RT Journal Article
T1 Patterns of helminth infection in Kenyan elephant populations
A1 King’ori, Edward
A1 Obanda, Vincent
A1 Chiyo, Patrick I.
A1 Soriguer, Ramón C.
A1 Morrondo Pelayo, María Patrocinio
A1 Angelone, Samer
K1 Disease ecology
K1 Epidemiology
K1 Gastrointestinal parasites
K1 Helminths
K1 Nematodes
K1 Trematodes
K1 Wildlife
AB Background: The dynamics of helminth infection in African elephant populations are poorly known. We examinedthe efects of age, sex, social structure and the normalized diference vegetation index (NDVI) as primary drivers ofinfection patterns within and between elephant populations.Methods: Coprological methods were used to identify helminths and determine infection patterns in distinctelephant populations in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Tsavo East National Park, Amboseli National Park and LaikipiaSamburu Ecosystem. Gaussian fnite mixture cluster analyses of egg dimensions were used to classify helminth eggsaccording to genera. Generalized linear models (GLM) and Chi-square analyses were used to test for variation inhelminth infection patterns and to identify drivers in elephant populations.Results: Helminth prevalence varied signifcantly between the studied populations. Nematode prevalence (96.3%)was over twice as high as that of trematodes (39.1%) in elephants. Trematode prevalence but not nematode prevalence varied between populations. Although we found no associations between helminth infection and elephantsocial groups (male vs family groups), the median helminth egg output (eggs per gram, epg) did vary between socialgroups: family groups had signifcantly higher median epg than solitary males or males in bachelor groups. Youngmales in mixed sex family groups had lower epg than females when controlling for population and age; these differences, however, were not statistically signifcant. The average NDVI over a three-month period varied betweenstudy locations. Cluster analyses based on egg measurements revealed the presence of Protofasciola sp., Brumptiasp., Murshidia sp., Quilonia sp. and Mammomonogamus sp. GLM analyses showed that the mean epg was positivelyinfuenced by a three-month cumulative mean NDVI and by social group; female social groups had higher epg thanmale groups. GLM analyses also revealed that epg varied between elephant populations: Samburu-Laikipia elephantshad a higher and Tsavo elephants a lower epg than Amboseli elephants.Conclusions: Elephants had infection patterns characterized by within- and between-population variation in prevalence and worm burden. Sociality and NDVI were the major drivers of epg but not of helminth prevalence. Gastrointestinal parasites can have a negative impact on the health of wild elephants, especially during resource scarcity. Thus,our results will be important when deciding intervention strategies.
PB BMC
YR 2020
FD 2020
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10347/22040
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10347/22040
LA eng
NO King’ori, E., Obanda, V., Chiyo, P.I. et al. Patterns of helminth infection in Kenyan elephant populations. "Parasites Vectors" 13, 145 (2020)
NO This research was funded by the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Department of Animal Pathology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain
DS Minerva
RD 24 abr 2026