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Location
Mount Berry, GA
Start Date
25-3-2019 12:00 AM
Description
The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of two internal parasites (strongylate nematodes and Nematodirus spp.) in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) sharing a home range with domestic sheep (Ovis aries), compared to deer likely having minimal contact with sheep. Fecal samples were collected from sheep (n=75), deer (n=99) within 300m of the sheep center, and deer (n=98) located 1.3km away from the livestock center, over a 7-week period during the summer. Sheep had the highest (p<.001) number of strongylate eggs (1,212.7 ± 2.8/g) compared to deer near the livestock facility (13.9 ± 0.3/g) or deer located away from the sheep center (18.3 ± 0.3/g). Eggs of Nematodirus spp. were greater (p<.001) in sheep (33.7 ± 0.5/g) compared to deer samples collected near the sheep center (5.1 ± 0.2/g) and deer away from the sheep facility (3.0 ± 0.1/g). Additionally, strongyle and Nematodirus spp. egg counts were different (p<0.001) in the fecal samples collected from deer residing closer to the sheep facility compared to those located farther away. Results of this study suggest the interactions of white-tailed deer and domestic sheep does not influence the prevalence of these internal parasites within the deer.
Recommended Citation
Metro, K. M., Weisser, M. J., Rorrer, S. N., Peters, S. O., Gallagher, G. R. (2019). The prevalence of two common internal parasites in white-tailed deer with and without significant interaction with domestic sheep. In Gallagher, G. R. & Armstrong, J. B. (Eds.), The Eighteenth Wildlife Damage Management Conference (pp. 91-96). Mount Berry, GA: Berry College.
Included in
The Prevalence of Two Common Internal Parasites in White-tailed Deer With and Without Significant Interaction With Domestic Sheep
Mount Berry, GA
The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of two internal parasites (strongylate nematodes and Nematodirus spp.) in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) sharing a home range with domestic sheep (Ovis aries), compared to deer likely having minimal contact with sheep. Fecal samples were collected from sheep (n=75), deer (n=99) within 300m of the sheep center, and deer (n=98) located 1.3km away from the livestock center, over a 7-week period during the summer. Sheep had the highest (p<.001) number of strongylate eggs (1,212.7 ± 2.8/g) compared to deer near the livestock facility (13.9 ± 0.3/g) or deer located away from the sheep center (18.3 ± 0.3/g). Eggs of Nematodirus spp. were greater (p<.001) in sheep (33.7 ± 0.5/g) compared to deer samples collected near the sheep center (5.1 ± 0.2/g) and deer away from the sheep facility (3.0 ± 0.1/g). Additionally, strongyle and Nematodirus spp. egg counts were different (p<0.001) in the fecal samples collected from deer residing closer to the sheep facility compared to those located farther away. Results of this study suggest the interactions of white-tailed deer and domestic sheep does not influence the prevalence of these internal parasites within the deer.