Abstract:
Ethiopian wolves, Canis simensis, are an endangered carnivore endemic to the
Ethiopian highlands. Although previous studies have focused on aspects of
Ethiopian wolf biology, including diet, territoriality, reproduction and infectious
diseases such as rabies, little is known of their helminth parasites. In the current
study, faecal samples were collected from 94 wild Ethiopian wolves in the Bale
Mountains of southernEthiopia,betweenAugust 2008andFebruary 2010,andwere
screened for the presence of helminth eggs using a semi-quantitative volumetric
dilutionmethodwithmicroscopy.We found that 66 of the 94 faecal samples (70.2%)
contained eggs from at least one group of helminths, including Capillaria, Toxocara,
Trichuris, ancylostomatids, Hymenolepis and taeniids. Eggs of Capillaria sp. were
found most commonly, followed by Trichuris sp., ancylostomatid species and
Toxocara species. Three samples contained Hymenolepis sp. eggs, which were likely
artefacts from ingested prey species. Four samples contained taeniid eggs, one of
whichwas copro-polymerase chain reaction (copro-PCR) and sequence positive for
Echinococcus granulosus, suggesting a spillover from a domestic parasite cycle into
this wildlife species. Associations between presence/absence of Capillaria, Toxocara
and Trichuris eggs were found; and egg burdens of Toxocara and ancylostomatids
were found to be associated with geographical location and sampling season.
