Short Communication
Parasites in wildlife in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Jasmin Omeragić ,
Naida Kapo * ,
Vedad Škapur ,
Adis Softić ,
Šejla Goletić ,
Ermin Šaljić ,
Teufik Goletić

Mac Vet Rev 2024; 47 (1): 71 - 79

10.2478/macvetrev-2024-0017

Received: 10 January 2024

Received in revised form: 20 February 2024

Accepted: 22 February 2024

Available Online First: 05 March 2024

Published on: 15 March 2024

Correspondence: Naida Kapo, naida.kapo@vfs.unsa.ba
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Abstract

Parasitic diseases of wild animals represent an important area of research. In addition to the significant impact on wildlife health and fitness, many parasitic diseases have zoonotic implications. Due to limited scientific information, this research aimed to investigate parasitic diseases in wildlife in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), focusing on the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H), emphasizing zoonotic species. In the period from April 2020 to November 2022, we conducted research on 9 wildlife species. We analyzed fecal samples to detect and identify diagnostic stages (eggs, larvae, cysts, and oocysts) of various animal endoparasites using coprological methods, such as sedimentation, flotation, and the Baermann technique. The MERIFLUOR® Cryptosporidium/Giardia test was also used for the detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts. In the case of red foxes, intestinal samples were examined using the intestinal scraping technique to detect adult helminths. All collected muscle samples were subjected to the artificial digestion method for Trichinella detection. From 1,278 samples, 70.9% were positive. Parasitic infections were confirmed in 15.9% (11/69) of bears; 83.7% (262/313) of red foxes; 67.6% (44/65) of wolves; 25% (1/4) of wildcats; 20% (1/5) of badger; 43.7% (7/16) of martens; 39.7% (76/191) of wild boars; 84.5% (350/414) of deer, and 77.1% (155/201) of hares. The finding of zoonotic parasites (Toxocara canis, Uncinaria spp., Trichinella spp., Echinococcus spp. etc.) is particularly important due to their potential detrimental effects on human health, which highlights the need for further investigations.

Keywords: mammals, parasite, parasitic diseases, wildlife, zoonotic

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Copyright

© 2024 Omeragić J. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declared that they have no potential lict of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Citation Information

Macedonian Veterinary Review. Volume 47, Issue 1, Pages 71-79, e-ISSN 1857-7415, p-ISSN 1409-7621, DOI: 10.2478/macvetrev-2024-0017

The all content of the Macedonian Veterinary Review, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.