Comparative Trematode Biota of Healthy Waterbirds Harvested from Lake Winnibigoshish Minnesota

Parasitic surveys are important to gauge the normal parasitic biota within a population of hosts. In the Midwest United States, few survey studies have been conducted on the healthy parasitic biota of waterfowl. This study examined the trematode biota of apparently healthy American coot (Fulica americana) and ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris). In the fall of 2012, 10 F. americana and 12 A. collaris were hunter shot and harvested from Lake Winnibigoshish, Minnesota along with 7 A. collaris in Spring of 2013. All of the birds harvested were assumed healthy prior to being shot by hunters. The intestines were extracted, rinsed, and examined for trematodes. Trematodes found were frozen for genetic analysis or fid in formalin for morphological analysis. There were 8 trematode species found in F. americana and 10 were found in fall A. collaris. There were 2 trematode species found in both F. americana and A. collaris. These were Zygocotyle lunata and Sphaeridiotrema pseudoglobulus. Three trematodes associated to waterbird mortality events were also identified. They are Leyogonimus polyoon, Cyathocotyle bushiensis, S. pseudoglobulus. L. polyoon was found only in F. americana and had the greatest intensity of all trematodes found. This is a base line study representing the normal parasitic biota found in F. americana and A. collaris