Endoparasites of wildcats in Croatia

Reports on the parasitic fauna of wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris) are rare and often based on a small sample size, therefore the goal of this research was to investigate the prevalence of endoparasites in wildcats in Croatia. Necropsy was conducted on 34 adult wildcats killed in traffic or provided by hunters following regular hunting operations. All animals tested negative for rabies. The contents of the stomach and intestine were examined under a microscope. Feces from the rectum were analyzed using flotation with a saturated ZnS[O.sub.4] solution, while the diaphragm was examined using artificial digestion. Direct immunofluorescence was used for the first time to detect Giardia sp. cysts in wildcats. All animals were infected with at least one species of parasites, while the most diverse infestation included six different species of parasites in a single animal. The following parasite species were found (% of prevalence of adult parasites and their developmental stages in all analyzed samples): Taenia taeniaeformis (55.9%), Capillaria sp. (50%), Toxocara cati (50%), Isospora sp. (29.4%), Strongyloides sp. (23.5%), Giardia sp. (17.6%), Ancylostoma tubaeformae (14.7%), Physaloptera sp. (11.8%), Hymenolepididae (8.8%),Alaria alata (5.9%), Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (5.9%), Toxascaris leonina (5.9%), Trichinella sp. (5.9%), Mesocestoides lineatus (5.9%), Anoplocephalidae (2.9%), Dipylidium caninum (2.9%), Trichuris sp. (2.9%), Isospora felis (2.9%), Eimeria sp. (2.9%) and Sarcocystis sp. (2.9%). Among those, Eimeria sp., Trichuris sp. eggs, anoplocephalid and hymenolepidid type eggs are spurious parasites, coming from ingested prey. Four of the identified species have never been previously reported in wildcats - Giardia sp., Strongyloides sp., Sarcocystis sp. and Dipylidium caninum. Key words: parasites, wildcat, Felis silvestris silvestris, Croatia