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Fatal Sarcoptes scabiei and Demodex sp. co-infestation in wolves (Canis lupus) at the Białowieża National Park, Poland – is it a consequence of climate change?

Michał K. Krzysiak

Michał K. Krzysiak

Department of Parasitology and Invasive Diseases, University of Life Sciences in LublinLublin, Poland
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Krzysiak, Michał K.
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Agnieszka Świątalska

Agnieszka Świątalska

Veterinary Hygiene LaboratoryGdańsk, Poland
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Świątalska, Agnieszka
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Elwira Plis-Kuprianowicz

Elwira Plis-Kuprianowicz

Białowieża, Poland
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Plis-Kuprianowicz, Elwira
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Andrzej Konieczny

Andrzej Konieczny

Faculty of Agrobioengineering, University of Live SciencesLublin, Poland
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Konieczny, Andrzej
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Sławomir Bakier

Sławomir Bakier

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Forest Sciences, Białystok University of TechnologyBiałystok, Poland
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Bakier, Sławomir
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Krzysztof Tomczuk

Krzysztof Tomczuk

Department of Parasitology and Invasive Diseases, University of Life Sciences in LublinLublin, Poland
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Tomczuk, Krzysztof
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Magdalena Larska

Magdalena Larska

Department of Virology, National Veterinary Research InstitutePuławy, Poland
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Larska, Magdalena
  
Dec 20, 2024
Fatal Sarcoptes scabiei and Demodex sp. co-infestation in wolves (Canis lupus) at the Białowieża National Park, Poland – is it a consequence of climate change?'s Cover Image
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Published Online: Dec 20, 2024
Page range: 551 - 562
Received: May 21, 2024
Accepted: Dec 12, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2024-0068
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© 2024 Michał K. Krzysiak et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Fig. 1.

The distribution of camera traps (C1–C10, Table 1) installed for the monitoring of mange cases in wolves in the Białowieża National Park in winter 2021/2022. Red tags – locations where severely alopecic wolves were observed. Red square in the bottom left corner map – the location of the BNP in Europe
The distribution of camera traps (C1–C10, Table 1) installed for the monitoring of mange cases in wolves in the Białowieża National Park in winter 2021/2022. Red tags – locations where severely alopecic wolves were observed. Red square in the bottom left corner map – the location of the BNP in Europe

Fig. 2.

Observations of severely alopecic wolves in Białowieża National Park: a – camera trap image of the wolf found dead a day later (Table 1, C1 and Fig. 3); b – camera trap image from the camera positioned on a European bison carcass (Table 1, C4); c – photo taken by a Polish border guard on the border with Belarus on the bridge over the Narewka river (Kosy Most; 52.7996N, 23.8284E) near location of trap C2 (Table 1); d – photo taken by a forest ranger in the same midforest meadow as trap C1 (Table 1)
Observations of severely alopecic wolves in Białowieża National Park: a – camera trap image of the wolf found dead a day later (Table 1, C1 and Fig. 3); b – camera trap image from the camera positioned on a European bison carcass (Table 1, C4); c – photo taken by a Polish border guard on the border with Belarus on the bridge over the Narewka river (Kosy Most; 52.7996N, 23.8284E) near location of trap C2 (Table 1); d – photo taken by a forest ranger in the same midforest meadow as trap C1 (Table 1)

Fig. 3.

External inspection of a wolf carcass showing: a – advanced alopecia; hyperkeratosis; emaciation and severe dehydration and anaemia; b – presence of soil and fragments of vegetation in the mouth suggestive of some neurological symptoms, which were nevertheless ruled out by a negative rabies test result
External inspection of a wolf carcass showing: a – advanced alopecia; hyperkeratosis; emaciation and severe dehydration and anaemia; b – presence of soil and fragments of vegetation in the mouth suggestive of some neurological symptoms, which were nevertheless ruled out by a negative rabies test result

Fig. 4.

Ventral views of a Sarcoptes scabiei male (a) and Demodex sp. (b) isolated post mortem from the skin of an affected grey wolf from Białowieża National Park
Ventral views of a Sarcoptes scabiei male (a) and Demodex sp. (b) isolated post mortem from the skin of an affected grey wolf from Białowieża National Park

Fig. 5.

Local polynomial smoothed lines of the distribution of selected monthly meteorological data for Białowieża Forest, obtained from the Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management in the winter months of January–March between 2001 and 2021. a – solid blue line: average minimum temperature (Tmin); dotted maroon line: average minimum temperature at ground level (Tmin ground); b – solid navy-blue line: average maximum snow depth in cm; dashed maroon line: average number of days with snow cover
Local polynomial smoothed lines of the distribution of selected monthly meteorological data for Białowieża Forest, obtained from the Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management in the winter months of January–March between 2001 and 2021. a – solid blue line: average minimum temperature (Tmin); dotted maroon line: average minimum temperature at ground level (Tmin ground); b – solid navy-blue line: average maximum snow depth in cm; dashed maroon line: average number of days with snow cover

Locations of sampling sites for wolf monitoring by camera traps in the Białowieża National Park

No. Division No. GPS coordinates Presence of alopecic/sick wolves (number)
C1 339C 52.7418N; 23.7959E Yes (2)*
C2 159B 52.7991N; 23.8267E Yes (1)
C3 130C 52.8031N; 23.8280E No
C4 226A 52.7803N; 23.8770E Yes (1)
C5 159D 52.7926N; 23.8271E Yes (1)
C6 374A 52.7282N; 23.9074E No
C7 135D 52.8041N; 23.9189E No
C8 287C 52.7537N; 23.8758E No
C9 284B 52.7570N; 23.8430E No
C10 259B 52.7683N; 23.9189E No
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