Ecto- and Endoparasite occurrence in wild hog deer (Axis porcinus) from a reserved forest of Assam in Northeast India: Updation of parasitological records and comparison with captive counterpart

The present communication provides record of parasitic infection in free ranging wild hog deer which fell victim of hunting while coming out from a reserved forest in North Lakhimpur district of Assam to graze on domestic animal grazing peripheral land. Ante-mortem examination of animals’ body surface revealed presence of two different arthropod parasites which were identified as the deer-ked belonging to the genus Lipoptena cervi and hard tick, Haemaphysalis bispinosa. Three different types of endoparasites were recovered at the post-mortem examination of animals. Examination of viscera revealed presence of few nematodes in the peritoneal cavity and they were found morphologically indistinguishable from Setaria digitata, a common mosquito borne filarial parasite of domestic cattle and buffaloes in India. There was presence of three bladder worms attached to the diaphragm and omentum and these were identified as Cysticercus tenuicollis, a long necked larval stage of tape worm Taenia hydatigena, commonly found in domestic dog and wild foxes. Rumen and reticulum were infested with snail borne Paramphistomum species of trematodes.Update of information with present supplementation reveals that free living wild hog deer suffer from multiple parasitic infection similar to their captive counterpart. However, compared to captive animals, mortality due to parasitic infection is least reported