Lungworm and lice of the red deer (Cervus elaphus) and the fallow deer (Dama dama) —a review

Abstract

The red deer (Cervus elaphus) is a host for two louse species, Damalinia longicornis and Solenopotes burmeisteri. Little is known of their prevalence or population dynamics; numbers are likely to peak in winter. Numbers may increase secondarily to malnutrition or disease. Lice are unlikely to seriously affect deer health under most conditions. “Pour-on” insecticides have been used for treatment but their efficacy has not been critically assessed. Animals can be sprayed using garden spray equipment, providing that such equipment has not been used for other toxic chemicals such as weed killers. Little is known of the toxicity of insecticides for deer, so they should be used with care and not used on stressed animals. No lice have been recorded from the fallow deer (Dama dama) in New Zealand.

Dictyocaulus viviparus infects red and fallow deer and can cause high mortalities of young farmed red deer in their first autumn and winter. In clinical cases respiratory signs are seldom obvious but loss of condition and dullness of coat may be evident. Clinical evidence and lung lesions suggest that the pathogenesis of disease may differ from that in cattle. Anthelmintics effective against D. viviparus in cattle are not necessarily effective in deer. Little is known of the significance of lungworm to farmed fallow deer. Research on lungworm in deer is urgently needed.