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Relationship between Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) sperm quality and level of parasitism

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Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between parasite infection rates and reproductive function in wild Iberian ibexes. The animals examined were 43 adult males shot during the rutting season. Gastrointestinal and pulmonary nematodes, intestinal cestodes and intestinal coccidia were determined by coprological analysis. Protozoa in the muscles were detected by biopsy. Epididymal spermatozoa were collected from recovered testes. Sperm motility, the integrity of the plasma membrane, sperm viability, sperm morphology and acrosome integrity were all evaluated. Bronchopulmonary nematode larvae were detected with a prevalence of 100% (mean intensity 216.8 ± 65.8; index of dispersion 476.1, indicating an aggregated pattern). A negative correlation (R = -0.39; P < 0.05) was found between the shedding of larval lungworms and the percentage of sperm morphological abnormalities. Although directional relationships could not be identified, the present findings suggest that reproductive effort imposes a cost in terms of depressed parasite resistance.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by FEDER-INIA (grant FAU 2006-00001). The authors would like to thank the Sedella District Council (Ayuntamiento de Sedella, Málaga) for its help in setting up the local laboratory, the gamekeepers of the Regional Environmental Council of Málaga (D.P. Málaga, Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía), EGMASA (Empresa de Gestión Medioambiental, S.A.) for help in obtaining samples, and the Consejería de Medio Ambiente de Andalucía for its unfailing help in implementing the projects proposed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dpto. Reproducción Animal, INIA, Avda. Puerta de Hierro km 5.9, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Julian Santiago-Moreno, Miguel Angel Coloma, Adolfo Toledano-Díaz & Antonio López-Sebastián

  2. Dpto. Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Monica Luzón

  3. Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, D.P. Málaga, 29006, Málaga, Spain

    Antonio Pulido-Pastor, Félix Gómez-Guillamón & Ricardo Salas de la Vega

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  1. Julian Santiago-Moreno
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  2. Monica Luzón
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  4. Antonio Pulido-Pastor
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  7. Adolfo Toledano-Díaz
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  8. Antonio López-Sebastián
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Correspondence to Julian Santiago-Moreno.

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Communicated by C. Gortázar

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Santiago-Moreno, J., Luzón, M., Coloma, M.A. et al. Relationship between Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) sperm quality and level of parasitism. Eur J Wildl Res 56, 605–611 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-009-0356-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-009-0356-2

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