Gastrointestinal Nematodes of Western Canadian Cervids: Molecular Diagnostics, Faunal Baselines and Management Considerations

Free-ranging ungulates in North America are host to over 50 species of parasitic gastrointestinal nematodes (strongyles), many of which vary in their pathogenicity and response to anthropogenic and climatological disturbance. Consequently, species-specific identification is crucial to understanding the epizootiology of strongyles in wildlife. I validated a molecular assay (PCR-SSCP) for species-level differentiation of strongyles, and used this approach to help describe strongyle communities in western Canadian cervids. Three new host and ten new geographic records were described. Deer ( Odocoileus spp.) harboured a high diversity of strongyles with a distinct geographic partitioning of species. Prevalence of infection in caribou was high and characterized by two species. An exotic parasite was discovered in elk and deer in two National Parks in Alberta. Results highlight fundamental gaps in our knowledge of strongyle communities in wildlife and demonstrate the applicability of non-invasive molecular tools to identify and potentially mitigate human-mediated spread of pathogens.