Table 3.
Gastrointestinal parasite loads and prevalence of the different parasite types recorded in faecal samples of six large mammals from the Wasgomuwa National Park, Sri Lanka.
| Parasite type/stage | Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) | Bear (Melursus ursinus) | Civet (Paradoxurus sp.) | Leopard (Panthera pardus) | Grey Langur (Semnopithecus priam) | Buffalo (Bubalus sp.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protozoan cysts | 47 ± 14.1a (100%)b | 370 ± 174 (68%) | 29 ± 3.75 (100%) | 176 ± 35.6 (100%) | – | 262 ± 51.9 (100%) |
| Digenean ova | 19 ± 7.89 (57%) | 9 ± 4.3 (16%) | 4 ± 2.71 (33%) | – | 10 ± 6.0 (40%) | 85 ± 51 (75%) |
| Cyclophillidean Ova |
– | – | – | 24.2 ± 14.9 (40%) | – | 24 ± 9.0 (75%) |
|
Nematode Ova Type |
||||||
| Strongyle | – | 90 ± 33.5 (36%) | 11 ± 9.87 (33%) | 15.6 ± 9.56 (40%) | – | 14 ± 9.52 (25%) |
| Strongyloid | 24 ± 6.86 (86%) | 5 ± 2.39 (16%) | 5 ± 3.42 (33%) | – | – | 4 ± 2.9 (25%) |
| Trichuroid | – | 3 ± 3.2 (4%) | 16 ± 7.27 (50%) | – | – | 4.0 ± 2.63 (25%) |
| Ascaroid | – | 9 ± 4.02 (20%) | 4 ± 2.71 (33%) | 32 ± 8.15 (80%) | – | – |
| Rhabditiform larva |
24 ± 12.2 (43%) | – | – | – | – | 3.0 ± 2.5 (12.5%) |
a
parasite load: mean ± SD (ova/cysts per gram faeces).
b
prevalence (%).