Parasites of Sika deer (Cervus nippon)

Abstract

Sika deer (Cervus nippon) was first brought to Lithuania in 1954 from the former Soviet Union, from the area well known as Gorno Altaisky. In Lithuania, every year more and more farmers are determined to grow cervids. In year 2013, there were around 150 deer farms with about 2,000 sika deer held in Lithuania. Over the years, deer breeders have been constantly encountering with deer infections. Deer suffer from infectious and parasitic diseases. Factors influencing deer infection with helminthes are the humidity of the deer breeding locations and feeding conditions [1]. Moreover, infection with parasites depends on the density of the herd and flock isolation. Animals suffer from a variety of ectoparasites. Cervids can be infected with following tick-borne pathogens: Anaplasma phagocyptophilum, Babesia spp. Bartonella spp. Borrelia burgdorferi sl. In this study, 19 individuals from Kaunas region deer farms were tested for their capability to catch the infection from a lancet liver fluke. Parasites were identified by morphology and dimensions. It was found that in the liver of one individual, the number of parasites ranged from 1 to 58 individuals. Prevalence of infection was 100% (80.7-100). Fiuleborn method were used to confirm deer infection with nematodes. 2 out of 10 tested ticks were infected with Bartonella spp. and 1 tick with B. burgdorferi s.I. Moreover, out of the 20 tested sika deer, two individual was infected with Anaplasma phagocyptophilum. Two individual was infected with Babesia spp. protozoa