Does the Introduction of Alien Species Represent a Sanitary Threat for Native Species? The Case of the Eastern Cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus in Italy

Abstract

Introduction of alien species is a well-known threat to biodiversity. Where newly introduced, alien species may pose a risk for the local ecological community by competing for resources or by introducing pathogens. Sylvilagus floridanus is an American lagomorph introduced into Europe in the second half of 20th century, for hunting. This study evaluated the structure and epidemiological characteristics of the gastrointestinal parasite community in an introduced population of S. floridanus in the Province of Alessandria (Piedmont Region—Italy). Three alien parasites were reported out of 271 animals: Obeliscoides cuniculi in the stomach, Trichostrongylus calcaratus in the small intestine, and Passarulus nonnanulatus in the large intestine. All these nematodes are commonly reported in S. floridanus in its natural range, but they represent alien species in Europe. The report of these alien parasites is an example of the unexpected consequences caused by the introduction of non-native vertebrates. The documented introduction of new pathogens may alter the parasite community of the native lagomorphs, with possible long-term effects on local ecological dynamics.

Morphological Characteristics of Parasitic Nematodes Trichuris sylvilagi (Nematoda, Trichuridae)

“…A signifi cant number of studies indicate the widespread prevalence of trichurosis caused by T. sylvilagi among the population of hares of the genus Lepus. Prevalence of this species range in those hosts ranged from 3.2 to 85 % (Czaplińska et al, 1965;Keith et al, 1986;Clemons et al, 2000;Tizzani et al, 2020). Th erefore, the issue of correct identifi cation of the pathogen, improving approaches to the diff erentiation of T. sylvilagi is an important area of research.…”

Endoparasites of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus) in Southern Ukraine

“…Domestic rabbits belonging to the species Oryctolagus cuniculus are social animals and are descended from European animals (Owuor et al, 2019). It is well known that domestic rabbits are intended for meat consumption and are a valuable source of a number of nutrients, but may contain many different endoparasites, including Passalurus ambiguus (Abdel-Gaber et al, 2019), Trichostrongylus retortaeformis (Cattadori et al, 2019), Nematodirus leporis (Tizzani et al, 2020), Cysticercus pisiformis (Chen et al, 2021) and Eimeria spp. (Ladron de Guevara et al, 2019).…”

Cheilospirura hamulosa in the Rock Partridge (Alectoris graeca saxatilis): Epidemiological Patterns and Prediction of Parasite Distribution in France

“…Indeed, most of the research about the potential threats to the rock partridge focus on human disturbance, habitat changes, and over-hunting [6,12,13]. In addition, invasive species and translocated populations may pose a risk to native wildlife populations by hybridization and the introduction of new pathogens [14][15][16][17]. This is the case for partridges in Europe for which concerns have been raised considering the risk of genetic pollution with captive-reared hybrids [18].…”