ANALYSIS OF SERUM AND WHOLE BLOOD VALUES IN RELATION TO HELMINTH AND ECTOPARASITE INFECTIONS OF FERAL PIGS IN TEXAS

In the summers of 1996 and 1997, 60 wild pigs (Sus scrofa) were necropsied from three sites in south Texas (USA) to test the hypothesis that serum and whole blood parameters vary significantly (P ≤ 0.05) with the prevalence and intensity of parasites infecting wild pigs. We found ten parasite species: five nematodes (Metastrongylus salmi, Metastrongylus pudentotectus, Stephanurus dentatus, Oesophagostomum dentatum, and Physocephalus sexalatus); four ixodid ticks (Amblyomma cajennense, Amblyomma maculatum, Amblyomma americanum, and Dermacentor variabilis); and one trematode (Fascioloides magna). Among juvenile pigs, the intensity of the four species of ticks, collectively, was negatively correlated (P ≤ 0.05) with whole blood principal component number one (PC-1); this factor was positively associated with lymphocytes and eosinophils. Lungworm intensity (Metastrongylus spp.) among adult pigs was negatively correlated (P ≤ 0.05) with whole blood PC-2; this factor was negatively associated with segmented neutrophils and monocytes. There were no significant correlations found between parasite prevalences and either serum or whole blood principal component factors. The correlations observed between parasite intensities and serum and whole blood parameters generally were weak. Thus, we found no strong evidence that serum and whole blood parameters provided good predictive information on parasite infections in wild pigs for most practical management decisions.