Identification of dorsal-spined larvae from free-ranging wapiti (Cervus elaphus) in southwestern Manitoba, Canada.

Abstract

Dorsal-spined first-stage larvae recovered from feces of free-ranging wapiti (Cervus elaphus) were passaged through snails (Triodopsis multilineata) and two hand-raised white-tailed deer fawns (Odocoileus virginianus). A total of 74 adult Parelaphostrongylus tenuis were recovered from the fawns; no other protostrongylid nematodes were recovered. The study indicates that wapiti may be infected with natural infections of meningeal worm and pass larvae suitable for transmission to gastropod intermediate hosts. Wapiti from areas endemic with P. tenuis should not be translocated to areas currently free of the parasite.