Endoparasitosis of wild and captive mouflons (Ovis [orientalis] musimon) living in the Natural Orecchiella Park

Between December 2005 and November 2006, mouflon faecal samples were collected approximately every two months. A total of 96 samples were collected, 55 of which were from wild mouflons and 41 of which were from captive mouflons. Qualitative and quantitative parasitological analyses were performed by using several copromicroscopic parasitological tests. Qualitative data were statistically evaluated using Χ2 test. Quantitative data (OPG or UPG) were converted using the y= log(OPG + 25) formula in order to obtain a normal distribution (Baker, 1997) and therefore variance analysis was used to compare wild and captive mouflons and samples collected in different periods of the year. Main results obtained as regards prevalences are syntetized in the following table where significant differences between wild and captive mouflons are observable when P<0.05. Criptosporidium sp. was observed in captivity mouflons in November. Using faecal pools, also lung strongyles Paramphistomum spp., Fasciola hepatica and Dicrocoeliunm dendriticum were isolated Parasites Prev. % - Total Prev. % Wild Prev. % Captivity P Eimeria spp. 53.33 36.73 73.17 0.0005 G.I strongyles 52.22 38.78 68.29 0.0049 Trichuris spp. 5.56 0 12.20 0.0042 Strongyloides papillosus4.44 6.12 2.44 0.3854 Moniezia expansa 4.44 1.11 3.33 0.220