Relationship between Iberian ibex () sperm quality and level of parasitism

Julian Santiago-Moreno (1) , Monica Luzón (2) , Miguel Angel Coloma (1) , Antonio Pulido-Pastor (3) , Félix Gómez-Guillamón (3) , Ricardo Salas Vega (3) , Adolfo Toledano-Díaz (1) , Antonio López-Sebastián (1)

1 Dpto. Reproducción Animal, INIA
2 Dpto. Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria
3 Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, D.P. Málaga

This paper examines the relationship between parasite infection rates and reproductive function in wild Iberian ibexes. The animals examined were 43 adult males shot during the rutting season. Gastrointestinal and pulmonary nematodes, intestinal cestodes and intestinal coccidia were determined by coprological analysis. Protozoa in the muscles were detected by biopsy. Epididymal spermatozoa were collected from recovered testes. Sperm motility, the integrity of the plasma membrane, sperm viability, sperm morphology and acrosome integrity were all evaluated. Bronchopulmonary nematode larvae were detected with a prevalence of 100% (mean intensity 216.8 ± 65.8; index of dispersion 476.1, indicating an aggregated pattern). A negative correlation ( = -0.39;  < 0.05) was found between the shedding of larval lungworms and the percentage of sperm morphological abnormalities. Although directional relationships could not be identified, the present findings suggest that reproductive effort imposes a cost in terms of depressed parasite resistance.

Mots clés: Spanish ibex; Epididymal spermatozoa; Testes; Parasitism; Coprological analysis; Immunocompetence handicap hypothesis; Evolutionary trade-off

Julian Santiago-Moreno, Monica Luzón, Miguel Angel Coloma, Antonio Pulido-Pastor, Félix Gómez-Guillamón, et al.. Relationship between Iberian ibex () sperm quality and level of parasitism. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 2010, 56 (4), pp.605-611. ⟨10.1007/s10344-009-0356-2⟩. ⟨hal-00551934⟩