Alaria alata mesocercariae in wild boars (Sus scrofa) in northern Serbia after the flood disaster of 2014

Abstract

In November and December in the years 2013 to 2015, a migration technique was used to test 590 wild boar carcasses from seven hunting areas in Serbia (along the rivers Danube, Sava, Sutva, Bosut) for the presence of Alaria alata mesocercariae. Mesocercariae were recovered from 61/590 (10.3%) of mixed tissue samples, with a median of one mesocercaria per 35 g in the positive samples. The weights of the carcasses from which positive samples were taken ranged from 15 to 120 kg. In the areas in the Srem district sampled in 2014 and 2015, the prevalence in 2014 was significantly lower (4.4%) than that in 2015 (26.0%). There is evidence that the difference stems from a flood disaster in May 2014, which caused fatalities in wildlife, thereby decreasing the number of final and paratenic hosts. The flooding was followed by the creation of wetlands/ponds and the re-immigration of wild carnivores in 2015.