Parasites of South African wildlife. XIX. The prevalence of helminths in some common antelopes, warthogs and a bushpig in the Limpopo province, South Africa

Hookworms are blood-feeding nematodes that parasitize the alimentary system of mammals. Despite their high pathogenic potential, little is known about their diversity and impact in wildlife populations. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on hookworm infections of wildlife and analyzed 218 studies qualitative and quantitatively. At least 68 hookworm species have been described in 9 orders, 24 families, and 111 species of wild mammals. Black bears, red foxes, and bobcats harbored the highest diversity of hookworm species and Ancylostoma pluridentatum, A. tubaeforme, Uncinaria stenocephala and Necator americanus were the hookworm species with the highest host diversity index. Hookworm infections cause anemia, retarded growth, tissue damage, inflammation and significant mortality in several wildlife species. Anemia has been documented more commonly in canids, felids and otariids, and retarded growth only in otariids. Population- level mortality has been documented through controlled studies only in canines and eared seals although sporadic mortality has been noticed in felines, bears and elephants. The main driver of hookworm pathogenic effects was the hookworm biomass in a population, measured as prevalence, mean burden and hookworm size (length). Many studies recorded significant differences in prevalence and mean intensity among regions related to contrasts in local humidity, temperature, and host population density. These findings, plus the ability of hookworms to perpetuate in different host species, create a dynamic scenario where changes in climate and the domestic animal-human-wildlife interface will potentially affect the dynamics and consequences of hookworm infections in wildlife.

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“…In Africa, the bushpig ( Potamochoerus porcus ) harbors a different species of hookworm, G. versteri (Van Wyk and Boomker, 2011). …”

Section: Mammalian Orders and Families Infected With Hookwormsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The diversity and impact of hookworm infections in wildlife

Seguel

Gottdenker

2017

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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“…The BCS was classified into four categories including thin (1-3), borderline (4), optimum (5-7), and fat (8-9) on a 1-9 scale. For ease of data analysis, these categories were merged into three groups namely, poor (1-4), moderate (5-7), and good (8)(9). Cattle breeds were identified using phenotypic appearance, and further information regarding the breed was obtained from the abattoir.…”

Section: Study Typesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The liver is basically condemned due to preventable lesions/diseases detected during routine post-mortem meat inspection. Other reasons for condemnation may be for the aesthetics value of the liver and faulty slaughter techniques [6][7][8][9][10]. For livestock productivity to be doubled and to help mitigate food insecurity, the reduction in food wastage, especially along the production line, is crucial.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Quantitative Assessment of Causes of Bovine Liver Condemnation and Its Implication for Food Security in the Eastern Cape Province South Africa

et al. 2017

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Food production needs to double, with minimum waste, if hunger and poverty is to be alleviated in South Africa. The condemnation of liver during meat inspection represents a huge waste of a protein food resource. This paper measures the quantity of liver condemned in three abattoirs in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and assesses the causes and the monetary loss associated with these condemnations. A retrospective study (RS) (n = 51 302) involving the use of abattoir slaughter records from 2010-2012 and a post-mortem meat inspection (PMMI) (n = 1374) was conducted from July to December 2013. The RS revealed the leading cause of liver wastage as fasciolosis (5.95%, 4.48%, and 2.7%), fibrosis (2.74%, 2.37%, and 1.0%), and abscessation (1.11%, 2.78%, and 1.5%) for the 2010, 2011, and 2012 respectively. During the PMMI, the same factors caused liver condemnation in addition to calcification (8.3%, 6.8%, and 3.2%), Cysticercosis bovis (1.7%, 2.4%, and 1.3%) and improper evisceration (4.8%, 12.4%, and 27.1%) for the abattoirs X, Y, and Z respectively. A total of R 343, 330 (USD 45,271.07) was lost due to the condemnation of liver between 2010 and 2012. The further loss of 3290.4 kg of liver was calculated for the six month in 2013, and its financial value was R 59, 227.2 (USD 5889.82). The result of this study provide baseline information on major causes of liver wastage in cattle slaughtered in South Africa as well as the direct financial losses and demonstrate the huge waste of ideal protein food source.

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“…In this regard, it is extremely interesting the experience carried out in the Limpopo National Park (South Africa) by Van Wyk and Boomker, (2011) where it was possible to isolate and identify the parasites species and the conclusions refer to the importance of parasites in the transfer animal, well known at our latitudes (Lanfranchi et al, 2003).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telediagnosis: Parasitological experiences in wild ruminants of South African preserves

Zaffarano¹,

Morandi²,

Menegotto³

et al. 2018

J. Vet. Med. Anim. Health

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A survey on wild ruminants' health status of any South African preserves was attempted, assessing body condition score (BCS) through tele-diagnosis. The wildlife BCS was linked to the presence of gastrointestinal parasites that should be recognized, counted and statistically evaluated. For this purpose, we examined 103 faecal samples of wild ruminants from 6 South African preserves. For practical reasons, the animals were divided into two macro-categories: small and large ruminants. The results obtained showed a prevalence of 78.1 and 15.6% in large ruminants for gastrointestinal strongyles (GIS) and coccidian, respectively, while small ruminants showed 92.3% due to GIS and 30.8% for coccidia. No statistically significant difference in the prevalence among the preserves was detected; on the other hand, a low value of BCS corresponds to a greater presence of parasites with statistics difference in the macro-categories (small ruminant x 2 =5.238; P=0.020; large ruminant x 2 = 15.215; P<0.001) and sex classes (male x 2 =5.409; P=0.020; female x 2 =17.350; P<0.001). For these reasons, our results provide a practical feedback for the management preserves. The present paper is fully part of the limited experiences of telediagnosis in a conservation perspective. Based on the results obtained, we decided to organize a project that could limit and assess the risk factors in the management of these activities in the South African context.

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Parasites of South African wildlife. XIX. The prevalence of helminths in some common antelopes, warthogs and a bushpig in the Limpopo province, South Africa

Cited by 36 publications

References 2 publications

The diversity and impact of hookworm infections in wildlife

The diversity and impact of hookworm infections in wildlife

A Quantitative Assessment of Causes of Bovine Liver Condemnation and Its Implication for Food Security in the Eastern Cape Province South Africa

Telediagnosis: Parasitological experiences in wild ruminants of South African preserves

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