A Survey of Parasites Identified in the Feces of Eastern Spotted Skunks (Spilogale putorius) in Western Arkansas

Lesmeister, Damon B.; Millspaugh, Joshua J.; Wade, Susan E.; Gompper, Matthew E.

doi:10.7589/0090-3558-44.4.1041

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…As expected, more intragenic variation of parasites was observed from this population of native wild skunks compared to the imported non-native population studied previously (Franssen et al., 2013). The higher prevalence of parasites in our study compared to a previous study of Spotted skunks (Lesmeister et al., 2008) is likely due to the difficulty in accurately identifying infected animals through fecal analysis compared to our method of visual inspection of the small intestine. Additionally, several of the animals in our study had very few worms infecting them.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 80%

“…In contrast to the relative abundance of studies on B. procyonis , little is known of its closest relative, B. columnaris . Previous research using copromicroscopic detection has shown B. columnaris infection prevalence of ∼25% in a population of Eastern Spotted skunks ( Spilogale putorius ) (Lesmeister et al., 2008) and 25% prevalence in captive Striped skunks in Europe (d'Ovidio et al., 2017). To our knowledge, the prevalence of B. columnaris in wild populations of Striped skunks has not previously been reported.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Partial molecular characterization of the mitochondrial genome of Baylisascaris columnaris and prevalence of infection in a wild population of Striped skunks

Youngik

Mason

Ahlborn

et al. 2017

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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Members of the genus Baylisascaris utilize omnivores or carnivores as their definitive hosts. The best known member of this genus is Baylisascaris procyonis, which is an intestinal parasite of raccoons. The closest relative of B. procyonis is B. columnaris, which utilizes the common skunk as its definitive host. Although B. procyonis has been extensively studied, relatively little is known of B. columnaris. For example, the mitochondrial genome of B. procyonis has been sequenced in its entirety. Conversely, the mitochondrial genome of B. columnaris remains largely unexplored. Likewise, the prevalence of this parasite in its wild host has not been documented. In this study, we collected parasites from a wild population of skunks in the state of Utah, United States. The cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and 2 genes, NADH dehydrogenase 2 and several tRNA genes were sequenced from the mitochondrial genome of these parasites. We also determined the prevalence of B. columnaris in a wild population of skunks. In this work we identify several novel polymorphic genetic loci between B. procyonis and B. columnaris. These findings provide additional molecular targets for the differentiation of Baylisascaris species through clarification of genetic differences between B. columnaris and B. procyonis.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 80%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Partial molecular characterization of the mitochondrial genome of Baylisascaris columnaris and prevalence of infection in a wild population of Striped skunks

Youngik

Mason

Ahlborn

et al. 2017

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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“…Finally, we identified possible pathways for transmission of nematode parasites such as Skrjabingylus spp. which require spotted skunks as definitive hosts to complete their life cycle (Kirkland Jr. and Kirkland 1983; Higdon and Gompper 2020; LaRose, Lesmeister, and Gompper 2021; Lesmeister et al 2008). Western spotted skunks have been shown to exhibit high prevalence and high severity of Skrjabingylus spp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Western spotted skunks provide important food web linkages in forest of the Pacific Northwest

Tosa

Lesmeister

Terborgh

2022

Preprint

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There are increasing concerns about the decreasing population trends of small mammalian carnivores around the world. With limited knowledge about their ecology and natural history, small mammal conservation and management remains difficult. To address one of these deficiencies for western spotted skunks (Spilogale gracilis), we investigated their diet in the Oregon Cascades of the Pacific Northwest during 2017 – 2019. We collected 130 spotted skunk scats opportunistically and with detection dog teams and identified prey items using DNA metabarcoding and mechanical sorting. Western spotted skunk diet consisted of invertebrates such as wasps, millipedes, and gastropods, vertebrates such as small mammals, amphibians, and birds, and plants such as Gaultheria, Rubus, and Vaccinium. Diet also consisted of items such as black-tailed deer that were likely scavenged. Comparison in diet by season revealed that spotted skunks consumed more insects during the dry season (June - August) and marginally more mammals during the wet season (September – May). We observed similar diet in areas with no record of human disturbance and areas with a history of logging. Western spotted skunks provide important food web linkages between aquatic, terrestrial, and arboreal systems by facilitating energy and nutrient transfer, and serve important functional roles of seed dispersal and scavenging. Through prey-switching, western spotted skunks may dampen the effects of irruptions of prey, such as wasps during dry springs and summers, which could then provide ecosystem resilience to environmental change.Open Research StatementData are provided as private-for-peer review (shared publicly on a repository). Material is stored at https://github.com/tinytosa/WSpottedSkunkDiet.git and will be published on Dryad if the paper is accepted for publication.

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“…The Shannon-Wiener index consolidates a measure of richness and evenness, and low evenness values (due to dominance by high-prevalence species) can diminish the ShannonWiener index values. Dominant representation of high-prevalence parasite species is common for parasite communities of coyotes (Samuel et al 1978, Lesmeister et al 2008, and heterogeneity in the distribution of parasites in wild animal populations is not unusual (O'Brien et al 2009). …”

Section: Parasite Evenness and Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A double-centrifugation fecal flotation method was used to analyze coyote fecal samples (Zajac and Conboy 2006). This technique has been used for multiple surveys of coyote gastrointestinal parasitism in North America (Gau et al 1999, Gompper et al 2003, Lesmeister et al 2008). Sheather's sugar solution with specific gravity 1.26 was mixed with 4g of fecal samples to facilitate parasite eggs and oocysts to rise to the top of the solution.…”

Section: Laboratory Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Community Variation of Gastrointestinal Parasites Found in Urban and Rural Coyotes (Canis latrans) of Calgary, Alberta

Watts¹,

Alexander²

2011

CATE

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We compared parasite variation in coyote feces collected in eight urban sites within Calgary, Alberta, to those in six rural sites outside the city limits. Four hundred and sixty fresh fecal samples (< 4 days old) were collected weekly between July 2009 and June 2010. Fecal flotation analysis identified parasites to the level of genus. We calculated parasite richness, diversity, and evenness. Parasite richness was significantly greater in rural than urban sites. Disparities in the parasite community included a significant variation in parasite richness, diversity, and evenness among rural and urban sites. Toxascaris leonina and Cystoisospora spp. were shared among all urban sites, while these species in addition to Taenia-like spp. and Trichuris spp. were shared among all rural sites. Both urban and rural sites yielded evidence of Toxocara canis, Taenia-like spp., and Giardia spp., which are potential zoonotic parasites. Toxocara canis was at highest prevalence in a core urban site, Inglewood Wildlands, which exhibits unique biotic and abiotic characteristics. Factors of exposure to parasites, such as diet, behavior, and environmental factors, are suggested to be most influential on variation in urban and rural coyote parasitism. We suggest coyotes are an important focal species for further research in urban disease ecology, due to the resilient nature of the carnivore and its propensity to co-exist with people and domestic animals.

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A Survey of Parasites Identified in the Feces of Eastern Spotted Skunks (Spilogale putorius) in Western Arkansas

Cited by 14 publications

References 22 publications

Partial molecular characterization of the mitochondrial genome of Baylisascaris columnaris and prevalence of infection in a wild population of Striped skunks

Partial molecular characterization of the mitochondrial genome of Baylisascaris columnaris and prevalence of infection in a wild population of Striped skunks

Western spotted skunks provide important food web linkages in forest of the Pacific Northwest

Community Variation of Gastrointestinal Parasites Found in Urban and Rural Coyotes (Canis latrans) of Calgary, Alberta

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