Parasite transmission between antelopes and livestock in Kazakhstan
The plains of Kazakhstan are populated by several species of farmed livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, camels and horses) and by wild ruminants, most notably the saiga antelope, Saiga tatarica. These host groups undergo various seasonal movements, and there is opportunity for parasite transmission between as well as within host groups. The climate in Kazakhstan is extremely harsh, and to persist parasites have adapted to survive by using available hosts to the full. In recent years, numbers of domestic and wild ungulates on the plains have crashed, challenging the persistence of parasites. This situation provides an opportunity to examine the role of host movement in parasite transmission, risks of infection between wildlife and livestock, and prediction of key points of transmission so that control efforts can be properly targeted. Work in this area is in conjunction with wider projects on conservation and agriculture in Kazakhstan.
Recent and forthcoming publications
Morgan, ER, Torgerson, PR, Milner-Gulland, EJ and Medley, GF (2004) Ruminating on complexity: macroparasites of wildlife and livestock. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19, 181-188
Milner-Gulland, EJ, Shaikenov, BSh, Morgan, ER, Torgerson, PR (2001) Interactions between saigas and domestic livestock: exchange of parasites and its influence on the dynamics of ungulate populations. Izvestiya MON of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Biological and Medical Series, 3, 84-94
Morgan, ER, Shaikenov,B, Torgerson, PR, Medley, GF and Milner-Gulland, EJ (in press) Helminths of saiga antelopes in Kazakhstan: implications for conservation and livestock production Journal of Wildlife Diseases