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Abstract

A comparative gastrointestinal parasite study was conducted looking at different lemur species and their parasite prevalence and diversity at two Association of Zoo & Aquarium accredited facilities, the Duke Lemur Center and Lemur Conservation Foundation. The study compared parasite prevalence and diversity among three different host lemur species, Lemur catta, Eulemur mongoz, and Varecia rubra. A total of 54 fecal samples were collected noninvasively from the lemurs. These samples were prepared for microscopic analysis using a standard fecal flotation method (RUSVM 2020). A total of six different parasite taxa were identified during microscopic analysis. Although no statistical significance (defined as p > 0.05) was found, there are indications that location and diet possibly play a role in differences of parasite prevalence and diversity among the different lemur species that could not be detected with the small sample size. A total of eight parasite-positive samples were found: 5 in L. catta, 2 in E. mongoz, and 1 in V. rubra. Few published studies have conducted comparative parasitology between lemur species; this is especially the case for captive lemurs. Parasitology studies are important due to the relationship between primate parasitology, primate health, and conservation. As such, this study fills a problematic gap in the literature and will hopefully evoke parasitology centered conversations between the Duke Lemur Center and Lemur Conservation Foundation.

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