Comparative Parasitology 67(1) 2000 - Peru State College

and their habitats. These low parasite levels may
have been influenced by several factors. A semiarid
climate has been associated with low helminth
prevalences (Waid et al., 1985; Stubblefield
et al., 1987); at 3 weather stations on Camp
Pendleton, annual rainfall ranged from 225 to
483 mm over the 2 yr of the study. Also, in an
earlier study, Pious (1989) found that grasses
comprised only 9% of the diet for deer at Camp
Pendleton; low level of grass intake may reduce
the likelihood of deer ingesting infective nematode
larvae. Another factor is that during the unavoidable
time lapse between killing the deer
and collecting the abomasa, some abomasal parasites
may have migrated out of the abomasum
or some parasites (e.g., Nematodirus odocoilei}
may have migrated into the abomasum. In addition,
basing prevalence on the number of parasites
found in only 25% of each abomasum
could have resulted in overlooking very low intensities.
Further, use of the 150-u,m mesh for
collecting parasites may have resulted in loss of
small parasites, especially larvae. Finally, the
frequent fires from incendiary devices on Camp
Pendleton could serve to reduce the abundance
of infective larvae on vegetation. Thus, the parasite
prevalences and intensities we observed
probably should be considered minimum values
for this southern mule deer population.
The apparent absence of abomasal parasites
from the 43 deer killed in the 2 March hunts is
interesting. This phenomenon may be related to
the development of a seasonal host immunity
against intestinal parasites (Soulsby, 1966).
Haemonchus conforms and T. circumcincta
both are common parasites of sheep. Camp Pendleton
has had a history of grazing by sheep,
cattle, and bison.
Although all of these parasites have been reported
from other subspecies of mule deer, this
is the first published report for the southern rnule
deer subspecies. The unpublished anonymous
1955 California Department of Fish and Game
report of N. filicollis in 1 (6%) of 17 abomasa
evaluated at Camp Pendleton reported a prevalence
of abomasal parasites comparable with
that found in our study (Table 1). Walker and
Becklund (1970) noted that they examined many
specimens of N. filicollis collected from deer and
in every case reidentified them as N. odocoilei;
thus, the original unpublished report probably
also was of N. odocoilei. Finding parasite spe-
RESEARCH NOTES 137
cies characteristic of other mule deer subspecies
(Walker and Becklund, 1970) among O. hemionus
fuliginatus supports the notion that these abomasal
parasites exercise little selectivity among
mule deer subspecies. No clinical pathological
lesions were associated with any of the infected
deer in this study.
We greatly appreciate the assistance of Dr. Archie
Mossman and Ms. Denise Bradley for help
in several phases of this study and of Dr. John
DeMartini and Dr. J. Ralph Lichtenfels for assistance
in identifying the parasites.
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Copyright © 2011, The Helminthological Society of Washington