Premium
Echinococcus granulosus in wildlife in and around the Kosciuszko National Park, south‐eastern Australia
Author(s) -
JENKINS DJ,
MORRIS B
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
australian veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1751-0813
pISSN - 0005-0423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-0813.2003.tb11440.x
Subject(s) - national park , echinococcus granulosus , wildlife , biology , swamp , veterinary medicine , echinococcosis , dingo , zoology , echinococcus , helminths , ecology , predation , medicine
Objective To investigate the distribution of Echinococcus granulosus i n wild dogs and foxes and hydatidosis in wildlife coexisting with foxes and wild dogs in and around Kosciuszko National Park. Design Prospective and ad hoc surveys by necropsy of definitive and intermediate hosts. Procedure Wild dogs and foxes were trapped at one location in the Kosciuszko National Park and at 7 locations around the periphery of the Park. Feral pigs, macropodid marsupials, wombats, and feral goats were collected at some of the same locations. The animals were humanely killed, their small intestines removed in the field, the contents collected, preserved and examined microscopically. All internal organs of intermediate hosts were examined for hydatid cysts. Unidentified lesions were examined histologically. ResultsEchinococcus granulosus tapeworms were found in wild dogs from all locations. Prevalence ranged up to 100% with worm burdens up to 300,000 worms. Prevalence in foxes ranged up to 50% in animals recovered from 5 locations. The worm burdens were usually less than 50 E granulosus per fox. Hydatid cysts were found in all macrop‐odid species. Prevalence (69%) and cyst fertility (100%) were highest in swamp wallabies ( Wallabia bicolour ). Prevalence of cysts in feral pigs ranged up to 49%. Less than 22% of the cysts were fertile. No cysts were found in any of the wombats or feral goats. ConclusionEchinococcus granulosus occurs commonly in wildlife in and around the Kosciuszko National Park. High numbers of fertile cysts in swamp wallabies, a favoured dietary item for wild dogs in this region, suggests swamp wallabies are pivotal in maintaining transmission. Physical contact with wild dogs and foxes or accidental contact with wild canid faeces is a public health risk.