Seasonal incidence of helminths in the Burchell's zebra

Abstract

Ten Burchell's zebras were culled in conjunction with the Kruger National Park's game management programme. The colts ranged in age from 9-17 months and the stallions from 2½ - 23 years. The gastro-intestinal tract and the abdominal cavity were examined for helminths. The principal families of nematodes recovered included the Atractidae, Strongylidae and Spiruridae. The Atractidae included Crossocephalus and Probstmayria; the Strongylidae 2 subfamilies, Cyathostominae and Strongylinae, and the genera of the Cyathostominae were Cyathostomum, Cylicocyclus, Cylicodontophorus, Cylicostephanus, Cylindropharynx and Poteriostomum. Craterostomum, Oesophagodontus, Strongylus and Triodontophorus represent the Strongylinae. The last of the 3 principal families, the Spiruridae, included Draschia and Habronema. Total worm burdens ranged from 0 - 1 947 474. Despite the fact that the 3 families have life-cycles that differ greatly, their seasonal incidence over the 11-month period showed similar trends.