A coprological survey of intestinal parasites of wild lions (Panthera leo) in the serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, East Africa

Abstract

Fecal examination on 112 and a subset of 58 wild lions (Panthera leo) in the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, East Africa revealed eggs, larvae, and protozoan cysts of 15 parasite taxa. The most prevalent were Spirometra sp. (63% prevalence), Taeniidae (58%), Ancylostoma sp. (56%), and a coccidian (53%). Three parasites were considered spurious. Of the hosts, 97.3% were infected with at least 1 species of parasite. Individual parasite taxa were aggregated among hosts.