Kuznetsov D.N., Romashova N.B., Romashov B.V., Vlasov E.A. 2025. Gastrointestinal nematodes of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in European Russia // Russian J. Theriol. Vol.24. No.2. P.142–153 [in English].
Dmitry N. Kuznetsov [dkuznetsov@mail.ru], A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, Mytnaya str., h. 28, build. 1, Moscow 119049, Russia; Natalya B. Romashova [bvnrom@rambler.ru], Voronezh State Nature Biosphere Reserve, Voronezh 394080, Russia; Boris V. Romashov [bvrom@rambler.ru], Voronezh State Agrarian University named after Emperor Peter the Great, Mitchurina str., 1, Voronezh 394087, Russia; Voronezh State Nature Biosphere Reserve, Voronezh 394080, Russia; Egor A. Vlasov [egorvlassoff@gmail.com], V.V. Alekhin Central-Chernozem State Nature Biosphere Reserve, Zapovednyi, Kursk Oblast 305528, Russia.
doi: 10.15298/rusjtheriol.24.2.07
ABSTRACT. The species composition of gastrointestinal nematodes found during necropsies of 33 red deer from three regions of European Russia (Tver’, Smolensk and Voronezh) was determined. In total, 11 species of nematodes were found, namely Aonchotheca bovis, Ashworthius sidemi, Cooperia pectinata, Mazamastrongylus dagestanica, Nematodirus roscidus, Ostertagia leptospicularis, Spiculopteragia asymmetrica, Spiculopteragia spiculoptera, Trichostrongylus axei, Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Trichuris ovis. Besides, a minor morph of Ostertagia leptospicularis (“O. kolchida”), as well as a minor morph of Spiculopteragia asymmetrica (“S. quadrispiculata”), were also detected in some of the red deer. The number of gastrointestinal nematodes found in red deer during the present study ranged from 4 to 431 individuals. Thus, the intensity of infection was rather low. S. asymmetrica was found in all three regions studied. This species showed the highest intensity of infection, as well as the prevalence. O. leptospicularis was also found in all three regions studied, but the intensity of infection and prevalence of this species was lower than that of S. asymmetrica. The other species of gastrointestinal nematodes were found in one or two of the three regions studied. A. sidemi, S. asymmetrica, M. dagestanica and N. roscidus were found in red deer in European Russia for the first time. A trend towards changes in the communities of nematodes parasitising red deer and the spread of parasites that are not typical for this host and this area was noted.
KEY WORDS: wild ruminants, digestive tract, parasitic nematodes, Russia.