Intestinal parasites of the grey fox (Pseudalopex culpaeus) in the central Peruvian Andes

Abstract

The intestines of 20 grey Peruvian foxes (Pseudalopex culpaeus) were examined for the presence of Echinococcus granulosus and other intestinal parasites. Echinococcus granulosus was not found in foxes but Taenia hydatigena and T. multiceps were found in 7 and 4 animals respectively. The grey fox may not be a suitable definitive host for E. granulosus. However, it may act as a sylvatic reservoir of T. hydatigena and T. multiceps in the central Peruvian Andes.

Coprologic survey of endoparasites from Darwin's fox (Pseudalopex fulvipes) in Chiloé, Chile

“…We found only one sample with eggs belonged to Taenia sp. The definitive hosts for species of Taenia are usually dogs (Tagle 1966) and foxes (Moro et al 1998, Zanini et al 2006. These findings demonstrate that foxes can be a sylvatic reservoir for these cestodes in this region.…”

Genetic variation within Taenia multiceps in Sardinia, Western Mediterranean (Italy)

“…Taenia multiceps (Leske 1780) is a taeniid cestode that, in its adult stage, lives in the small intestine of dogs and other canids (wolf, fox, coyote) (Edwards et al 1979;Moro et al 1998;Henke Scott et al 2002;Segovia et al 2003). The larval stage of T. multiceps causes Coenurosis, a commonly occurring parasitic disease that affects various livestock species worldwide, especially ruminants (Herbert and Edwards 1984).…”

The taruca ( Hippocamelus antisensis ) and the red brocket deer ( Mazama americana ) as intermediate hosts of Taenia hydatigena in Peru, morphological and molecular evidence

“…In South America, the puma is the principal predator of cervids (Cavalcanti and Gese, 2010;Elbroch and Wittmer, 2013;Julia and Richard, 2001), and some reports have been demonstrated the occurrence of T. hydatigena in pumas (Rausch et al, 1983). In Peru, domestic dogs, principally sheepdogs, and the Andean fox (L. culpaeus) are considered definitive hosts of T. hydatigena (Moro et al, 1998Zaldivar, 1991. The taruca and the red brocket deer have significant interaction in the wild with these predators.…”

“…In Peru, T. hydatigena has both domestic and wildlife cycles, which involve the domestic dog and the Andean fox (Lycalopex culpaeus) as definitive hosts; and domestic ruminants (sheep, goats and cattle), South American camelids (alpacas, llamas and vicuñas), and pigs as intermediate hosts (Moro et al, 1998;Zaldivar, 1991). The present report uses morphology and molecular methods to demonstrate the occurrence of the T. hydatigena metacestode in two cervids: the taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis) and the red brocket deer (Mazama americana), thus adding to the list of natural intermediate hosts for this tapeworm.…”