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Gastrointestinal Helminths of a European Moose Population in Poland.

ABSTRACT: Parasitic infections have a negative impact on the fecundity and survival of wild ruminants, particularly moose; however, despite being more susceptible to parasitic diseases than other wild cervids, they remain poorly examined in this regard. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify gastrointestinal and liver helminth species of the moose population in central Europe, assess the factors contributing to infection intensities and examine their impact on moose health. Abomasum, small intestine, caecum and liver samples were collected from 46 moose in Poland and evaluated for helminth parasite fauna and histopathological changes. Additionally, 289 moose fecal samples were analyzed for the presence of eggs, oocysts and larvae of parasites. In total, 19 parasite taxa were identified. The most prevalent were Mazamastrongylus dagestanica and Ostertagia antipini, which are typical nematodes of moose, together with Spiculopteragia boehmi and O. leptospicularis, characteristic also of other cervids. Parasite species diversity and abomasal parasitic infection intensity were higher in adult moose than in yearlings and calves. The numbers of histopathological lesions depended on the intensity of parasitic infections, and were most severe in the livers of moose infected with Parafasciolopsis fasciolaemorpha. The analysis of fecal samples revealed several regional differences in the levels of parasite eggs, oocysts and larvae shedding. Our findings indicate an accumulation of parasite infections over time in moose, which may be related to high environmental parasite pressure, possibly connected with high moose density and the presence of wetlands; they also serve as the most comprehensive study of moose parasites in central Europe to date.

SUBMITTER: Filip-Hutsch K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8070461 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:In recent years, human activity directly and indirectly influenced the demography of moose in Poland. The species was close to extinction, and only a few isolated populations survived after the Second World War; then, unprecedented demographic and spatial expansions had occurred, possibly generating a very complex pattern of population genetic structure at the present-day margins of the species range in Poland. Over 370 moose from seven populations were collected from Poland, and partial sequences of the mitochondrial control region (mtDNA-cr; 607 bp) were obtained. In addition, the entire mtDNA cytochrome b gene (1,140 bp) and Y-chromosome markers (1,982 bp in total) were studied in a chosen set of individuals. Twelve mtDNA haplotypes that all belonged to the European moose phylogroup were recorded. They could be divided into two distinct clades: Central Europe and the Ural Mountains. The first clade consists of three distinct groups/branches: Biebrza, Polesie, and Fennoscandia. The Biebrza group has experienced spatial and demographic expansion in the recent past. Average genetic differentiation among moose populations in Poland at mtDNA-cr was great and significant (ΦST = 0.407, p < 0.001). Using mtDNA-cr data, four separate groups of population were recognized using spatial analysis of molecular variance and principal coordinate analysis, including a relict population in Biebrza National Park, a reintroduced Kampinos National Park population, as well as populations that were descendants of moose that colonized Poland from the east (Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine) and the north (former East Prussia). Among all the sequenced Y-chromosome markers, polymorphisms were found in the DBY14 marker in three populations only; four haplotypes were recorded in total. No significant differentiation was detected for this Y-linked marker among moose populations in Poland. Our mtDNA study revealed that a variety of different factors-bottleneck, the presence of relict, autochthonous populations, translocations, limited female dispersal, and the colonization from the east and north-are responsible for the observed complex pattern of population genetic structure after demographic and spatial expansion of moose in Poland.

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Gastrointestinal Helminths of a European Moose Population in Poland.

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