title: Extracting Protostrongylus spp. larvae from bighorn sheep feces.
abstract: First-stage larvae of Protostrongylus spp. were more numerous in the core of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadiensis canadiensis) pellets than near the surface. As a result, only 22% could be extracted from whole pellets and the numbers collected did not reflect the total number of larvae present in samples. Crushing semi-dried pellets yielded seven times as many larvae and numbers collected were correlated with totals present. The use of tissue, in addition to a screen filter in a beaker extraction method, produced a cleaner sample and did not affect larval collection or the correlation. By comparison, most first-stage larvae of Parelaphostrongylus tenuis from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were near the surface of fecal pellets where they may be removed readily by water.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Forrester
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Lankester
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003670:Deer / Q000469:parasitology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology*; D007814:Larva; D008681:Metastrongyloidea / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D017206:Strongylida Infections / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*