinus was 43.2 ± 49.85; most of them were adults (30.7 ± 31.64) and in a lesser extend nymphs (16.9 ± 24.74) and larvae (10.7 ± 29.90). Ixodes ricinus was present all over the study with percentages that oscillated between 100% in spring and 57.4% in autumn. CHAID algorithm showed the sex of roe deer as the most influential factor in tick prevalence, followed by the climatic area. The different developmental stages of I. ricinus were more frequent in males than in females, and the prevalence of adults and larvae were higher in roe deer from coastal areas than in those from mountainous and central areas, whereas nymphs were more frequent in mountainous areas. Host age and density were not determinants for tick infestation. Our results confirm that roe deer are important hosts for I. ricinus in northwestern Spain, serving as a vehicle for the geographic distribution of these ticks.
Experimental and Applied Acarology 10/2010; 53(4):399-409. · 1.39 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Prevallence of brucellosis, tuberculosis and paratuberculosis in roe deer hunted
from Galicia (N.W. of Spain) in 2007-2008
The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge of some bacterial infections which affect roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). From May 2007 to October 2008 a total of 367 roe deer were captured from different areas in Lugo province (N.W. Spain). All the animals were males aged between 3 and 10 years old. On the other hand rose Bengal test (RBT) and complement fixation test (CFT; as confirmatory test) were techniques performed to accomplish the diagnosis of brucellosis of 299 serum samples. The diagnosis of paratuberculosis in 65 roe deer was performed by the Ziehl-Neelsen stain (ZNS), histopatological examination and by tissue culture techniques. Individual ileocecal valve stamps were ZN stained previously to search the presence of single acid fast bacilli and later a bacteriological culture was carried
out. Using these techniques neither paratuberculosis lesions nor the presence or growth were
detected. The diagnosis of tuberculosis was realized by the Ziehl-Neelsen stain and tissue
culture techniques in 55 roe deer. In any samples were identified lesions compatible with
tuberculosis and neither presence nor growth of micobacteriae after ZNS and bacteriological
culture were detected. The results show that in an area like Galicia, where the prevalence of
diseases studied in domestic ruminants is very low (paratuberculosis: 1.47%, tuberculosis:
0.19% and brucellosis: 0.11%; Diéguez et al. 2007, RASVE 2007), the level of infection of
roe deer is very low or zero. This fact suggests that roe deer in Galicia do not act as reservoirs
for domestic ruminants.
Galemys. 01/2010; 22:295-308.
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ABSTRACT: Changes in pulmonary capacity in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) infected by bronchopulmonary nematoda in NW of Spain
During two consecutive hunting seasons, May 2007 to October 2008, trachea and lungs of 367 roe deer shot in different areas of Galicia (NW Spain) were collected. Lung surface was carefully 234 examined, and the localization and distribution of lesions possibly caused by Protostrongylidae nematoda (Varestrongylus capreoli) were recorded. Finally, areas with lesions were cut up into small pieces and weighed prior to using the Baermann-Wetzel method to recover first stage larvae (L1) and to assess the number of L1 per gram of lung (lpg). For each roe deer its thoracic perimeter was measured, serving as an indicator of their lung capacity. Taking into account the age, roe deer were divided in two groups: young (< 3 years-old) and adults (≥ 3 years-old). 39.6% of roe deer were positive for bronchopulmonary nematoda larvae, being the prevalence of infection of 33.7% for V. capreoli and 19.2% for Dictyocaulus capreolus. When bronchopulmonary infection and lung capacity were correlated, it was found that the mean thoracic perimeter in infected animals was lower than in the uninfected ones. In D. capreolus infected roe deer, the thoracic perimeter was lower in both age groups, young (670 mm vs 681mm) and adult (696 mm vs 719
mm) and the analysis of variance showed that these differences were statistically significant in adult roe deer (F= 5.218, p= 0.023). In animals infected with V. capreoli the thoracic perimeter was lower than in the uninfected ones in both age groups, young (670 mm vs 675) and adults (710 mm vs 717 mm), although these differences were not statistically significant in adult roe deer as above (F= 0.717, p= 0.400). From the results of this study, we concluded that roe deer infected by bronchopulmonary nematoda have a smaller thoracic perimeter and this reduction is more intense in roe deer parasitized by D. capreolus.
Galemys 22. 01/2010; 22:233-242.
