Evaluation of the association of parasitism with mortality of wild European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.) in southwestern Australia.
J Parasitol
; 85(5): 803-8, 1999 Oct.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-10577713
ABSTRACT
Abundances of the parasitic nematodes Trichostrongylus retortaeformis and Passalurus ambiguus, and 8 Eimeria species were estimated by fecal egg and oocyst output in 12 discrete free-ranging populations of wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in southwestern Australia. Comparisons of parasite egg and oocyst counts were made between those rabbits known to have survived at least 2 mo after fecal samples were collected and those rabbits that did not survive. There were significant negative relationships between parasite egg and oocyst counts and survival when all age groups and collection periods were pooled for several species of coccidia and for T. retortaeformis. However, when the same comparisons were made within rabbit age groups and within collection periods, there were very few significant differences even where sample sizes were quite large. The differences indicated by the pooled analysis for coccidia were most likely due to an uneven host age distribution with respect to survival, combined with an uneven distribution of the oocyst counts with rabbit age. The result for T. retortaeformis was similarly affected but by a seasonal pattern. Parasitism by nematodes and coccidia did not appear to be an important mortality factor in these rabbit populations, at least at the range of host densities we examined. This suggests that other factors must have been responsible for the observed pattern of density-dependent regulation in these rabbits.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Contexto em Saúde:
3_ND
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Coelhos
/
Coccidiose
/
Eimeria
/
Infecções por Nematoides
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Animals
País/Região como assunto:
Oceania
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Parasitol
Ano de publicação:
1999
Tipo de documento:
Article