Apennine brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus): does host population structure influence intestinal parasite community?

The present work was performed in order to assess the presence of parasites in the Apennine brown bear and to evaluate the relationship between parasites and an endangered host species. In our knowledge, the only parasitological survey about parasites in Apennine brown bear was performed between 1993 and 1995 and was argument of the final dissertation of a bachelor of veterinary medicine degree, but never published (Di Costanzo, a.a.1994/95). Between May and December 2006, 215 brown bear faecal samples were collected from the protected area of the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise (#189) and from its adjacent buffer zone (#26). Qualitative coprological examination allowed to identify oocysts of Coccidia (a group of parasitic protozoa) in 2.80% of the samples examined; eggs of Baylisascaris transfuga, an ascarids nematode that specifically parasitizes bears, in 14.88%; eggs of two nematode genera, Trichuris spp. and Strongyloides spp., in 1.80% and 1.40% of the samples respectively. The low richness and diversity of the parasite community is noteworthy and typical of low density host populations. Only B. transfuga was identified in a relatively wide number of faecal samples and the geographical distribution, for the most part of the samples positive for this parasite, overlap the known home range of two females with cubs. This distribution is probably due to ascarids being parasites typical of young animals. The prevalence of B. transfuga recordered in 1993-95 was 1.9% only, and the apparent increase of this parasite, if confirmed, should be regarded as a signal of recovery of the brown bear population