Gastrointestinal parasites of harbour seal (<i>Phoca vitulina</i> L.) in Danish marine waters: Prevalence, abundance, intensity and reproductive potential.

ABSTRACT: Populations of harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) in Danish marine areas have increased markedly during recent decades, but their associated parasite populations have remained unknown. In February 2024 we collected 13 harbour seals from the western part of Limfjorden (Denmark), a marine area connecting the North Sea with the Kattegat Sea. The animals were subjected to a parasitological examination (including morphological and molecular methods), which confirmed that this seal species acts as a definitive hosts for the gastrointestinal nematodes Contracaecum osculatum s.s., Anisakis simplex, Phocanema decipiens s.s. and P. krabbei; all nematodes were at prevalences of 100 %. The seals also harboured the intestinal acanthocephalan Corynosoma strumosum (10

SUBMITTER: Kumas K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12002897 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature