Influence of season and host age on wild boar parasites in Corsica using indicator species analysis

• Published in: Journal of helminthology Vol. 80; no. 1; pp. 41 - 45
• Main Authors: Foata, J., Mouillot, D., Culioli, J.-L., Marchand, B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.03.2006; Cambridge University Press (CUP)
• Subjects: Aging; animal age; Animal and plant ecology; animal parasitic nematodes; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Ascaris suum; Ascaris suum - isolation & purification; Autoecology; Biological and medical sciences; disease prevalence; Ecosystem; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Monitoring - methods; France; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Host parasite relation; pathogenicity; host-parasite relationships; indicator species; Invertebrates; Lice; lice infestations; Life Sciences; Mammalia; Metastrongyloidea; Metastrongyloidea - isolation & purification; Microbiology and Parasitology; Nemathelminthia. Plathelmintha; Nematoda; Nematoda - isolation & purification; nematode infections; parasites; Parasitology; Phthiraptera; seasonal variation; Seasons; Species Specificity; Sus scrofa; Sus scrofa - parasitology; Sus scrofa meridionalis; tick infestations; Ticks; Vertebrata; wild boars; Corsica; France; Europe; Prevalence; Parasite; Biological indicator; Host; Wild animal; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal community; Seasonal variation; Artiodactyla; Invertebrata; Sus scrofa; Ungulata; Age
• ISSN: 0022-149X; 1475-2697
• DOI: 10.1079/JOH2005329

The indicator value (Ind Val) method which combines measures of fidelity and specificity has been used in a study on wild boar parasites in Corsica during 2001–2003. Because of its resilience to changes in abundance, IndVal is a particularly effective tool for ecological bioindication. The Ind Val method showed how season can influence the occurrence of parasite species in the wild boar, and also identified parasites as bioindicators relative to host age. The randomization test identified five parasite species having a significant indicator value for the season (the ticks, Hyalomma aegyptium and Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the louse, Haematopinus suis and the nematodes Globocephalus urosubulatus and Ascaris suum and two indicator species of an age class (the nematodes G. urosubulatus and Metastrongylus sp.). Data on species composition and infection levels would help improve the monitoring and management of parasitism in Suidae populations.