Through a recent (2003-2007) survey of ectoparasites on hoofed mammals in western North America, a literature review, and examination of archived museum specimens, we found that the exotic deer-chewing louse, Bovicola tibialis (Piaget), is a long-term, widespread resident in the region. The earliest known collection was from Salt Spring Island, Canada, in 1941. We found these lice on the typica...

Fallow deer in Poland is an alien species, with an ambiguous legal status. It is considered both, a game and a farm animal, which introductions in recent years led to a substantial increase of its population. As a representative of cervids, it shares with other free-ranging and domestic ruminants many of gastrointestinal helminths, among them an alien Ashworthius sidemi, the nematode of a high ...

The phenomenon of syntenic genetic conservation of chromosomes enables application of molecular probes obtained from one species of animals to detect homologous DNA segments in another species. The aim of this study was identification of sex chromosomes in fallow deer (Dama dama), using in interspecies hybridizations in situ (Zoo-FISH technique) the bovine heterosomes painting probes. The resul...

Elaeophorosis, caused by Elaeophora elaphi, was observed in red deer (Cervus elaphus) from Toledo Province (Spain) for the first time. Adult specimens of Elaeophora elaphi were found in the hepatic vessels of nine of 151 red deer between October 1994 and September 1995; intensity of infection was two to 18 nematodes per host. Adult nematodes were only found during the period from fall through e...

The aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of Anaplasma spp. in group of 50 fallow deer (Dama dama) from free-range farm in eastern Poland and determine what species of Anaplasma could infect these animals based on PCR gene sequencing. The PCR technique revealed the presence of 16S RNA Anaplasma spp. genetic material in the blood of 7 out of 50 examined animals. The sequence...

Although the importance of wild ruminants as potential reservoirs of bluetongue virus (BTV) has been suggested, the role played by these species in the epidemiology of BT in Europe is still unclear. We carried out a serologic and virologic survey to assess the role of wild ruminants in the transmission and maintenance of BTV in Andalusia (southern Spain) between 2006 and 2010.A total of 473 out...