Endoparasites in the endangered Fennoscandian population of arctic foxes ()

Tomas Meijer (1) , Roland Mattsson (2) , Anders Angerbjörn (1) , Eva Osterman-Lind (3) , Xavier Fernández-Aguilar (1) , Dolores Gavier-Widén (1, 4)

1 Department of Zoology
2 Department of Pathology and Wildlife Diseases
3 Department of Virology, Immunobiology and Parasitology
4 Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary

The Fennoscandian arctic fox () population is endangered due to overharvest and competition with the larger red fox (). In this study, we have screened the population in Sweden for endoparasites by analysis of non-invasively faecal samples collected at reproductive dens during two summers, one with low food abundance (2008) and the other with high food abundance (2010). Eggs, larvae and oocysts of a total of 14 different endoparasites were identified with a species richness per inhabited den of 3.2 (CI95% ± 0.48) in 2008 and 2.7 (CI95% ± 0.72) in 2010. like eggs was identified at 59% of the dens in 2008 and 57% in 2010 and with 7% (2008) and 30% (2010); with 93% (2008) and 65% (2010); 65% (2008) and 39% (2010); 3% (2008) and 4% (2010); sp. 7% (2008) and 4% (2010); -like oocysts 28% (2008) and 26% (2010); -like oocysts 38% (2008) and 4% (2010); sp. 7% (2008) and 9% (2010); sp. 3% (2008) and 9% (2010); sp. 10% (2008) and 4% (2010); sp. 3% (2008) and 0% (2010); sp. 0% (2008) and 9% (2010) and -like eggs 0% (2008) and 4% (2010). To our knowledge, sp., sp. and sp. has never been described before in wild arctic foxes.

Mots clés: Parasites; Conservation; Wildlife disease; Sweden

Domaines: Biologie animale

Tomas Meijer, Roland Mattsson, Anders Angerbjörn, Eva Osterman-Lind, Xavier Fernández-Aguilar, et al.. Endoparasites in the endangered Fennoscandian population of arctic foxes (). European Journal of Wildlife Research, 2011, 57 (4), pp.923-927. ⟨10.1007/s10344-011-0505-2⟩. ⟨hal-00669044⟩