An overview of parasites of Wildlife in India. I. Herbivores, primates and reptiles

Despite India's wealth of biodiversity, knowledge on the parasites of its herbivorous wildlife, other than elephant, has remained patchy and disorganized. Initially, it was based mostly on chance findings and planned studies were few and far between. Even so, early workers relied on faecal examinations leading to only broad identification of the infecting parasites as coproculture was scarcely done. Collections at autopsy wherever done, brought out more specific prevalence data. Broadly, the parasitic fauna of Indian rhinoceros are Fasciola, amphistomes, Anoplocephala; 6 genera of nematodes, viz. Killiluma, Chabertia, Necator, Bunostomum, spirurid (unidentified) and Strongylus. The zebra and wild asses apparently share the parasitic spectrum of the domestic equids, including the pathogenic Strongylus vulgaris. In the order Artiodactyla, the forest-dwelling animals like the deer species, wild caprids, bovids and suids, all were found to have considerable commonality with their domestic counterparts regarding various helminth parasites, and even protozoa and arthropods. Eco-geographical (along with some other) factors seem to influence prevalences. Parasites of non-human primates are only partially identical to humans while those of Indian reptiles are unique to their hosts. The parasite records so far are by no means complete for most wild hosts. This review has attempted to highlight some of the more deficient areas for further systematic investigation while suggesting some guidelines.