Correlates of parasites and pseudoparasites in wolves (Canis lupus) across continents: A comparison among Yellowstone (USA), Abruzzo (IT) and Mercantour (FR) national parks

Abstract

Little is known about the impact of infectious diseases on large carnivores. We investigated factors structuring the helminth and protozoan infections of wolves (Canis lupus) by using coprological analyses. Faecal samples (n = 342) were analysed from 11 wolf packs belonging to three different geographical and ecological settings in Italy (Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise National Park, PNALM: 4 packs, 88 samples), in France (Mercantour National Park, PNM: 4 packs, 68 samples) and in the U.S.A. (Yellowstone National Park, YNP: 3 packs, 186 samples). Parasites were found in 29.4%–88.6% of the samples and parasite taxa ranged from four to ten in each study area. Taeniidae (Taenia/Echinococcus), Sarcocystis spp. and Toxascaris leonina were most common in faecal samples from YNP, whereas Capillaria spp., Taeniidae and Uncinaria stenocephala were predominant in PNALM. We used generalised linear mixed models to assess the relationship between parasite infection or the number of parasite taxa and selected ecological drivers across study areas. Significant effects illustrated the importance of the ecological factors such as occurrence of free-ranging dogs, diet composition and wolf density, as well as the ancestry of the wolf populations, in shaping parasite-wolf communities. Additional investigations are needed to elucidate the impact of parasitic infections on wolf populations, as well as the role of anthropogenic factors in facilitating parasitic diffusion to apex predators.

Taeniid cestodes in a wolf pack living in a highly anthropic hilly agro-ecosystem

“…For each Taeniidae, the frequency or prevalence detected are reported if provided in the respective literature sources. Crenosoma vulpis larvae, Toxocara canis and coccidian oocysts, as previously detected in wolves both from Italy and other countries in Europe [2,17,18,23,30,44].…”

“…In this study, microscopic examination also demonstrated the occurrence of Capillaria spp., Ancylostomatidae eggs, Crenosoma vulpis larvae , Toxocara canis and coccidian oocysts, as previously detected in wolves both from Italy and other countries in Europe [ 2 , 17 , 18 , 23 , 30 , 44 ].…”

“…The Taeniidae of the Italian wolf population are still scarcely known and all the available data have been obtained from investigations performed in natural and semi-natural landscapes in the Apennines and Southern Alps [ 11 , 18 , 22 – 24 , 37 , 44 , 49 ]. In these areas, T. hydatigena was the most frequently detected taeniid species in wolves, while T. multiceps , T. krabbei , T. ovis , E. multilocularis and E. granulosus s.s .…”

Cross‐continental comparison of parasite communities in a wide‐ranging carnivore suggests associations with prey diversity and host density

“…Ongoing studies of wolf-parasite associations are particularly important as emerging findings from Europe and North America have revealed new infections and spatial changes in parasitism of wolves (Beck et al, 2017;Ćirović et al, 2015;Hermosilla et al, 2017;Molnar et al, 2015Molnar et al, , 2019Pavlović et al, 2018) as well as in other canids (Fuehrer et al, 2016). Given that canids host several zoonotic parasites, changing host-parasite relationships could have major implications for both ecosystem and public health (Cerda et al, 2018;Tasić-Otašević et al, 2016).…”

“…Our aim with this comparative study, which includes different ecosystems, sampling periods, and parasitological methods, was to investigate associations between predator-prey relationships and parasite communities. Here, we combined results from three studies (Bryan et al, 2012;Molnar et al, 2019;Stronen et al, 2011) and compiled associated data on population metrics, such as wolf density and dietary diversity (Tables 1 and 2). The three studies include data from six wolf populations on two continents.…”