Occurrence of gastro-intestinal nematodes in cervids [Cervidae] of North-Western Poland

The study described was aimed at evaluating the extent of gastro-intestinal helminth infestation in the roe deer, fallow deer, and red deer in Western Pomerania; infestation prevalence and intensity as well as the species composition of the helminth fauna were determined. Within March 1999 – July 2000, a total of 199 animals (86 roe deer, 68 red deer, and 25 fallow deer) were examined. The animals were obtained from 9 north-western Poland’s forest districts. The following nematode species were found to be present in the alimentary tracts examined: Spiculopteragia boehmi, S. mathevossiani, Spiculopteragia asymmetrica, Ostertagia kolchida, O. leptospicularis, Haemonchus contortus, Chabertia ovina, Oesophagostomum venulosum, Nematodirus sp., Trichocephalus ovis, Capillaria bovis, Trichostrongylus axei, and Trichostrongylus sp. As shown by biopsies, the infestation prevalence amounted to 73.53; 96.51; and 92.0% in red deer, roe deer, and fallow deer, respectively.