1. Investigación

Lungworms can exert a negative impact on wild ruminant fitness, for this reason, the diagnosis of the associated diseases is an important prevention measure. The Baerman-Wetzel technique is the most usual method for the diagnosis of bronchopulmonary nematodes and is based on the active migration and movement of their first-stage larvae (L1). Pulmonary tissue samples are frequently used for the diagnosis of these parasites, but this kind of sample is not always available and easy to obtain. Faecal samples represent a more accessible choice for parasite monitoring. This work aimed to evaluate the agreement between the results obtained by the Baermann–Wetzel technique when samples of lung parenchyma or faeces from wild ruminants are used. A good level of agreement as well as a similar sensitivity between the two types of sample were observed, validating the use of faecal samples as a less invasive and cost-effective alternative for the monitoring of lungworm in wild ruminant populations.

The epidemiology behind multi-host/multi-parasite systems is particularly interesting to investigate for a better understanding of the complex dynamics naturally occurring in wildlife populations. We aimed to approach the naturally occurring polyparasitism of gastrointestinal nematodes in a sympatric wild ruminant scenario present in south-east Spain. To this end, the gastrointestinal tract of 252 wild ruminants of four different species (red deer, Cervus elaphus; mouflon, Ovis aries musimon; Iberian ibex, Capra pyrenaica and fallow deer, Dama dama) were studied in Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park (Andalusia, Spain). Of the analysed animals, 81.52% were positive for parasite infection and a total of 29 nematode species were identified. Out of these, 25 species were detected in at least two host species and 11 parasitized all ruminant species surveyed. The multi-host interaction between these nematodes and the four host species is discussed under the perspective of host family-based differences.

Eighty-four Murciano–Granadina dairy goats slaughtered in the region of Murcia (South-East Spain) were necropsied to evaluate parasitic infections. The majority of the animals (94.0%) were parasitised and multiple infections were present. Twenty-one parasite species were found, including 18 nematode species (Muellerius capillaris, Dictyocaulus filaria, Neostrongylus linearis, Cystocaulus ocreatus, Teladorsagia circumcincta, T. occidentalis, T. trifurcata, Marshallagia marshalli, Camelostrongylus mentulatus, Trichostrongylus capricola, Nematodirus abnormalis, N. filicollis, N. spathiger, T. vitrinus, T. colubriformis, Trichuris spp., Chabertia ovina and Skrjabinema ovis); one trematode species (Dicrocoelium dendriticum); one arthropod species (Oestrus ovis); and one protozoa genus (Eimeria spp.). Additionally, 17.85% of the animals were Mycobacterium spp. positive. Therefore, comparison between parasite prevalence, intensity and abundance in tuberculosis-positive and -negative animals was performed. Statistically significant differences between the prevalence of lungworms and gastrointestinal nematodes in Mycobacterium spp. infected and free goats were found. The paper discusses this co-infection between Mycobacteriaceae and endoparasites.