title: Intestinal parasites of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Slovenia.
abstract: In the present study, 428 foxes were collected and examined for intestinal helminths using the washing-out method. Parasites were found in 93.2% of the examined animals. The most frequently identified nematodes were Uncinaria stenocephala (58.9%), Toxocara canis (38.3%) and Molineus patens (30.6%). Other nematodes found were Pterygodermatites affinis (4.2%), Capillaria sp. (2.8%), Crenosoma vulpis (2.8%), Toxascaris leonina (2.5%), Trichuris vulpis (0.7%) and Physaloptera sp. (0.2%). Mesocestoides sp. (27.6%) and Taenia crassiceps (22.2%) were the most prevalent cestodes, followed by T. polyacantha (6.5%), Hymenolepis nana (2.1%), T. pisiformis (2.1%) and Dipylidium caninum (1.4%). The study also revealed four trematode species: Rossicotrema donicum (1.6%), Heterophyes heterophyes (1.1%), Metagonimus yokogawai (1.1%), Prohemistomum appendiculatum (0.4%) and two protozoan species: oocysts of Sarcocystis (2.8%) and Isospora (0.4%). This is the first extensive study on the intestinal parasites of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Slovenia. The 2.6% prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis in the same sample population as investigated herein has been reported previously (Vergles Rataj et al., 2010).
authors: University of Ljubljana Institute of Microbiology and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty Gerbičeva 60 1115 Ljubljana Slovenia.
authors: Aleksandra
authors: A
authors: Vergles Rataj
authors: Janez
authors: J
authors: Posedi
authors: Diana
authors: D
authors: Zele
authors: Gorazd
authors: G
authors: Vengušt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D002589:Cestoda; D005589:Foxes; D006376:Helminths; D010271:Parasites; D015995:Prevalence; D017524:Slovenia
keywords: Helminths; Slovenia; Vulpes vulpes; red fox