Host-parasite relationships have been frequently investigated in mountain dwelling ungulates, though mostly focusing on gastrointestinal nematodes. On the contrary, very few studies were conducted on broncopulmonary nematodes, which may result in severe parenchymal lesions and act as predisposing factor for multifactorial pneumonia. The epidemiological and ecological features of lungworms infecting an Alpine ibex population in the Eastern Alps, Italy, were non-invasively investigated by means of a modified Baermann technique with an original quantitative methodology. Out of a total of 269 samples collected monthly from July to November 2013 and from July to October 2014, 212 (78.8%) were positive for Muellerius and 26 (9.7%) for Protostrongylus, whereas Neostrongylus and Cystocaulus were less prevalent (4.1% and 0.7%, respectively). None of the investigated samples tested positive for dictyocaulids. The genus Muellerius showed the highest larval output intensity (134.2 L1/g), followed by Protostrongylus with 33.8 L1/g. A contrasting age-related pattern of Muellerius and Protostrongylus was revealed, with the former significantly more prevalent and abundant in adult animals, while the latter in kids. Due to the limited accessibility of the study area during winter and spring, it was difficult to describe clear seasonal trends in larval output, although Muellerius showed a minimum in the late summer and a rise in the autumn. The newly developed diagnostic method showed a fair repeatability, thus representing an interesting tool to investigate the ecology of lungworms in protected species, such as the A. ibex. Based on results, ibex in the Marmolada massif seem to have an ecologically stable relationship with their lungworm community.
Keywords: Alpine ibex; Ecology; Italy; Lungworm; Protostrongylidae.
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