Evidence for continued transmission of parasitic nematodes in reindeer during the Arctic winter.
Int J Parasitol
; 29(4): 567-79, 1999 Apr.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-10428633
ABSTRACT
Living in the high Arctic, the Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) and its trichostrongyle nematodes experience a long cold winter from October to late May/early June. Over this period, transmission would be expected to be low. However, in culled reindeer the abundance of infection increased from autumn to late winter, providing evidence for continued transmission within this period. To our knowledge this is the first time this has been demonstrated in a climate with temperatures consistently below 0 degrees C. In one winter (1996-1997), the average fraction of nematodes found as larvae in the abomasal mucosa increased from around 10% to 50% between October and March. This suggests that arrested development took place throughout the winter. We found no evidence for an efficient acquired immune response towards the nematodes. The abundance of infection did not tend to decrease with increasing host age after an earlier peak, but levelled off instead, as predicted by a simple immigration-death model. In the late winter when the nutritional plane is low, both adult reindeer and calves had high worm burdens at intensities that may affect their condition and fitness.
Buscar no Google
Coleções:
01-internacional
Contexto em Saúde:
3_ND
/
6_ODS3_enfermedades_notrasmisibles
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Gastropatias
/
Rena
/
Infecções por Nematoides
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int J Parasitol
Ano de publicação:
1999
Tipo de documento:
Article