Methods of preservation and flotation for the detection of nematode eggs and coccidian oocysts in faeces of the forest musk deer

Abstract Parasitic infections influence the health of captive forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) and affect population increases. Nevertheless, there are few quantitative studies regarding forest musk deer parasites, and there is no common preservation method or flotation solution used for detection of faecal parasites because of the biology of the worms and the host physiological state. The objective of this study was to evaluate preservation and flotation methods for the detection of nematode eggs and coccidian oocysts in faeces of the forest musk deer. The McMaster technique was used to count nematode eggs and coccidian oocysts in 33 samples of faeces. For the nematode eggs, the differences among flotation solutions were significant (P< 0.01), with sodium nitrate being the best flotation solution, and the combination of freezing and sodium nitrate resulted in the greatest number of eggs per gram (EPG = 209.4 ± 67.8). For the coccidian oocysts, the interaction between preservation method and flotation solution was significant (P< 0.01), and the combination of formalin and sodium chloride yielded the greatest number of oocysts per gram (OPG = 1010.7 ± 162.3). The forest musk deer had a high prevalence of parasitic infections, with the parasite load of coccidia (96.4%) significantly greater than that of nematodes (71.9%, P< 0.01). These results confirm that captive forest musk deer suffer from serious parasitic invasions and demonstrate that the novel method described here could be utilized for parasitological diagnosis, detection and prevention in species of Moschidae and Cervidae.

[1]  Mandy Berg,et al.  Veterinary Parasitology Reference Manual , 2016 .

[2]  Wenxia Wang,et al.  Effects of crowding and sex on fecal cortisol levels of captive forest musk deer , 2014, Biological Research.

[3]  M. Halik,et al.  Intestinal parasites of Tianshan red deer(Cervus elaphus songaricus) in Nanshan Mountains areas in Xinjiang , 2014 .

[4]  D. Lukešová,et al.  The concentration McMaster technique is suitable for quantification of coccidia oocysts in bird droppings. , 2013 .

[5]  M. Popiołek,et al.  Effect of Storage and Preservation of Horse Faecal Samples on the Detectability and Viability of Strongylid Nematode Eggs and Larvae , 2013 .

[6]  L. Rinaldi,et al.  Calibration and diagnostic accuracy of simple flotation, McMaster and FLOTAC for parasite egg counts in sheep. , 2011, Veterinary parasitology.

[7]  J. Utzinger,et al.  FLOTAC: new multivalent techniques for qualitative and quantitative copromicroscopic diagnosis of parasites in animals and humans , 2010, Nature Protocols.

[8]  A. Vidyashankar,et al.  Effects of fecal collection and storage factors on strongylid egg counts in horses. , 2010, Veterinary parasitology.

[9]  S. Lina,et al.  A review of mainly affected on musk-deer diseases: purulent, respiratory system and parasitic diseases. , 2009 .

[10]  M. Taylor,et al.  A comparison of modifications of the McMaster method for the enumeration of Ascaris suum eggs in pig faecal samples. , 2007, Veterinary parasitology.

[11]  H. Williams,et al.  Low efficacy of mebendazole against hookworm in Vietnam: two randomized controlled trials. , 2007, The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene.

[12]  G. Cringoli.  FLOTAC, a novel apparatus for a multivalent faecal egg count technique. , 2006, Parassitologia.

[13]  R. Williams,et al.  Counting coccidial oocysts in chicken faeces: a comparative study of a standard McMaster technique and a new rapid method. , 2006, Veterinary parasitology.

[14]  L. Rinaldi,et al.  The influence of flotation solution, sample dilution and the choice of McMaster slide area (volume) on the reliability of the McMaster technique in estimating the faecal egg counts of gastrointestinal strongyles and Dicrocoelium dendriticum in sheep. , 2004, Veterinary parasitology.

[15]  C. Ogbourne,et al.  Laboratory studies on the effect of temperature on the development of the free-living stages of some strongylid nematodes of the horse , 2004, Zeitschrift für Parasitenkunde.

[16]  A. Elliot,et al.  Factors influencing the fecal egg and oocyst counts of parasites of wild European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.) in Southern Western Australia. , 1999, The Journal of parasitology.

[17]  P. Mckenna.  The effect of previous cold storage on the subsequent recovery of infective third stage nematode larvae from sheep faeces. , 1998, Veterinary parasitology.

[18]  Lorenzon,et al.  Environmental stress increases the prevalence and intensity of blood parasite infection in the common lizard Lacerta vivipara , 1998 .

[19]  A. Roepstorff,et al.  Epidemiology, diagnosis and control of helminth parasites of swine , 1998 .

[20]  M. Ward,et al.  Evaluation of a composite method for counting helminth eggs in cattle faeces. , 1997, Veterinary parasitology.

[21]  P. Wild,et al.  Comparative reproduction of Cryptosporidium baileyi in embryonated eggs and in chickens , 1997, Parasitology Research.

[22]  L. E. Rodríguez-Tovar,et al.  Identification of Cyclospora in poultry. , 1996, Emerging infectious diseases.

[23]  Dwight D. Bowman,et al.  Georgis' Parasitology for Veterinarians , 1995 .

[24]  W. Foreyt.  Recovery of nematode eggs and larvae in deer: evaluation of fecal preservation methods. , 1986, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

[25]  Zajíček.  [Comparison of the effectivity of 2 quantitative ovoscopic technics]. , 1978, Veterinarni medicina.

[26]  H. Gordon,et al.  A new technique for counting nematode eggs in sheep faeces. , 1939 .