Intestinal macro- and microparasites of wolves (Canis lupus L.) from north-eastern Poland recovered by coprological study.

Wolf scats collected during ecological studies in Mazury lake district in NE Poland were analysed for intestinal micro- and macroparasites. Five nematode species were identified: Ancylostoma caninum (Ercolani, 1859), Uncinaria stenocephala (Railliet, 1884), Trichuris vulpis (Froelich, 1789), Toxocara canis (Werner, 1782) and Toxascaris leonina (von Linstow, 1902). Among cestode species there were identified infections with Dipylidium caninum (Linnaeus, 1785). The overall helminth prevalence was 63.5 % and average intensity was 15.4 +/- 8.0 eggs /1g of sample. The most prevalent parasite was T. vulpis (38.5 %) and the most abundant infections were by T. canis. Almost 55 % of samples (28/51) were positive for C. parvum oocysts and 46.7 % (14/30) for Giardia spp. cysts. The pack factor affected the distribution of some of macro- and microparasites. The identified parasite fauna of wolves in Mazury lake district consists of several micro- and macroparasites of interest for public health.