Comparative Parasitology 67(1) 2000 - Peru State College

136 COMPARATIVE PARASITOLOGY, 67(1), JANUARY 2000
Table 1. Abomasal parasites collected from 227 southern mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus fulginatus) at
Camp Pendleton, San Diego County, California. All deer were collected in the November 1990 and 1991
hunts. No abomasal parasites were observed among the 43 deer sampled in the March 1991 and 1992
hunts.
Parasite species
Haemonchus contortus
Teladorsagia circumcincta
Nematodirus odocoilei
Unknown*
Totals
infected
5
2
5
4
15t
(%)
2.2
0.9
2.2
1.8
6.6
* Unidentifiable worm fragments were found in 4 additional deer.
t One deer was infected with both H. contortus and T. circumcincta.
KEY WORDS: southern mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus
fuliginatus, abomasal nematodes, Haemonchus
contortus, Teladorsagia circumcincta, Nematodirus
odocoilei, California, U.S.A.
A number of studies have been published of
abomasal parasites among mule deer (Odocoileus
hemionus Rafinesque, 1817) of North
America, and some controversy exists on the
management value of using abomasal parasites
as indicators of the physical condition and habitat
relationships of these deer (Moore and Garner,
1980; Waid et al., 1985; Stubblefield et al.,
1987). Among southern mule deer (Odocoileus
hemionus fuliginatus Cowan, 1933) no published
reports are known of abomasal parasites;
on the basis of a single unpublished anonymous
1955 report of the California Department of Fish
and Game, Nematodirus filicollis (Rudolphi,
1802) Ransom, 1907, was purportedly observed
in 1 of 17 southern mule deer from Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base, San Diego County,
California (33°20'N, 117°20"W). Our objective
was to identify the prevalence and intensity of
abomasal parasites infecting the southern mule
deer subspecies on Camp Pendleton.
Camp Pendleton comprises a 50,588-ha area,
with riparian and oak woodlands, coastal sage
scrub, grassland, and chaparral, in the northwestern
corner of San Diego County. We collected
184 abomasa from 225 southern mule
deer shot during 2 either-sex hunts in November
1990 and November 1991. An additional 43 abomasa
were collected from 45 animals killed
during 2 antlerless hunts in March 1991 and
March 1992. At hunter-check stations, each abomasum
was removed after ligation and frozen
Mean
20.8
12.0
5.6
4.0
11.5
No. parasites/deer
SD
37.6
0.0
3.6
0.0
24.6
Copyright © 2011, The Helminthological Society of Washington
Range
4-88
12
4-12
4
4-100
Total no.
parasites
collected
104
24
28
16
172
at — 10°C prior to transportation to the laboratory.
Abomasa were thawed at 18-20°C. Abomasal
contents first were rinsed through a 1.9-mm
mesh to remove coarse material and then rinsed
through a 150-u.m mesh. Parasites and other material
remaining on the 150-u,m mesh were diluted
with tap water and examined in 10-ml aliquots
until 25% of the total volume for each
abomasum was evaluated. From this 25% sample,
the total number of each abomasal parasite
species was estimated for each deer. Helminths
collected were stored in 70% ethanol, mounted
on slides in glycerin, and identified to species
according to Skrjabin (1952), Durette-Desset
(1974), and Levine (1980). Representative samples
of all helminths were deposited into the
U.S. National Parasite Collection, Beltsville,
Maryland (Accession Numbers 84382-84387).
Of the 227 abomasa examined, 212 (93%) had
no detectable helminths, 12 (5.2%) had an estimated
total of 4 helminths, 2 (0.9%) had an estimated
12 helminths, and 1 (