Gray Wolf ( Canis lupus italicus ) and Red Fox ( Vulpes vulpes ) Parasite Survey in Anthropized and Natural Areas of Central Italy

• Published in: Veterinary Sciences
• Main Authors: Stefania Perrucci, Michela Maestrini, Francesca Coppola, Matteo Di Marco, Alessia Di Rosso, Maria Irene Pacini, Paola Zintu, Antonio Felicioli
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2023
• Subjects: wild canids; endoparasites; anthropized area; natural area; central Italy; Veterinary medicine; SF600-1100; Canis lupus; gray wolf
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10020108; https://doaj.org/article/a14d4974286a43e399a54816e5c2102a

Gastrointestinal nematodes and protozoa and other parasite occurrences were evaluated in free-ranging wolf ( Canis lupus italicus ) and red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ) populations from natural and anthropized areas of Central Italy. Analyzed fecal samples were collected from 60 foxes and 40 wolves in the anthropized areas, and 41 foxes and 39 wolves in the natural areas. In foxes, hookworm infections ( p < 0.0001) were more frequently recorded in the anthropized environment, while coccidia ( p < 0.05) and Cryptosporidium spp. ( p < 0.0001) were more frequent in the natural area. In wolves, a higher frequency of hookworms ( p < 0.0001) was observed in natural areas, while coccidia were more common in the anthropized area ( p < 0.05). Moreover, in the natural environment, trichuroid nematodes ( p < 0.0001) were significantly more frequent in wolves than in foxes, while Cryptosporidium ( p < 0.001) and Giardia duodenalis ( p < 0.001) were more common in foxes. In the anthropic area, the occurrence of hookworms was found to be significantly higher in foxes ( p < 0.0001), while trichuroid nematodes were more common in wolves ( p < 0.0001). The obtained data are indicative of a different diffusion of specific parasite taxa in wolves and foxes living in the natural and/or anthropized environments examined herein.