Ectoparasites of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) 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 (Fel...
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Elsevier
2024-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224424000737 |
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| author | Katrin Bisterfeld Marie-Kristin Raulf Andrea Springer Johannes Lang Michael Lierz Christina Strube Ursula Siebert |
| author_facet | Katrin Bisterfeld Marie-Kristin Raulf Andrea Springer Johannes Lang Michael Lierz Christina Strube Ursula Siebert |
| author_sort | Katrin Bisterfeld |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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 (Felis silvestris) 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 Ixodes ricinus and 36.6% (48/131) with Ixodes hexagonus/canisuga. 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 Ceratophyllus sciurorum confirmed on 12.2% (16/131) and Nosopsyllus fasciatus on 1.5% (2/131) animals, followed by Pulex irritans (5.3% [7/131]), Spilopsyllus cuniculi (3.8% [5/131]), Chaetopsylla spp. (3.1% [4/131]) (2/131 Chaetopsylla trichosa and 1/131 Chaetopsylla globiceps), Ctenocephalides felis (1.5% [2/131]), Archaeopsylla erinacei (1.5% [2/131]) and Ctenophthalmus baeticus (0.8% [1/131]). Further, 23.7% (31/131) of the wildcats harboured mites, identified as Trombicula autumnalis in 12.2% (16/131) and Otodectes cynotis in 4.8% (6/124) of cases. The only louse species detected was Felicola hercynianus 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 F. hercynianus 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 (Felis catus) and humans posed by the wildcats’ ectoparasites, appears to be low but present. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-226ac3cb4deb421fa3e7e9760a7021a5 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2213-2244 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife |
| spelling | doaj-art-226ac3cb4deb421fa3e7e9760a7021a52025-08-20T02:39:27ZengElsevierInternational Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife2213-22442024-12-012510097710.1016/j.ijppaw.2024.100977Ectoparasites of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) in GermanyKatrin Bisterfeld0Marie-Kristin Raulf1Andrea Springer2Johannes Lang3Michael Lierz4Christina Strube5Ursula Siebert6Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Buenteweg 17, 30559 Hanover, Germany; Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstrasse 6, 25761 Buesum, GermanyInstitute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Buenteweg 17, 30559 Hanover, GermanyInstitute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Buenteweg 17, 30559 Hanover, GermanyClinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Frankfurter Strasse 114, 35392 Giessen, GermanyClinic for Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Frankfurter Strasse 114, 35392 Giessen, GermanyInstitute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Buenteweg 17, 30559 Hanover, GermanyInstitute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstrasse 6, 25761 Buesum, Germany; Corresponding author.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 (Felis silvestris) 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 Ixodes ricinus and 36.6% (48/131) with Ixodes hexagonus/canisuga. 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 Ceratophyllus sciurorum confirmed on 12.2% (16/131) and Nosopsyllus fasciatus on 1.5% (2/131) animals, followed by Pulex irritans (5.3% [7/131]), Spilopsyllus cuniculi (3.8% [5/131]), Chaetopsylla spp. (3.1% [4/131]) (2/131 Chaetopsylla trichosa and 1/131 Chaetopsylla globiceps), Ctenocephalides felis (1.5% [2/131]), Archaeopsylla erinacei (1.5% [2/131]) and Ctenophthalmus baeticus (0.8% [1/131]). Further, 23.7% (31/131) of the wildcats harboured mites, identified as Trombicula autumnalis in 12.2% (16/131) and Otodectes cynotis in 4.8% (6/124) of cases. The only louse species detected was Felicola hercynianus 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 F. hercynianus 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 (Felis catus) and humans posed by the wildcats’ ectoparasites, appears to be low but present.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224424000737TicksFleasMitesLicePrevalenceEpidemiology |
| spellingShingle | Katrin Bisterfeld Marie-Kristin Raulf Andrea Springer Johannes Lang Michael Lierz Christina Strube Ursula Siebert Ectoparasites of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) in Germany International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife Ticks Fleas Mites Lice Prevalence Epidemiology |
| title | Ectoparasites of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) in Germany |
| title_full | Ectoparasites of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) in Germany |
| title_fullStr | Ectoparasites of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) in Germany |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ectoparasites of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) in Germany |
| title_short | Ectoparasites of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) in Germany |
| title_sort | ectoparasites of the european wildcat felis silvestris in germany |
| topic | Ticks Fleas Mites Lice Prevalence Epidemiology |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213224424000737 |
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