Browsing by Subject "Barbary sheep"

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    Blastocystis in free-ranging wild ruminant species across the Iberian Peninsula
    (BioMed Central, 2025-07-09) Figueiredo, Ana M.; Dashti, Alejandro; Maloney, Jenny G.; Molokin, Aleksey; George, Nadja S.; Köster, Pamela C.; Bailo, Begoña; Sánchez de las Matas, Ana; Habela, Miguel Ángel; Rivero Juarez, Antonio; Vicente, Joaquín; Serrano, Emmanuel; Arnal, María C.; Fernández de Luco, Daniel; Morrondo, Patrocinio; Armenteros, José A.; Balseiro, Ana; Cardona, Guillermo A.; Martínez-Carrasco Pleite, Carlos; Torres, Rita T.; Fonseca, Carlos; Mysterud, Atle; Carvalho, João; Calero-Bernal, Rafael; González Barrio, David; Santín, Mónica; Carmena, David; Sanidad Animal; Facultades de la UMU::Facultad de Veterinaria
    The growing wild ungulate populations across Europe represents an increasingly important source for the spread of zoonotic pathogens. Blastocystis is a common intestinal protist observed in humans and animals worldwide. Studies on Blastocystis occurrence and subtype (ST) diversity in free-ranging wild ruminants are lacking globally, and more data are needed to understand the epidemiological scenario in wild European ruminants. We collected 833 faecal samples from free-ranging wild angulates across Spain (n = 699) and Portugal (n = 134) between 1998 and 2021. Using conventional PCR and nextgeneration amplicon sequencing, Blastocystis was found in 13.8% (115/833; 95% CI: 11.5–16.3) of the wild ruminants analysed. Its occurrence was significantly higher in Portugal (38.1%, 51/134; 95% CI 29.8–46.8) than in Spain (9.2%, 64/699; 95% CI: 7.1–11.5). Fifteen Blastocystis STs, fourteen previously recognised (ST2, ST5, ST10, ST13, ST14, ST21, ST23–ST26, ST30, and ST42–ST44), and one novel (named ST49), were detected among the surveyed wild ruminant populations. Novel ST49 was described using Oxford Nanopore sequencing to produce full-length reference sequences of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene. A greater ST diversity was observed in Spanish samples. Mixed infections were found in 58.3% (67/115) of the total Blastocystis-positive samples. Our results have enhanced the knowledge regarding Blastocystis occurrence and ST diversity and host preference present in wild ruminants from the Iberian Peninsula, which will assist in clarifying the relationships between the sylvatic and domestic cycles of this protist and may ultimately provide tools to help manage future public health epidemiological scenarios.
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    First description of gastrointestinal nematodes of Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia): the case of Camelostrongylus mentulatus as a paradigm of phylogenic and specific relationship between the parasite and its ancient host
    (Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2013-04-25) Mayo, Elvira; Ortiz, Juana; Martínez Carrasco-Pleite, Carlos; Garijo, M. Magdalena; Espeso, Gerardo; Hervías, Sandra; Ruiz de Ybáñez Carnero, María del Rocío; Sanidad Animal
    The gastrointestinal helminth fauna of 24 Barbary sheep or Aoudad (Ammotragus lervia sahariensis) maintained in the Parque de Rescate de la Fauna Sahariana (PRFS, CSIC, Almeria, Spain) was analyzed. Most animals (87.5 %) were parasitized, and multiple infections were highly present. The following species were identified: Camelostrongylus mentulatus, Teladorsagia circumcincta, Marshallagia marshalli, Ostertagia ostertagi, O. leptospicularis, O. lyrata, Haemonchus contortus, Teladorsagia trifurcata, Trichostrongylus vitrinus, T. colubriformis, T. probolorus, T. capricola, Nematodirus spathiger, N. abnormalis, N. filicollis, N. helvetianus, Trichuris spp. and Skrjabinema ovis. Teladorsagia circumcincta was the most prevalent nematode in abomasum (52.6 %) followed by C. mentulatus (50 %). However, this latter nematode had the greater mean intensity and abundance. In the small intestine, T. colubriformis and T. vitrinus had the highest prevalence (36.4 %); the last one showed also the greater mean intensity and abundance. It should be emphasized the presence of Skrjabinema ovis (prevalence 39.1 %) in the large intestine, showing the greater mean abundance and intensity, although with a low values. Camelostrongylus mentulatus could be the most primitive nematode of the family trichostrongylidae recovered in this study; attending to its high prevalence, mean abundance and mean intensity, the possible specificity between this parasite and the Aoudad is discussed.
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    Herbivore and mesocarnivore carcasses trigger divergent short-term changes in soil properties
    (Wiley British Ecological Society, 2026-02-10) Martínez-Carrasco Pleite, Carlos; Huertas del Bosque, José Carlos; Gonzálvez Juan, Moisés; Colino-Barea, Adrián; García-Orenes, Fuensanta; Morales-Reyes, Zebensui; Moleón, Marcos; Redondo-Gómez, Daniel; Marks, Evan A. N.; García-Carmona, Minerva; Arcenegui, Victoria; Orihuela-Torres, Adrián; Soliveres, Santiago; Albolafio, Sofia; Sebastián-González, Esther; Sánchez-Zapata, José Antonio; Sanidad Animal; Facultades de la UMU::Facultad de Veterinaria
    1. Animal corpses act as pulses of organic matter (OM) and serve a key zoogeochemical role by providing localized nutrient inputs to soils and thereby contributing to maintaining soil functions and biogeochemical cycles. Among mammals, carnivore carcasses tend to persist longer than those of herbivores due to lower consumption rates from vertebrate scavengers. This, combined with the different composition and size of carnivore and herbivore carcasses, could modify the effects of animal-derived OM input on soil dynamics. 2. We examined changes in soil properties (pH, electrical conductivity [EC], organic carbon, aggregate stability (AS), microbial respiration and enzymatic activities) driven by the deployment of 20 red fox (Vulpes vulpes: mesocarnivore) and 19 aoudad (Ammotragus lervia: herbivore) carcasses. We also monitored their consumption with camera traps and assessed the modulating effect of scavenging patterns and carrion features (size, type: herbivore vs. mesocarnivore). 3. Carrion increased EC, phosphorus availability and microbial activity in the soil, but had little effect on soil organic carbon or pH. These effects were modulated by carcass size, type (fox or aoudad) and its associated consumption by scavengers. Additionally, scavenger richness modulated the effects of carrion on soil AS and phosphatase. 4. Due to lower carcass weight, longer persistence in the environment, and the interactions between vertebrate scavengers and the carcass, soils below mesocarnivore carcasses featured an enhanced increase in biochemical soil properties, suggesting wider changes in soil microbiological communities as compared to herbivore carcasses. 5. Through contrasting scavenger assemblages and consumption patterns, mesocarnivore and herbivore carcasses play distinct yet equally relevant roles in nutrient-limited dryland soils.