Molecular confirmation of high prevalence of species of Hepatozoon infection in free-ranging African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in the Kruger National Park, South Africa.

ABSTRACT: Reports in the literature indicate that species of Hepatozoon commonly occur in African wild dog (AWD) or painted wolf (Lycaon pictus) populations. These findings were based on examination of blood smears by microscopy, and specific identity of the Hepatozoon sp. gamonts seen could not be confirmed. We present the first in-depth molecular data on the prevalence of species of Hepatozoon in a free-ranging AWD population. In a general health survey of AWDs in the Kruger National Park, blood specimens (n = 74) collected from 54 individuals were examined for the presence of Hepatozoon spp. At first sampling, specimens from 42 of 54 individuals (77.7%) were positive, based on the primer set HepF300 and HepR900. Twenty individuals were resampled between 51 and 6

SUBMITTER: Netherlands EC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8056134 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature