Parasitological surveillance and successful treatment of gastrointestinal parasites of captive wild animals with albendazole in a zoological collection

The present report describes the work conducted on captive wild animals (n =42) between 1 - 15 years of age, during a period of one year to know the prevalence and chemotherapeutic management of gastrointestinal parasites from the captive facility of Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park and Wildlife Animal Research Center, Katraj, Pune, Maharashtra. Fecal samples of the animals were analyzed by use of classical parasitological techniques including sedimentation, floatation and quantitative Mc Master egg counting technique. Out of the total (n=42) fecal samples screened 17 (40.50%; 95% CI 25.3–54.7%)) samples were positive for gastrointestinal parasitic infection. The prevalence of nematodes was highest (70.58%), followed by cestodes (23.52%) and coccidia (5.80%). No trematode infection was seen in the present study. The eggs/oocysts of seven different types of intestinal parasites viz., strongyle, coccidia, Toxocara spp., Trichuris spp., Capillaria spp., Diphylidium spp. and Moniezia spp., were observed with an intensity of + to +++ and eggs/oocysts per gram of faeces as 850±585.15 in the current study. All the positive cases were administered with albendazole @ 20mg/kg body weight orally in the feed. Fecal samples of all animals were found negative for developmental stages after 15 days of treatment. Out of total 40.47% (95% CI 25.3–54.7%) infected animals, 58.82% animals were found infected with single infection while 41.14% showed mixed infection. The copro-prevalence of single and mixed gastrointestinal parasites without overt clinical signs of disease or mortality as observed in the study is suggestive of subclinical infection.