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1 July 2010 Muellerius capillaris Dominates the Lungworm Community of Bighorn Sheep at the National Bison Range, Montana
Vanessa O. Ezenwa, Alicia M. Hines, Elizabeth A. Archie, Eric P. Hoberg, Ingrid M. Asmundsson, John T. Hogg
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Abstract

Lungworm infections are common among bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in North America, and the predominant species reported are Protostrongylus stilesi and P. rushi. The only records of another lungworm species, Muellerius capillaris, infecting bighorns come from South Dakota, USA. At the National Bison Range (NBR), Montana, USA we found that across six sampling periods, 100% of wild bighorn sheep surveyed were passing first-stage dorsal-spined larvae (DSL) which appeared to be consistent with M. capillaris. By contrast, only 39% or fewer sheep were passing Protostrongylus larvae. Using molecular techniques, we positively identified the DSL from the NBR bighorns as M. capillaris. This is the first definitive record of M. capillaris infection in a free-ranging bighorn sheep population outside of South Dakota.

Vanessa O. Ezenwa, Alicia M. Hines, Elizabeth A. Archie, Eric P. Hoberg, Ingrid M. Asmundsson, and John T. Hogg "Muellerius capillaris Dominates the Lungworm Community of Bighorn Sheep at the National Bison Range, Montana," Journal of Wildlife Diseases 46(3), 988-993, (1 July 2010). https://doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-46.3.988
Received: 23 October 2009; Accepted: 1 January 2010; Published: 1 July 2010
KEYWORDS
Bighorn Sheep
lungworms
Muellerius capillaris
Ovis canadensis
Protostrongylus
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