Toxocara cati (zeder, 1800) wild felines on the mountainous region of Santa Catarina, Brazi

Abstract

Wild animals host a wide range of parasites that are agents of primary or opportunistic diseases. Studying wild animals' parasitology is essential since these animals are hosts and reservoirs, influencing the ecosystem and the natural and domestic environment. From August 2007 to 2012, seven adult wild felines were found dead on federal and state highways. Among them, there were three Puma concolor (two males and one female), two Leopardus tigrinus (one male and one female), and two Puma yagouaroundi (two males). P. concolor presented the highest rates (56.35%) of parasite infection (111 out of 197), followed by P. yagouaroundi accounting 22.34% (44 out of 197) and L. tigrinus, which presented 21.32% (42 out of 197). However, about the gender of these parasites, 55.84% (110 out of 197) T. cati were females, and 44.16% (87 out of 197) were males. The detection of ascarids in wild felines brings essential contributions for ecology, relationships between parasites, prey, and predators. These species need great extensions for their displacement and search of food and thus pose a threat to domestic carnivores, human health, and, above all, a severe threat to endangered felines such as those presented in this paper.