Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T02:29:01.683Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Inter-annual differences in the age-related prevalences of Babesia and Trypanosoma parasites of European badgers (Meles meles)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 1999

D. W. Macdonald ,
M. Anwar ,
C. Newman ,
R. Woodroffe  and
P. J. Johnson
D. W. Macdonald
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, U.K.
M. Anwar
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, U.K.
C. Newman
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, U.K.
R. Woodroffe
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, U.K. Present address: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, U.K.
P. J. Johnson
Affiliation:
Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, U.K.
Get access

Abstract

A total of 263 individual badgers Meles meles provided 718 blood samples which were screened for parasites. This revealed that 77.2% of individuals tested positive for Babesia missirolii at least once over 3 years, whereas 7.7% did so for Trypanosoma pestanai. However, the prevalence was highest in younger age classes, except in 1990 when it was high in most categories. There was some evidence that following a positive test for Babesia badgers were more likely to be caught again in subsequent years when compared to individuals testing negative. For Trypanosoma, although prevalence decreased from a peak of 29.2% from June onwards in 1990, we found no significant corollaries of infection. These results are discussed in the light of inter-annual variation in weather and other factors.

Keywords

badgerMeles melesBabesia missiroliiTrypanosomaparasites
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Zoology , Volume 247 , Issue 1 , January 1999 , pp. 65 - 70
Copyright
© 1999 The Zoological Society of London

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)