Distribution, prevalence, and intensity of Sarcocystis infections in sika deer (Cervus nippon) of free-ranging populations in Germany and Austria.

Sika deer (Cervus nippon), which are native to the Japanese islands and the adjacent mainland of eastern Asia, have been introduced into Europe and established free-ranging populations in several countries. Various Sarcocystis species have been identified recently from farmed "mainland sika" deer in Lithuania and native "Japanese sika" deer in Japan. To study the distribution, prevalence and intensity of Sarcocystis infection in free-ranging sika deer outside of their natural range heart and/or diaphragm samples of 311 animals from nine populations in Germany and Austria were examined by histology.Overall, sarcocysts were detected in either heart or diaphragm of 107/311 deer (34.4%) with prevalence ranging roughly from 5 to 50% among the populations. Considering the 263 animals with both heart and diaphragm available, prevalence varied significantly (p < 0.0001) among calves (20.2%), yearlings (40.3%), and adult deer (49.1%) but did not differ between male and female deer (48.3% vs. 43.7%; p = 0.6483). Occurrence of sarcocysts in heart vs. diaphragm indicated a marginal difference (27.8% vs. 20.9%; p = 0.0839). Intensity of infection in all but one heart positive and all diaphragm positive animals was low (< 10 sarcocysts per square centimeter muscle cut). While heart sarcocyst counts of yearlings and adult deer were higher than those of calves and were higher in male compared to female sika deer, diaphragm sarcocyst counts did not differ significantly between age groups and sexes. Sarcocystis infection was demonstrated at variable prevalence in sika deer in all populations but intensity is apparently low. Further studies are needed to identify the species of Sarcocystis infecting sika deer naturalized outside their natural range.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia Species of Sympatric Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus), Fallow Deer (Dama dama), Sika Deer (Cervus nippon) and Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) in Germany.

(1) Background: Wild cervids play an important role in transmission cycles of tick-borne pathogens; however, investigations of tick-borne pathogens in sika deer in Germany are lacking. (2) Methods: Spleen tissue of 74 sympatric wild cervids (30 roe deer, 7 fallow deer, 22 sika deer, 15 red deer) and of 27 red deer from a farm from southeastern Germany were analyzed by molecular methods for the presence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia species. (3) Results: Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia DNA was demonstrated in 90.5% and 47.3% of the 74 combined wild cervids and 14.8% and 18.5% of the farmed deer, respectively. Twelve 16S rRNA variants of A. phagocytophilum were delineated. While the infection rate for A. phagocytophilum among the four cervid species was similar (71.4% to 100%), it varied significantly for Babesia between roe deer (73.3%), fallow deer (14.3%), sika deer (27.3%) and red deer (40.0%). Deer ≤2 years of age tested significantly more often positive than the older deer for both A. phagocytophilum and Babesia species. (4) Conclusions: This study confirms the widespread occurrence of A. phagocytophilum and Babesia species in wild cervids and farmed red deer in Germany and documents the co-occurrence of the two tick-borne pathogens in free-ranging sika deer.

Fascioloides magna--epizootiology in a deer farm in Germany.

After initial observations of suspicious cases in 2009, the occurrence of Fascioloides (F.) magna in deer of a deer farm located in northeastern Bavaria, Germany, at the border to the Czech Republic was confirmed in autumn 2011. In March 2012, the deer were treated for fascioloidosis with triclabendazole. To monitor the epizootiology of fascioloidosis in the farm, 80-100 faecal samples were examined for Fascioloides eggs at monthly intervals from June 2012 to June 2013 inclusive. In addition, livers of 27 red deer and one sika deer collected during winter 2012/2013 were examined for gross lesions suspicious for F. magna infection and 21 of the 28 livers were dissected for F. magna recovery. Fascioloides eggs were recorded in 63 (4.9%) of 1280 faecal samples (range 0.4 to 355 eggs per gram). Both, number of Fascioloides-egg positive samples and egg counts were low during the first eight months of the study but increased notably since February 2013. While Fascioloides egg-positive faecal samples were obtained from red deer (46/948,4.9%) and fallow deer (17/166, 10.2%), no Fascioloides eggs were demonstrated in the 166 samples obtained from sika deer. Livers of five red deer and the sika deer showed gross lesions characteristic for fascioloidosis, and F. magna were recovered from three of the five affected red deer livers (range, five to seven flukes). Results of this study confirm that F. magna is endemic in the deer farm, and measures should be implemented to minimize the transmission of the parasite.