title: Lungworms in Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) in the eastern Alps, Italy: An ecological approach.
abstract: Host-parasite relationships have been frequently investigated in mountain dwelling ungulates, though mostly focusing on gastrointestinal nematodes. On the contrary, very few studies were conducted on broncopulmonary nematodes, which may result in severe parenchymal lesions and act as predisposing factor for multifactorial pneumonia. The epidemiological and ecological features of lungworms infecting an Alpine ibex population in the Eastern Alps, Italy, were non-invasively investigated by means of a modified Baermann technique with an original quantitative methodology. Out of a total of 269 samples collected monthly from July to November 2013 and from July to October 2014, 212 (78.8%) were positive for Muellerius and 26 (9.7%) for Protostrongylus, whereas Neostrongylus and Cystocaulus were less prevalent (4.1% and 0.7%, respectively). None of the investigated samples tested positive for dictyocaulids. The genus Muellerius showed the highest larval output intensity (134.2 L1/g), followed by Protostrongylus with 33.8 L1/g. A contrasting age-related pattern of Muellerius and Protostrongylus was revealed, with the former significantly more prevalent and abundant in adult animals, while the latter in kids. Due to the limited accessibility of the study area during winter and spring, it was difficult to describe clear seasonal trends in larval output, although Muellerius showed a minimum in the late summer and a rise in the autumn. The newly developed diagnostic method showed a fair repeatability, thus representing an interesting tool to investigate the ecology of lungworms in protected species, such as the A. ibex. Based on results, ibex in the Marmolada massif seem to have an ecologically stable relationship with their lungworm community.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy. Electronic address: rudi.cassini@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Rudi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cassini
authors.affiliation: Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Párraga
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Signorini
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frangipane di Regalbono
authors.affiliation: Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sturaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, L.go Braccini, 2, 10095 Grugliasco, TO, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.affiliation: Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramanzin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D006041:Goats; D006374:Helminthiasis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008174:Lung Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: Alpine ibex; Ecology; Italy; Lungworm; Protostrongylidae