Abstract
The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), one of five tortoise species endemic in the USA, was recently classified as a candidate for federal listing as a threatened species. Fecal samples collected from 117 tortoises from eight sites in Georgia were examined for endoparasites using a combination of sedimentation and flotation. Samples from an island population were examined for parasitic oocysts and ova only by flotation, protozoan cysts by trichrome-stained direct smear, and Cryptosporidium by direct immunofluorescence assay and ProSpecT rapid assay. A total of 99 tortoises (85, range 0–100 %) was infected with pinworms (Alaeuris spp.), 47 (40, 0–86 %) with cestodes (Oochorstica sp.), 34 (41, 0–74 %) with Chapiniella spp., 2 (3, 0–33 %) with Eimeria paynei, and a single tortoise each with a capillarid and ascarid (1 %). On the island, Entamoeba was detected in one tortoise (2 %) while Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in eight (17 %). In conclusion, at least eight species of parasites were detected including Cryptosporidium, a possible pathogen of tortoises. Interestingly, we detected spatial variation in the distribution of several parasites among populations suggesting additional work should be conducted across a gradient of tortoise densities, land use, and habitat characteristics.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Lora L. Smith for the helpful comments on the earlier versions of the manuscript. JLM was supported by the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at UGA and the J. W. Jones Ecological Research Center. Additional funding was provided by the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study through sponsorship with member states, The Gopher Tortoise Council, Sigma Xi, and the Sophie Danforth Conservation Biology Fund.
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McGuire, J.L., Miller, E.A., Norton, T.M. et al. Intestinal parasites of the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) from eight populations in Georgia. Parasitol Res 112, 4205–4210 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-013-3612-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-013-3612-z