Epidemiology and biology of nematodofauna affecting Testudo hermanni, Testudo graeca and Testudo marginata in Italy

Abstract

Tortoises of the genus Testudo living in Italy are Testudo hermanni, Testudo graeca and Testudo marginata. Although a great deal of information has been acquired on the internal medicine and surgery on these animals, little is known of their parasitological fauna. A survey on the presence of gastro-intestinal parasitic nematodes in tortoises bred in Italy was carried out to acquire extensive epidemiological data. Stool samples of 62 tortoises (37 T. hermanni hermanni, 13 T. graeca, 6 T. hermanni boettgeri and 6 T. marginata) were macroscopically examined and subjected to qualitative (flotation and Baermann techniques) and quantitative (McMaster technique) microscopic examinations. Adult nematodes were identified using morphological keys. Eggs of oxyurids (species indistinguishable) and adults of Alaeuris numidica, Mehdiella microstoma, Mehdiella uncinata, Tachygonetria longicollis, Tachygonetria conica and Tachygonetria palearcticus (Oxyurida, Pharyngodonidae); larvae and adults of Atractis dactyluris (Ascaridida, Atractidae); and eggs and adults of Angusticaecum holopterum (Ascaridida, Ascarididae) were identified in all animals >1 year, whereas all tortoises <1 year of age were parasite-free. Moreover, this study reports for the first time A. numidica and M. microstoma in T. marginata. This work shows that nematodes affecting tortoises are diffused in Italy and highlights the need to investigate their epidemiology more in depth.

Gastrointestinal parasitic burdens in UK tortoises: a survey of tortoise owners and potential risk factors

“…These previous studies were however ­performed at a time when the majority of the pet tortoise ­population in the UK were wild-caught, which may explain the conflicting results. Epidemiological surveys carried out on tortoises in Italy, Germany and Slovenia revealed a varying prevalence of parasites ranging from 43 to 82 per cent and, in agreement with the present study, all found that oxyurids are the most common parasite detected in tortoises (Traversa and others 2005, Pasmans and others 2008, Papini and others 2011, Rataj and others 2011). These studies were based mainly on captive-bred tortoises which are likely to represent a more similar population to that in this study.…”

“…When looking more specifically at the presence of each individual parasite, more parasites are also seen in female tortoises, but the association is not statistically significant, possibly due to the limited sample size. A previous survey on tortoise gastrointestinal parasites found no sex differences in parasite distribution (Traversa and others 2005). However, parasitology studies in other species often show differences between the sexes (Zuk and Mckean 1996).…”

“…In addition, the factors affecting parasite burden have not been investigated in captive tortoises, although it has been suggested that age and husbandry setup may play a role in influencing the prevalence of parasites (Traversa and others 2005). Therefore, the aims of this study were twofold: to investigate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites (specifically nematodes) in tortoises in the UK, and to investigate the factors affecting the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites.…”

Efficacy of oxfendazole and fenbendazole against tortoise (Testudo hermanni) oxyurids

“…No zoonotic agent was recognized among the eight species of oxyurids identified. Furthermore, five of these (T. dentata, T. robusta, T. macrolaimus, M. stylosa, and Thaparia thapari) are reported for the first time in T. hermanni bred in Italy (Traversa et al 2005). As reported and discussed in previous studies (Petter 1966;Capelli et al 1998;Traversa et al 2005), oxyurids are confirmed to be the most diffused nematodes in adult of T. hermanni.…”

Coprological survey in pet reptiles in Italy

“…Although there is a large body of literature on the biology, management, medicine and surgery of captive reptiles, including their parasitic diseases (Mader 2006, Jacobson 2007), little has been documented about the epidemiology of parasites in pet reptiles. Some published studies included case reports (Brownstein and others 1977, Frost and others 1994, Terrell and others 2003) or surveys of one parasitic agent (Traversa and others 2008, Pedraza-Díaz and others 2009), while others examined intestinal parasites and ectoparasites in zoo reptiles (Fernado and Udagama-Randeniya 2009, Radhakrishnan and others 2009) or in a limited range of host species such as tortoises (Traversa and others 2005) and tuataras (Gartrell and others 2006). To the best of the authors' knowledge, there is only one comprehensive coprological survey on the prevalence of endoparasites in pet reptiles in Europe (Pasmans and others 2008).…”